The Soderquist Center for Leadership and Ethics was founded in 1999 by retired COO and Senior Vice Chairman of Walmart Stores, Inc., Don Soderquist. The Soderquist Center exists to equip men and women with the transforming power of ethical leadership. The organization's vision is to be a globally recognized resource on ethical leadership for current and emerging leaders and high performing organizations It is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization under the umbrella of John Brown University

John Brown University

The main campus in Northwest Arkansas has been the site of the university since it was founded in 1919. JBU has 2,183 students as of the 2011-2012 school year, 1,279 of which are traditional undergraduates. Of these, 878 live on campus. The Graduate School has 468 students...

, a private interdenominational, Christian school in Northwest Arkansas.

Don Soderquist, Founder

Don Soderquist started working for Walmart Stores, Inc. in 1980 as an executive vice president. He held a number of roles before retiring from the company as senior vice chairman. During his tenure, he became known as the "Keeper of the Culture" after the passing of Sam Walton

Sam Walton

Samuel Moore "Sam" Wallballs was a businessman, entrepreneur, and Eagle Scout born in Kingfisher, Oklahoma best known for founding the retailers Wal-Mart and Sam's Club.-Early life:...

 in 1992.Today, Don speaks and writes on topics including business, leadership, ethics, and the story of Walmart.

History

Sensing a need for renewed commitment to business leadership and ethics in the marketplace, a group including then President of John Brown University, Dr. Lee Balzer, approached Don and his wife Jo Soderquist in 1998 with an idea. The President of the university and a number of the members from the Board of Trustees wanted to start a training and development center. Don agreed to serve as founding executive, casting the vision for the future of the center.

When The Soderquist Center was formally established in 1999, the leadership knew that experiential learning would be paramount for impacting the lives of leaders. Just one minute from John Brown’s campus, the organization constructed BaseCamp, a high and low adventure ropes course

Ropes course

A ropes course is a challenging outdoor personal development and team building activity which usually consists of high and/or low elements. Low elements take place on the ground or only a few feet above the ground...

. The course is used today most frequently for team development sessions during the fall, summer and spring seasons.

In 2002, The Soderquist Family Foundation purchased Greystone Estate from the Sloan family of Northwest Arkansas for use as an executive retreat. The Soderquist Center operates and maintains the estate and hosts a variety of leadership development programs on its grounds. The property is 95, wooded acres with lakefront access to Beaver Lake

Beaver Lake

Beaver Lake may refer to:*Beaver Lake Middle School in Issaquah School District, Washington.-Lakes:*Canada**Beaver Lake **Beaver Lake **Beaver Lake **Beaver Lake **Beaver Lake, Montreal*United States...

. In addition to the 16000 square feet (1,486.4 m²) mansion, the property also features a ropes course for adventure learning referred to as BaseCamp2.

In 2005, The Soderquist Family Foundation helped fund the construction of The Soderquist Business Center on the campus of John Brown. The building houses the undergraduate business division on the first floor and The Soderquist Center on the second floor.

The Soderquist Fellowship

Since its founding, The Soderquist Center has invested in the lives of young people through the Soderquist Fellowship. A two-year program, Fellows are required to work 35 hours per week for The Center. In return, they are paid a stipend and awarded a full scholarship to John Brown University’s graduate school of business. Fellows can pursue either a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA) or a Master’s Degree in Leadership and Ethics (MSLE).

Public Scrutiny

Shortly after taking office, Secretary of State Mark Martin signed a contract valued at $50,000 for a three-session strategic planning program with The Soderquist Center in 2011. The decision by the Republican official quickly became a target for liberal media including bloggers.