Home again after less than 27 hours spent in the air and in a meeting in Bentonville, Arkansas. Yesterday's flight through Cincinnati was relatively uneventful. I must admit, I am becoming too familiar with Terminal C in the bowels of the Cincinnati International Airport. Terminal C is the arriving and departing point for many commuter aircraft. It is dark, noisy, overcrowded and the flights are always oversold. On past trips I have collected a number of Delta dollars in Terminal C for giving up my flight for a later time, but not on this night; I was anxious to get to Bentonville and settle in for the night.

The arrival in Bentonville was right on schedule. I checked into the Springhill Suites and walked to Brioso Brazil for a late dinner of fresh asparagus, artichoke hearts, shrimp and smoked salmon. Yum!

This morning I was delighted to run into an old friend in the hotel parking lot, Lori Bell. Lori and I were buyers at Venture Stores and I haven't seen her since 1994 when I left St. Louis. We both work for manufacturing companies now, in different fields. Lori is still the same tall, thin, vivacious blonde I remember and is now a mother of 2. Her husband, Tom, was also a buyer but wisely returned to law school and is now practicing in St. Louis. We had little time to chat as we were both off to meetings. I am looking forward to exchanging emails and catching up on the past 10 years!

Prior travels to Bentonville have led to my conclusion that Bentonville is the fastest growing city in the USA (it is officially listed as the 3rd fastest growing city). As fast as ADOT can lay down fresh asphalt another farm is transformed into a new hotel, office building or strip mall ready to serve the town's growing corporate demands. My meeting took me to an unfamiliar part of town, an area I call "Old Bentonville." What a treat! Old Bentonville (founded in 1837) is like many small southern towns, built around a town square (Plaza de Armas). In the center of the square is a statue of Robert E. Lee (?) and the word "Confederate 1861-1865" inscribed on each side of the four sided base (no question where the city's loyalties lie). On this trip, the square was decked out in white plastic and wire Christmas sculptures with many twinkling lights. When I walked by, I noticed that just off the square, a local church was already setting up it's all-weather nativity scene.

The original Walton 5-10 has been preserved on the square in it's original location. It now serves as a Visitors Center to tell the Sam Walton/Wal-mart story. Very humble beginnings for the international mega Wal-mart corporation. I was pleased to discover my meeting was held in the historic Terry Building, circa 1888. Bentonville is becoming a new, modern city but the city fathers seem to have the wisdom to invest in and preserve the historic country roots.