“We make a living by what we get,” said Winston Churchill, “but we make a life by what we give.” Trying to figure out what it takes to be a man in the modern world can leave many a young man riddled with doubt and confusion. With all of the influencers out there purporting to know the answer, it can be difficult to determine who to follow.
Oftentimes, role models in the local community do it best. In this issue, we’ve covered several local men who live up to this standard in Springdale. One particular man we couldn’t forget to highlight is Anthony Sumlin.
Anthony is the Senior Director of Merchandising at Sam’s Club. His role in the community of Northwest Arkansas speaks to that noble quality in good men of handing over their strength in order to strengthen others. Anthony shows this through his priorities: helping others and treasuring his relationships.
A real work-life balance consists of finding a synergistic purpose. Anthony’s purpose in service and relationships brings life and work together; he makes his living by giving. Even at work, his intention resides in providing convenient meals for busy families by working with suppliers to make dinner less stressful.
“When you focus on helping others more than worrying about yourself,” Anthony said, “you’re able to find more peace and more joy.”
Anthony was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and grew up as a military kid in San Antonio. He earned a B.S. in Poultry Science from Texas A&M before working at Tyson for seventeen years, which brought him to Arkansas. In 2012, he joined Walmart and Sam’s Club.
In all of his moving around, Anthony learned that people have more in common than they have differences. He also came to value education for the opportunities it provides.
Along the way, Anthony met his wife, Chantal. Motivated by family ties to education and by seeing Chantal successfully complete her Master’s as a single parent, he began donating to the Single Parent Scholarship Fund through a United Way payroll deduction. For more than fifteen years he kept donating, attended events, volunteered, joined the board in 2019, and stayed through the 2020 merger.
The Single Parent Scholarship Fund awards roughly $1.2 million per year to between 250 and 300 recipients, with an average recipient GPA of 3.36, and it includes workforce credentialing support.
A few years ago, Anthony and Chantal started contributing to an endowed scholarship in their name using Walmart’s matching program. The scholarship was funded in about three years, and they chose to support fields in nursing, business, social work, education, and agriculture.
“Seeing our recipients go on to become alumni and donors—seeing the impact recycle and multiply—that’s what tugs at your heart,” Anthony said. “Hearing about the obstacles they face to maintain their grades and their passion through it all—that’s why we serve.”
Another admirable quality in Anthony is his support of his wife. Chantal owns Aesthetica, a medical spa and concierge primary care clinic in Springdale.
“I’m very proud of her for the pivot she’s made,” Anthony said. “She’s gone from being primarily a health and wellness provider to a hybrid model of health, wellness, and esthetics. I’m mostly here for moral support, but I try to bring some of the ideas we use at Sam’s to bring more life to her business.”
The life we find in committing ourselves to helping and treasuring those around us distinguishes good men and good women. Young men in Springdale and Northwest Arkansas are fortunate to have role models like Anthony Sumlin to show them the ropes.