Forty Under 40: Kenny King

The Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market on Crossover Road in Fayetteville won the David Glass Asset Management Award last year as the best Neighborhood Market in the nation.nKenny King, who has managed the store since it opened in 2000, grew up in Fayetteville and went to work for Food-4-Less in 1986 as a cart pusher. The Phillips family of Benton County sold the supermarket chain to Wal-Mart, and King worked in about 15 different jobs with the retail giant before landing in his current position.nFrom 1998 to 2000, King was the manager of a Supercenter in Greenville, N.C. nWhen he saw an advertisement for a Neighborhood Market manager in Fayetteville, he applied. Even though it’s a smaller store, King wanted to move back to his hometown.nKing said he is motivated every day by people, whether they’re coworkers or customers.n”You’ve got to respect people,” he said. “And it has to be genuine.”nKing said Denny Ashley, then manager of a Wal-Mart Supercenter in Conway, was a major influence on his career. King was assistant manager of the Conway store from 1997 to 1999.nKing’s advice for young people seeking a career is, “Stay away from drugs and alcohol. Be honest. Be hardworking.”