Siloam Springs nonprofit Soderquist Leadership changes name to Milestone Leadership
by January 24, 2018 11:13 am 942 views
An established nonprofit in Siloam Springs has a new name.
Soderquist Leadership, the leadership development organization that traces its roots to the late Don Soderquist, has changed its name to Milestone Leadership.
Why the change? The center was named for its founding executive, Soderquist, former chief operating officer of Wal-Mart Stores and a 2010 inductee into the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame. He died in July 2016 from complications of heart surgery. He was 82.
In a statement, Milestone leaders said the rebranding is a project they had been working on for much of 2017.
“With Don’s passing, the need for a name that transcends the founder was recognized,” the statement read. “The Soderquist family is excited about this new chapter for the organization and our opportunity to build on the legacy the founders intended.”
Milestone Leadership is on the campus of John Brown University in Siloam Springs and has 10 full-time employees. The center provides leadership development to individuals, teams and organizations of all sizes, from Wal-Mart down to other local and regional companies and nonprofits.
The nonprofit, led by CEO Lori Chalmers, will mark its 20th anniversary in 2018. It was founded when Soderquist partnered with then-JBU president Lee Balzer to found an organization focusing on Soderquist’s favorite topics — business ethics and leadership. The center has served more than 50,000 people in the past 19 years.