Brother Don Bland – Elder Watson Diggs Award Winner

Donald Coleman Bland was born in St. Louis, MO on November 13,1940. He was educated in the St. Louis public and parochial schools. Brother Bland’s grandparents and Mother were members of the African American society and were instrumental in contributing to the growth and well-being of the community.

Brother Bland excelled in his studies and was considered among the brightest members of his class. In fact Brother Bland, the third generation college graduate in his family was typically singled out for special recognition in his schools. Growing up in a totally white neighborhood in then racially segregated St. Louis, Brother Bland was excluded from attending the local public schools and rode public buses to African American schools on the North side of town until the schools were desegregated.

Brother Bland embraced Catholicism at the age of 12 and completed his education in parochial schools. During high school Brother Bland participated in radio broadcasting competition and was a member of the basketball team.

Following high school brother Bland was admitted to Drake University (Omega Chapter) in Des Moines, Iowa where he studied pre-engineering. During his sophomore year Brother Bland pledged Kappa Alpha Psi but initiations were not held until the following fall at which time Brother Bland transferred to Harris –Stowe State College in his hometown of St. Louis. He once again pledged Kappa Alpha Psi in fall 1960 and was initiated at the beta Nu Chapter on April, 30,1961 Brother Bland majored in education and upon graduation in 1964 was appointed to a teaching position at the newly opened Cook Elementary School.

After 3 years and obtaining tenure Brother Bland was sought by the Target Stores Inc. to begin a management-training program. Brother Bland was the first African American to successfully complete the management-training program and after only 3 years and following several mid management positions became the first African America store manager in the company. Brother Bland’s success in the retail world spanned nearly 40 years of growth and significant achievements as can be seen in the supporting documentation.

In virtually every assignment Brother Bland was the first person of his race to hold high management positions for the companies in which he worked, a truly extraordinary and pioneering experience.

The Montgomery Ward Company headquartered in Chicago, IL, recruited Brother Bland in the fall of 1973 to manage one of its most successful stores. In 5 years during Brother Bland’s leadership, the store nearly doubled the sales and more than doubled the profits of the Munster, Indiana store and had the highest operating profit dollars and percent in the Chicago area.

During this time the store underwent a major remodeling but continued to excel perform in an outstanding manner.

Brother Bland was recognized as the Store Manger of the year on two separate occasions and enjoyed maximum bonuses yearly for his staff and himself.

Following this achievement Brother Bland was promoted to the position of District Merchandise Manager for stores in the three states Chicagoland market. In this role Brother Bland was responsible for all of the merchandising, marketing, advertising and sales promotion of the district.

Brother Bland’s success was recognized in the retail industry and in the fall of 1981 the Target Stores Inc. parent company, the Dayton Hudson Corporation recruited him to Detroit as a Senior Management trainee for the J.L. Hudson Department Store Chain. Hudson’s was considered the premier retail chain in the region.

After 6 months he was promoted to the General Manager of the historic J.L. Hudson Downtown Store. This location at one time had been the largest retail store in the country achieving a volume of nearly $65,000,000. Brother Bland supervised a direct report staff of 7 and over 500 employees on 7 floors with a volume of nearly $50,000,000.

In 1983 Brother Bland was transferred to the upscale Fairlane Town Center location in suburban Dearborn, MI. This facility on 3 levels and with 4 other majors, including Saks Fifth Avenue, Lord and Taylor, Sears and J.C. Pennys, was considered the fashion mall of Detroit. It was connected by an elevated tram to the Hyatt Regency Hotel and within walking distance of Ford Motor Company’s World Headquarters.

During Brother Bland’s tenure the store achieved record sales and profits with sales totaling nearly $55,000,000.

The store was selected as the model fashion store for all other stores in the chain to replicate its displays for the spring 1984 season.

In the fall of 1984 The Dayton Hudson Corporation asked Brother Bland to again relocate his family to the Boston area as the Director of Stores for its Lechmere Division an upscale branded hard goods retail company.

In this capacity he was responsible for the supervision of existing stores and the rollout of a new prototype to propel the chains growth. Stores grew from 6 to 18 and sales exceeded $750,000,000 during his 6-year tenure. During that time Brother Bland was promoted to Vice President of Stores and subsequently to Senior Vice President of Stores for the chain. Again, as with the previous assignments, these positions were a first for a person of African American descent.

When Dayton Hudson Corporation decided to raise capital for the expansion of Target they decided to sell off the Lechmere chain in late 1989.

Brother Bland could have returned to Target however he was only in the job market for less than 30 days and decided to take a position in a completely new retail genre:

The Home Improvement Warehouse business. Home Quarters Warehouse, a division of the Hechinger Corporation, headquartered in Virginia was planning to grow dramatically from its southeastern base.

Brother Bland was hired as Vice President of the Northeastern region to grow new stores in New England and other northeastern states. He hired a small staff and led the development of the chain from non existence to a prosperous group of stores in prominent locations.

A Canadian beer manufacturer, Molson’s, who wanted to open a chain of Home Improvement stores across Canada, noticed his legacy of success in 1990. Brother Bland was one of 4 Americans and 2 Canadians hired to lead that strategy as Vice president of Operations with responsibility for Home Office and stores construction and operations. The first stores were opened in Toronto and were an instant success in the market. Again Brother Bland provided the leadership to build, staff and open the stores. The stores were so successful that the Home Depot bought them in 1993 and continued the expansion.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc successfully recruited and hired Brother Bland in the fall of 1993.

Thus began the culminating moment of an extraordinary career. Brother Bland was the first African American hired outside the chain and only the second African American officer in the entire chain at that time. His initial assignment was as Vice President and Merchandise Manager of Lawn and Garden nursery products. He supervised 10 buyers who purchased all the live plants and botanicals around the country. After only 6 months in this assignment he was promoted to Regional Vice President with responsibility for 100 stores in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi. The stores consistently led the division and the company in profits and grew in volume during the same period.

Following 3 years of outstanding accomplishment, Brother Bland was asked in 1996 to lead the entire Canadian operations as Chief Operating Officer for Wal-Mart Canada. He and his family returned to the Toronto area. Brother Bland led the organizations growth with the addition of 25 new stores during his 3-year tenure and to become the number one retailer in Canada with over 40% market share.

His performance was so stellar that he was asked yet again to take on another challenge. PRESIDENT AND CEO OF ARGENTINA. Needless to say no African American in Wal-Mart or in the retail world at that time had held such an auspicious and significant international position.

Brother Bland and Silhouette Yvonne moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina in the fall of 1999 where his challenge was to implement the company’s policies and methods of operating which had not been accomplished previously.

Brother Bland closed unprofitable units and introduced the company’s legendary Everyday Low Price philosophy. He negotiated with powerful vendors for lower costs and obtained them. As a member of the Supermarket Chamber of Commerce he held a special respect due to the size of his company in the world He supervised the construction of a low cost home office on company property and replaced ineffective home office and stores management with new talent. He streamlined the business and significantly reduced the operating losses.

When his expat assignment in Argentina was completed Brother Bland was able to turn over a completely revamped and growth ready organization, operating in a very difficult economic environment.

Upon his return to the US in 2002, Brother Bland was asked to start a new International Division of highly profitable special departments in all countries outside the domestic.

He was a member of the senior management Committee and regularly reported on his division’s success to the most senior officers of Wal-Mart.

These departments contributed a significant portion of the profitability of the countries where they were introduced.

Brother Bland retired from Wal-Mart in January of 2005 after nearly 40 years in the retail business.

And upon his retirement was the first person in the company to be inducted into the Wal-Mart International Hall of Fame. The plaque commemorating this significant achievement is prominently displayed in the entrance of the company’s Home Office. International CEO, John B Menzer. , stated that” Don Bland is a retailer known around the world” at a reception given in Brother Bland’s honor.

Brother Bland is an internationally known pioneer in the retail business. As an African American he has distinguished himself and has held increasingly responsible positions of leadership and achieved significant success for his companies and his family.

Following retirement from Wal-Mart Brother Bland was asked to join the Staff at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, AR where he served as adjunct instructor in the Marketing department and as Senior Managing Director of the Outreach Centers in the Sam M. Walton College of Business. Brother Bland retired from the University in August of 2010 and relocated to Scottsdale, AZ with his wife of 48 years, Yvonne Nickerson Bland. The Bland’s have 3 sons who all currently reside in Arizona. The youngest son, Donovan C. Bland is a General Surgeon in the Tucson area and is a Life Member of the Fraternity. Brother Donald Bland was inducted into the Gamma Mu Boule (Phoenix, AZ) of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity in June of 2011. Sigma Pi Phi is the oldest African American Fraternity in the nation and is international in scope.

Brother Bland was awarded the Elder Watson Diggs Award, the Fraternity’s second highest recognition, at the 79th Grand Chapter meeting in Washington D C in August of 2009.

Initiated-Beta Nu Chapter, St. Louis, MO, April 29, 1961

Other recognitions:

• Life Member, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc.- August 1992
• Life Member, Middle Western Province No.43-May, 2005
• Charles W. Morgan III Lifetime Achievement Award-April, 2008
• Fayetteville, AR Alumni Achievement Award-January, 2000
• Charter Member, Maywood-Wheaton, IL Alumni Chapter
• Charter Member, Fayetteville, AR Alumni Chapter-January 1996
• Fifty Year Member-April 29,2011
• Centennial Campaign Award-Founders Level ($5,000) July 2011
• Member Kappa Alpha Psi K-100 Group
• Chairman-Middle Western Province Awards Committee
• Middle Western Province Representative-National Achievement Commission
• Chairman-Middle Western Province Transition Committee
• Polemarch-Wichita Alumni Chapter- 1991-1992
• Acting Polemarch (prior to chartering) Fayetteville AR Alumni Chapter-1995-1996

Founder’s Day Speaker:

• Fayetteville AR. Alumni Chapter-January-2002
• Wichita, KS Alumni Chapter-January, 2003
• Maywood Wheaton, IL Alumni Chapter-March 2006
• Phoenix, AZ Alumni Chapter- January 2012
• Middle Western Province Closed Banquet Speaker-April 2008
• Harris –Stowe State University Distinguished Alumni Award-May 1999