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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nLocal roots, international reach<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Beaver Lake Aviation, a Phillips 66\u00e2<\/sup> branded FBO, is a bit unique in the general aviation world. For one, taking a page from Walmart\u2019s everyday low pricing <\/em>strategy, the FBO doesn\u2019t charge certain fees pilots often encounter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere’s a lot of shock value when someone asks, \u2018What are your fees?\u2019 and we gladly tell them, \u2018We don’t have any landing, ramp or facility fees, anything of that nature,\u2019\u201d says Martin. \u201cYou can see the relief on a pilot\u2019s face. We pride ourselves on being different in that aspect.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead of typical FBO offerings like avionics, maintenance and flight school, Beaver Lake Aviation is razor-focused on fueling, safely marshalling aircraft and providing amenities and services to pilots, flight crews and passengers. And fueling is something this FBO knows well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pumping some quarter-million gallons of aviation fuel monthly, Beaver Lake Aviation serves far more than Walmart\u2019s corporate fleet, powering large numbers of transient aircraft, plus dozens of others based at Rogers Executive Airport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Partnering with Phillips 66 Aviation provides an advantage, says Martin. \u201cTheir customer focus is just as important to them as it is to Walmart; they share the same values,\u201d she explains. \u201cWe are always able to get what we need, and if we ever have any issues, there\u2019s always somebody to help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n U.S. Customs and Border Protection on the airfield adds another distinctive dimension. Certainly, that\u2019s a convenience for Walmart\u2019s vast network of worldwide suppliers (the retailer does business with 100,000 international vendors). But the ability to clear customs is also a plus for locally based companies with broad global business, like Tyson Foods or Simmons Foods, that have customers across 40 countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Being able to relate to diverse customers from Mexico, Canada, Europe, and beyond is vital. Martin points to Walmart\u2019s cultural inclusion program for its managers as foundational. Martin\u2019s business card includes \u201cMitigator, Inclusive Leader and Culture Champion\u201d for good reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere is always a different style of how international business people work,\u201d explains Martin. \u201cYou learn how to accept those differences and work with each other, to come up with a good plan for how to operate a business, be more effective and understand your customers better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fun atmosphere<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Northwestern Arkansas\u2019s range of cultural and recreational attractions also draws a diverse assortment of customers. People fly in to hear major touring acts at Arkansas Music Pavilion in Rogers, visit Bentonville\u2019s renowned Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, or explore the sprawling, 28,000-acre Beaver Lake, featuring hundreds of miles of shoreline, soaring limestone cliffs, forested hiking trails and celebrated bass fishing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For Martin \u2013 who began her 24-year career at the FBO when she was 19 \u2013 serving everyone from business executives and bass anglers to rock bands like Phish makes for a fun atmosphere. \u201cThat’s the interesting part of this business, you get to work with different groups of people from the U.S. and internationally.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A facsimile of Sam Walton\u2019s first \u201ccorporate\u201d aircraft, a pint-sized, aluminum 1946 Ercoupe, hangs in the atrium of Beaver Lake Aviation, a tribute to the aviation heritage encompassing Walmart and the city of Rogers. A pilot himself, Walton grew his business from the skies, flying to scout future retail locations, meet suppliers and drop in on stores \u2013 sometimes literally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once, flying over a store and spying a near-empty parking lot, Walton grew alarmed. The story goes, he performed an impressive maneuver with his prop plane and landed on a driveway-sized patch of asphalt just to ask the store manager what was wrong. (Turns out nothing; the town was attending a school festival, the manager assured Walton.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n But whether landing in a store parking lot or pampering a crew and their passengers during one of Beaver Lake Aviation\u2019s busiest times, it\u2019s all about exceeding customer expectations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think what sets us apart is the ability to not only handle a fleet of aircraft for a corporation, but also transients, and making sure that everybody walks away feeling like they had a really great experience here,\u201d Martin says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n