The CEO who said no to Wal-Mart

I remember reading this story at Fast Company over a year ago and remembering how prescient it was at the time; here is a CEO that flat out wanted to leave Wal-Mart behind as a customer, based on his company's values and predisposition to remain a powerhouse in its traditional industry.

Instead of catering to the "plunging" vendor prices that Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE:WMT) negotiates every year with the seemingly endless list of vendors whose products it carries, the CEO of Snapper Lawnmower (part of a larger company now) could see the days of the waning influence and cheapened nameplate of Snapper if he continued to sell his premium lawnmowers to Wal-Mart and agreed to lower prices every year, even if it did mean a huge increase in volume.

Part of the reason company execs bow to Wal-Mart in the first place are the visions of huge sales that make balance sheets and income statements seem fat, only to tear into the heart of the company years later when reality sets in. To those company leaders who just want to see increased sales while putting all other considerations aside, I say go for it (and reap the consequences). To those leaders with a sense of value and pride of ownership, read Jim Wier's story and then sit back and think for a bit.