Kirk Dupps is an extremely accomplished and widely recognized authority in retailing and specifically in the one trillion dollar plus retail food industry with more than 50 years of experience, innovation, and leadership in all aspects of food distribution. Dupps began his career with Kroger Food Stores where he advanced for almost twenty years through every facet of food distribution and retailing. Dupps left Kroger when he was asked by Mr. Sam Walton to join the Walton Family owned grocery chain, The Phillips Companies. Dupps moved to Arkansas as Senior Vice President of sales and marketing for Walton Enterprises grocery operations. Instrumental in a significant positive turnaround of the company, he quickly became President for all areas of business. Dupps served as the head of Sam’s Wholesale Club 80-billion-dollar grocery business while he helped design and shape the Supercenter concept for Wal-Mart.
Dupps serves on numerous boards and advisory councils. President Bill Clinton appointed him as commissioner of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission in 1992. In 1996 Dupps retired from Wal-Mart to devote more time to the commission where he served as chairman in 1998 and 1999. In 2000 the Secretary of the Interior, Gale Norton, appointed Dupps to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Board. While on the Board he successfully teamed NFWF with Walmart and developed the “Acres for America” program which has already put more than two million acres of land in conservation since inception.
Dupps and his wife Cynthia have owned a number of businesses and in 1998 were organizers, co-founders, and co-owners of Community First Bank. In 2005 Dupps became a Co-Founder and Co-Owner White River Bancshares and The Signature Bank of Arkansas.
