Walton is the Chairman and CEO of the family’s Arvest Bank. The family banking business began in 1961 when Sam and Helen Walton purchased the Bank of Bentonville for about $300,000; Arvest now has more than 240 branches in Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. It is the largest bank in Arkansas by deposits and the largest bank in Oklahoma by locations. Jim Walton reportedlybegan his banking career as a teller at the second bank his parents purchased, the Bank of Pea Ridge.
Jim Walton co-founded Community Publishers, Inc., in 1982 after he purchased Bentonville’s daily newspaper from his father. CPI now operates 20 newspapers, three printing plants, and multiple newspaper websites.
Following his graduation from the University of Arkansas in 1971, Jim Walton worked for Walmart for four years in the company’s real estate division