Open Call was created in 2013 to connect with small businesses and support American jobs

This is an annual event where suppliers pitch their Made in America products to Walmart merchants with the hope and dream of landing on Walmart shelves. A business relationship with Walmart can change the life of an entrepreneur.

On this 10th anniversary of Walmart Open Call, let’s show this change in an emotional yet informative way by having Open Call winners write a letter to their past selves that lays out everything that's happened since participating in Open Call.

And this year Open Call event sucess, with more than 700 businesses from around the country pitching over 1,000 products made, grown or assembled in the U.S. to Walmart and Sam's Club merchants.

At this year's Open Call, more than 180 pitches resulted in “golden tickets” representing deals for suppliers to sell their products on Walmart or Sam’s Club shelves or online at Walmart.com. In addition, more than 470 products are under further consideration for deals in the future.

Open Call 2023 was a special one. As Walmart's tenth Open Call, this year's event marked a decade of opportunities for small and medium businesses to become Walmart suppliers, resulting in job creation and manufacturing growth in communities throughout the U.S. Open Call 2023 also occurred during Manufacturing Month, when America celebrates its manufacturers and manufacturing workforce.

Team: JEFF KWIATEK | FRANCISCO ROJAS | AIREKA MUSE | KARAN DANG