Bergdahl worked in Bentonville, Arkansas for Walmart, as the Director of "People" for the headquarters office, where he worked directly with Walmart's founder Sam Walton. It was Sam Walton who gave Bergdahl the nickname, "Bird Dawg!" Previous to Walmart he worked in the FMCG Industry for PepsiCo's Frito-Lay Division in the sales organization and headquarters staff assignments.
He is a turnaround specialist who participated in two successful business turnarounds as VP of HR at both American Eagle Outfitters and Waste Management. Bergdahl has more than 25 years of HR experience, and he has received the Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) lifetime certification from SHRM. He is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology / Behavioral Science.
Walmart/ Sam Walton Authority: Michael Bergdahl is considered to be an authority on the best practices of Walmart & Sam Walton. He has appeared on CNN, CNBC, CNN FN, MSNBC, CNN International, Univision, CBS National Radio, and Bloomberg TV. He has participated in internationally televised news debates on "Power Lunch", "On the Money", "Morning Call", and "Closing Bell". Articles written by him, and articles written by others about him, have been published in business newspapers and magazines around the world.
He has written a variety of articles for Hardware Retailer Magazine (NRHA), Progressive Grocer Magazine, and the Retailer Association of India, STORAI Magazine. Bergdahl is the moderator of two LinkedIn discussion groups called, "Walmart's Best Leadership Practices - Super Group" and "Sam Walton's Best leadership Practices" with a combined social network of more than 10,000 worldwide members including: Retailers, FMCG/CPG Product Manufacturers/Suppliers, HR Professionals, & Supply Chain Professionals, as well as a large number of current and former Walmart and Sam's Club employees.
His Books: He wrote his first book about "The Strategies of the World's Largest Company", titled: What I Learned from Sam Walton: How to Compete and Thrive in a Walmart World (2004). His second book is written about "The Tactics of the World's Richest Man", titled, The 10 Rules of Sam Walton: Success Secrets for Remarkable Results (2007). Note: Rob Walton, the current Chairman of the Board of Walmart, and the son of Sam Walton, wrote the Foreword for "The 10 Rules of Sam Walton" book. Both of these books were published and distributed internationally by John Wiley & Sons, in English, in both hard cover and paperback versions. Translated versions of his books are available in Russian, Thai, Indonesian, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Vietnamese, and Spanish. Both of these books have also been published, in English, in India. His third book is a 50th Walmart Anniversary Commemorative Edition titled The Sam Walton Way (Brighton Publishing 2012).
