Michael Bergdahl's Bio:
A Motivator With A Message
A lifetime of experience in making businesses work

Michael Bergdahl is a full-time motivational speaker, author and writer.  Bergdahl worked in Bentonville, Arkansas for Wal-Mart, as the Director of “People” for the headquarters office, where he worked directly with Sam Walton.  It was Sam Walton who gave Bergdahl the nickname, “Bird Dawg”!  

When Sam Walton died, Bergdahl left Wal-Mart and went to work as a member of an executive turnaround team at American Eagle Outfitters (AE). The AE leadership team turned the company around and took it public. The stock subsequently split 4 times while he was there! He then joined the turnaround team at Waste Management.

Bergdahl has appeared on CNN, CNBC, CNN FN, CBS National Radio and Bloomberg TV.   He is considered an authority on Wal-Mart.  The giant retailer’s own Public Relations Department has referred Bergdahl to interviewers interested in gaining insights into the company.  He is a columnist for VNU Publications and his articles have appeared in Retail Merchandiser, Investor’s Business Daily, Convenience Store News, Progressive Grocer, Convenience Store Decisions Magazine, the Grocery Manufacturer Association’s FORUM Magazine, the National Community Pharmacists Association’s America’s Pharmacist Magazine, American Management Association’s MWorld Magazine and the National Association of Convenience Stores Magazine.

He wrote a book about his experiences working for the World’s largest retailer entitled:  What I Learned from Sam Walton:  How to Compete and Thrive in a Wal-Mart World, which was published in the USA and Internationally by John Wiley in August 2004.  His book is being translated into versions in Chinese, Thai, Korean, Russian, Japanese and Spanish.  He wrote his book to help Wal-Mart’s domestic and international competitors develop proactive success strategies.  Interestingly, his book is sold on both the Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club web sites.

He recently completed his second book entitled, Sam Walton’s Golden Rules for Success:  10 Ways to Prosper Personally and Professionally in Today’s Wal-Mart World, which will be published in early 2006.

Michael Bergdahl is a motivational speaker who is one part business, one part inspirational, one part storyteller and one part entertainment.  He has spoken at association and business conferences domestically and internationally to groups who are interested in improving their ability to compete successfully. 

Putting it to work for you: Author, Speaker, Coach
NOTE: To see "Bird Dawg" in action, check out the video clips page.

He wrote his book to help Wal-Mart’s domestic and international competitors compete, survive and thrive in the shadow of the retail giant. He designed the book around the acronym “P.O.C.K.E.T.S.” based on the fact that to succeed in a Wal-Mart World you have to carve out a “niche” or “business pocket” in order to be successful. Each of the letters in the acronym represents a chapter in the book as follows: P. – Price, O. – Operations, C. – Culture, K. – Key Item Promotion/Product, E. – Expenses, T. – Talent, S. – Service. In each chapter he addresses some of the inside strategies and tactics utilized by Sam Walton and Wal-Mart that make competition with them so difficult. Retailers, non-retailers, manufacturers and suppliers will gain competitive knowledge of the strategies and tactics necessary to compete, survive and thrive in a Wal-Mart World!

He and his wife, Sheryl, live in Pittsburgh, PA with their two children, Heather 17 & Paul 13.