Lisa Wells (center) was promoted to store manager of the Niles Walmart at a company meeting in Orlando, Fla.

The new store manager at the Niles Walmart is eager to earn some extra benefits for not only the store itself, but for employees who work there.

At the company’s holiday preparation meeting in Orlando, Fla., last week, Alisa (Lisa) Wells was promoted to store manager of the Niles Walmart location. Wells received her promotion from Chief Executive Officer of Walmart U.S., Bill Simon on stage in front of a crowd along with five other Walmart associates.

“It was incredible. It was absolutely an honor,” said Wells.

Wells said that there has been little leadership in the Niles Walmart for the past six months, and she’s excited to solve that problem, as well as several others.

“I’m excited to get in here and increase the sales and the profits for the store,” said Wells. “Our associates earn what we call quarterly ‘My Shares,’ where they can earn a bonus based on the profit of the store.”

Wells said that this bonus opportunity is beneficial to the store and its employees, but also customers who shop at Walmart, because the incentive encourages employees to work harder to provide better customer service, displays and upkeep of the store.

Wells began working at Walmart as a Vision Center Manager in 1998 when she was recruited from a previous job as a certified optician. Since 1998, she has worked at a number of Walmart stores in Benton Harbor, South Bend, South Haven and now Niles. Before being promoted to store manager at the Walmart location, Wells was a shift manager at Walmart in Benton Harbor

“I love Walmart because, well, one, it is the number-one retailer in the world. The opportunities for advancement are huge. Absolutely anything you want to do with a company, this company offers.”

According to Glenn Oswald, the vice president of Marx Layne and Co., a public relations firm representing Walmart, Wells was well deserving of the manager position.

“Among the many reasons Lisa was chosen for the Store Manager position at Niles include her proven track record in improving store and back room operations and her strong operations background. Lisa is a great example of the vast career opportunities accessible for associates at Walmart,” wrote Oswald in a press release.

Wells began working at the Niles location on Aug. 28.