About

James Harris

James’ background began in replenishment at Walmart in 1999. This gave him the opportunity to learn a great deal about not only how Walmart operates, but also how great companies manage their business at Walmart, as well as the mistakes that other vendors make when working with a massive retailer like Walmart. This planted the seeds of the idea for High Impact.

After Walmart, James spent nine years with CPG brands, mostly at Unilever Foods on the Walmart team, followed by two years on the Target team. Additionally, he spent two years as the Director of Mass Sales for Sleep Innovations, which gave him exposure to many other retailers, including Sam’s Club, Kohl’s, Amazon, and of course, Walmart and Target. 

James started High Impact in 2007 with the vision to partner with emerging and mid-tier brands doing business at Walmart, to operate as an extension of their own teams and execute with excellence at Walmart and beyond.

James lives in Rogers, Arkansas, with his wife Amy and their three children Ellie, Drew, and TJ. In his free time, he enjoys water sports with his family, music, theater, basketball, and trying his best not to kill the plants in his garden.

Ben Baugh

Ben’s career started in 1993 at J.B. Hunt Transportation. After 4 years in various roles, he enrolled in and completed the JBHT Management Training program, which provided him a strong foundation in logistics, operations, marketing, and sales management. During his total of 10 years at J.B. Hunt, Ben worked on many dedicated Walmart and Target projects, where he learned firsthand from top-ranked manufacturers how to excel in all areas of transportation.

Ben’s next roles were as a sales manager for 2 years at Central States Manufacturing, then an account executive for 9 years at Premier Concepts, a CPG sales and merchandising company in Bentonville, Arkansas, dedicated to representing suppliers at Walmart and Sam’s Club.

After 21 years of gaining key knowledge in transportation, manufacturing, and CPG account management, Ben joined B&G Foods in 2014 as a national account manager on the Walmart team, where he worked alongside top talent to grow 29 brands across 21 food categories. 

After 3 years, Ben was promoted to Director of Sales, a position he filled until he was offered the Executive Director role at Hope for LaGonave Inc., a non-profit charity organization focused on providing education and job creation in remote areas of Haiti. After 2 years of developing a solid in-country leadership team in Haiti, Ben returned to the CPG industry as Director of Business Development for High Impact.

Ben lives in Springdale, Arkansas, with his wife of 26 years, Becky, along with their 4 boys Benjy, Baylor, Brodie, and Bryant. In his free time, he enjoys cycling, travel, and spending time with his family.

John Harris

John joined the High Impact Analytics team in 2010. He has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Marketing Management from the University of Arkansas. Prior to joining the High Impact team, he worked in the Marketing and Art departments of I.P. Supply and then at the Cities of Gold Casino in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

John lives in Cave Springs, AR. In his free time he enjoys painting, listening to music, mountain biking and spending time outdoors in nature.

Nathan Froedge

Nathan joined the High Impact Analytics team in 2014. He has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management and attended NWACC’s Retail Analyst program. Nathan has worked in different capacities during his tenure at High Impact, including sales/replenishment analytics, category insights development, and demand planning. He is currently the Team Lead for our Client Services team.

Nathan lives in Bella Vista, AR with his wife and 3 sons. In his free time he enjoys playing golf, creating music, and doing anything outside with his kids.

Matt Adams

Matt joined the High Impact Analytics team in 2014. He has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematics and Master of Arts Degree in School Leadership. Prior to beginning his career in retail analytics, Matt spent 9 years teaching middle school and high school mathematics.

Matt has served in several roles at High Impact over the past 8 years prior to serving as COO for the past 2 years. While Matt enjoys all areas of retail analytics, he finds his greatest satisfaction in providing analytics solutions that allow suppliers to better manage, execute, and grow their business within the retail world.

Matt lives with his wife and 2 daughters in Bentonville, AR.

Aaron Raines

Melissa Middleton

Melissa joined High Impact in 2015. She has a bachelor’s degree from East Central University, where she played collegiate soccer. Prior to joining High Impact, Melissa spent two years consulting for Newell Rubbermaid on their Graco account. She enjoys working with her team to provide in-depth analytics for her clients.

Melissa lives in Bentonville with her husband Kerry and their four children. When she is not at work, she runs the Benton County Search and Rescue Team and is a member of the Cave Springs Fire Department.

Mendie Howerton

Mendie joined the High Impact Analytics team in 2011. She has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from the University of Arkansas. Prior to joining the High Impact team, she spent 7 years supporting the Finance and Sales teams at Pace Industries in Fayetteville, AR.

Mendie enjoys working with each member of the High Impact team to provide superior analytics and insights that help each client manage and maximize their retail presence.

Mendie lives in Fayetteville, AR with her husband, Doug, and their three daughters Macie, Carlie and Hallie. In her free time she enjoys travelling, attending her girls’ sporting events, baking and spending time with family and friends.

Alicia Zimmerman

Alicia joined the High Impact team in June 2020. She has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Information Systems. Her experience has included positions on multiple CPG category teams, giving her the opportunity to gain valuable knowledge in all areas of Category Management, Insights & Reporting, and Space Management. She has worked on multiple retailer accounts, including Walmart, Target, Meijer, Amazon, Costco, and Walgreens, as well as several grocery chains.

Since joining High Impact, Alicia has been focused on modular planning and category management. She enjoys collaborating closely with her clients as a part of their Walmart team to improve business performance.

Caleb Taylor

Caleb joined the High Impact team in April of 2021. He has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA. Prior to joining the team, Caleb held a position as a Mechanical Designer at a firm in Bentonville, and then contracted with Epic Games, Inc. as a member of the User Acquisitions team in Seattle, WA.

Caleb has joined the team as a Business Analyst with a desire to help both local and national businesses find success in the retail world through creative analytic insights and strategies.

Caleb lives with his wife, Audrey, and their daughter Eloise, in Bella Vista, AR.

Becky Fischgrab

Becky has been with the High Impact team since June 2018. She has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from the University of Central Arkansas with a minor in Computer Information Systems. After college, Becky worked for Walmart Stores, Inc in both the Legal and Benefits departments. She also worked with a 3rd Party company managing special programs in Walmart Stores and Sam’s Clubs, working very closely with Walmart/Sam’s Club internal teams.

Since joining High Impact 3 years ago, Becky has worked with various Walmart Suppliers and is now also managing businesses with other retailers including Ulta, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Old Navy, and several Canada companies. She enjoys using systems and tools to make analytics as efficient and informative as possible.

Brittany Stephenson

Brittany started her career at Premier Concepts, a CPG sales and merchandising company in Bentonville, Arkansas, in 2002. Beginning in data entry, then being promoted to account administrator, she worked closely with manufacturers to grow their business at Walmart by recommending, communicating, and executing store-level plans and promotions to the national retail merchandising team. She also coordinated meetings with Walmart buyers to find and leverage growth opportunities, while maintaining a high level of focus and commitment to customer service.

After Premier, Brittany joined Horizon Group USA in 2017 as the office administrator. Her tasks included Retail Link reporting and new item creation. She worked directly with Walmart stores to maintain healthy supply and modular integrity. Additionally, Brittany managed incoming and outgoing samples, layout center labeling and delivery, and consistent communication with the internal team on reporting and item management.

Brittany lives in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, with her husband and their four children, staying busy with all the sports—baseball, basketball, cheerleading, soccer, and tumbling. In her free time, she enjoys relaxing at home, swimming, and playing outside with her family.

Kari Penturf

Zach Bonds

Zach Joined the High Impact team in 2021. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design. Previously Zach worked at Walmart where he designed store floorplans then transitioned to Modular space and development supporting Food.

Joining the team as a Business Analyst, Zach enjoys working directly with clients to help drive growth in their retail space by bringing opportunities to light and providing a winning solution.

Zach Lives in Gravette, AR with his wife and 2 kids. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family, working on the family farm, and fishing with his son.