Retail
10 Walmart grocery buyers
These ten current and former Walmart grocery buyers have held buyer and category roles in grocery at Walmart. A reader can learn how buying works in grocery at Walmart from people who have held the role.
Professionals to explore
01—10Dan Timco
LinkedInExperience: Former Senior Category Manager · Walmart
Former Senior Category Manager at Walmart (2023–2024), a role their profile describes as category management in the beverages and snacks space, with decisions on assortment, merchandising, space allocations, promotions and pricing. They have been Director - Food at Walmart since January 2024 and were a Senior Category Manager at Publix Super Markets (2020–2023).
Gerardo Guerrero
LinkedInExperience: Former Senior Buyer - Produce · Walmart
Former Senior Buyer - Produce at Walmart (2007–2021), a role their profile places in San Antonio, Texas, and Merchandising Director - Produce at Walmart since December 2021. Their profile also lists Regional Produce Manager West Region at Grupo Gigante (2000–2006), so their roles shown have all been in produce.
Jessica Summers Tolar CSW
LinkedInExperience: Former Fresh Bakery Breakfast and Pie Merchant · Walmart
Former Fresh Bakery Breakfast and Pie Merchant at Walmart (2020–2024). At Walmart they also held a seasonal and Hispanic bakery role (2017–2020) and were Sr. Buyer Bakery NHM (2016–2017) and Sr. Buyer Grocery NHM (2013–2016), and they have been a Sr Sourcing Manager for Sam's Club at Walmart since 2024.
Jill Wells
LinkedInExperience: Sr. Merchant - Deli Meat Cheese and Table Ready Salads · Walmart
Sr. Merchant - Deli Meat Cheese and Table Ready Salads at Walmart since October 2024. At Walmart they also held senior manager roles in private brands product development (2023–2024) and private brands sourcing (2008–2023) in the fresh food division, and their profile lists Advertising Coordinator / Category Manager at C&S Wholesale Grocers (2005–2008).
John Steinmetz
LinkedInExperience: Senior Buyer Fresh Seafood · Walmart
Senior Buyer Fresh Seafood at Walmart since January 2020, a role based in Bentonville. Their profile also lists Vice President of Business Development at Orca Bay Foods, LLC (2010–2020) and Senior Manager Seafood at Sysco Corporation (1999–2009), and it names seafood among their skills.
Kim Levitsky
LinkedInExperience: Former Senior Buyer - Dry Grocery · Walmart
Former Senior Buyer - Dry Grocery at Walmart (2017–2020) and Buyer - Frozen Foods there (2015–2017). At Walmart they were also Merchandising Director - Dry Grocery (2020–2023) and Merchandising Director - Deli (2023–2025), and they have been Senior Director, Product Development - Bakery & Produce since 2025.
Melissa Byland
LinkedInExperience: Sr. Buyer-Produce · Walmart
Sr. Buyer-Produce at Walmart since February 2018. Their Walmart roles also include Sr. Director - Central Operations-Walmart US Store Support (2013–2018), Strategy Director - US Innovation (2011–2013), Sr. Manager -US Innovation (2008–2011) and Project Manager - US Innovation (2006–2008).
Remy LeCompte
LinkedInExperience: Former Senior Merchant - Hispanic Foods · Walmart
Former Senior Merchant - Hispanic Foods at Walmart (2021–2024) and Buyer - Global Flavors & Healthy Lifestyle there (2019–2021), a role covering specialty foods including Asian, ethnic and healthy lifestyle. They were also Replenishment Manager - Dry Grocery at Walmart (2017–2019) and have been a Merchandising Director there since 2024.
Russ Warren
LinkedInExperience: Merchandising - Senior Buyer, Commodities · Walmart
Merchandising - Senior Buyer, Commodities at Walmart since August 2013, a role their profile describes as owning a $2 Billion P&L and all merchandising and sourcing decisions for the Baking Commodities business. They were also Corporate Strategy- Senior Manager at Walmart (2011–2013).
Samantha Link
LinkedInExperience: Former Senior Merchant - Frozen Produce · Walmart
Former Senior Merchant - Frozen Produce at Walmart (2024–2026) and Merchant - Wine there (2021–2024). They have been Director - Soups & Ramen at Walmart since May 2026, and they held Associate Buyer roles at Walmart in energy drinks (2019–2021) and powdered soft drinks (2018–2019).
Choose the right perspective
Match the person's sub-category, such as produce, deli, bakery or dry grocery, to the question you want to ask, since buyers know their own categories best. Check whether the role is current or past, because the work in a category can change over time.
Questions to take into the conversation
- 01How does a grocery buyer at a large retailer divide time between assortment planning, working with suppliers and reviewing results?
- 02How does buying fresh categories such as produce or seafood differ from buying shelf-stable grocery?
- 03What does a merchant need from merchandise planning and replenishment teams to run a grocery category?
Reaching Walmart grocery buyers
How can I contact one of these Walmart grocery buyers?
Pick one of the 10 people on this page and choose "Book a paid call", or describe your project to find others. You offer a fee for a 15-minute call or a written answer, Instant Expert finds the person's work email and sends the invitation, and they decide whether to accept. The list covers 1 company: Walmart, based on profile data retrieved on October 13, 2026. Being listed here doesn't mean someone has agreed to take calls.
How much does it cost to reach Walmart grocery buyers?
You choose the offer, starting at $5 per person. It includes Instant Expert's 20% fee, so an offer that pays the person $100 costs you $125. You're charged only when the person books the call or sends the answer.
What if they don't reply?
You pay nothing. Instant Expert sends follow-up reminders, and if the person hasn't booked or answered within 7 days, the request expires and any hold on your card is released. You can invite several of the 10 people on this list at once and cap your total spend, so you pay only for the ones who accept.
Can an AI agent ask one of these Walmart grocery buyers a question?
Yes. An agent with a USDC wallet on Base can ask one question without an Instant Expert account. It names the person, for example by the LinkedIn URL on this page, and pays per ask over x402 (HTTP 402). The person answers in writing or by voice note, and if nobody answers within 7 days, the payment goes back to the wallet automatically. x402 docs
About this directory
This is a professional research starting point based on business profile data retrieved on . Titles and companies reflect that source snapshot; roles marked former had ended by then. Check the linked profiles for current details. Inclusion does not imply Instant Expert membership or availability.
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