Bob Walker

is the oldest of Max and Margaret Walker’s four children and second generation in the company’s leadership. After beginning his career in engineering, Bob shifted his focus to the business side of Walker Manufacturing. He oversaw the creation and development of the company’s marketing and sales business models. Bob served as president of Walker Manufacturing Company for 29 years. More recently, his focus has shifted to mentoring the next generation of Walker’s leadership. In 2021, Bob released his book, The Walker Way, which tells his family’s story and the company’s origins.

Interesting facts:

Bob relies on the Holy Bible for guidance in all areas of life, including business.
A talented vocalist, he enjoys singing and leading hymns at church, as well as leading the annual Walker Hymn Sing.
In his youth, Bob played the tuba in high school and performed gospel music in a family band.
He is a pilot and an aviation enthusiast with over 2,600 hours logged.
Bob and his wife, Barbara, have been married since 1966 and have three daughters, three sons-in-law, nine grandchildren and two grandchildren-in-law.

A Brief History about Bob

Bob Walker is convinced of his life’s purpose, and he is grateful for his many blessings. As chairman of Walker Manufacturing and second generation in the company’s leadership, Bob believes that he is doing what he was created to do. He believes that God has a plan for each person’s life that they must ultimately discover. “If you can discover that thing you were born to do and have the opportunity to live in that space, that’s a wonderful place to live,” says Bob. “There’s no formula for it. Some people have to work at two or three wrong things before they find the right thing.”

Fortunately for Bob, he only had to reverse his direction once. After earning a mechanical engineering degree from LeTourneau University in April of 1969, Bob began his career in the aviation industry. In 1975, he returned to the family business to work with his father and his brother, Dean, who had earned his degree in business administration. When the company started making lawnmowers, Bob quickly recognized Dean’s giftedness for engineering. Calling himself a “book engineer,” Bob says, “I realized that I didn’t have the real gift of design engineering. My dad was a gifted machine designer and my brother inherited that gift of engineering. I realized I needed to get out of the engineering side and let Dean do it, and I needed to get on the business and marketing side.” Bob and Dean reversed roles, and Bob led the development of Walker’s marketing and sales program. He says, “You’ve got to have a great product and a great program. You see progress when you have both. Dean and Dad did the product. I did the program.” Bob says that although he didn’t have the training to do marketing, he has no regrets about his chosen direction. “I played my part to help the business go ahead.” Bob remained on the business side of the company. He became president of Walker Manufacturing in 1990, overseeing all facets of business operations.

More recently, his focus as chairman has been on transferring the business’s leadership to the third generation. Asking God for wisdom each day, Bob seeks to provide wise counsel to the next generation of Walker’s leaders. He is intentional about investing his leadership in the success of those following behind him.

After decades of telling the Walker story to factory tour groups and Walker’s visitors, Bob decided to write it down. Compiling his own memories with those of his siblings, Bob published The Walker Way in 2021. The book tells the story of the Walker Family and the company’s origins.

When asked the secret to running a long-standing and successful family business, Bob admits that it’s not always easy. He cites communication and a willingness to forgive as key components of that success. Looking back over his career, Bob considers the opportunity to work with his parents and his brother as a tremendous privilege. But the accomplishment of which he is most proud is his family. Bob says, “I’m proud of what we’ve been able to do here from very humble beginnings for sure. My biggest legacy is my kids and my grandkids. Along with my wife, Barbara, (I give her most of the credit for raising our kids), we’ve raised some great kids.”