Harps Food Stores Inc. has promoted William Haulmark to director of insurance and Will McDoniel to director of AI strategy and innovation, the Springdale, Arkansas-based grocer announced Sept. 10.
Both executives began their careers in Harps stores before advancing to corporate leadership roles.
Haulmark to lead self-insured program
Haulmark joined Harps as a cashier in Fort Smith, Arkansas, in the summer of 2016. He advanced to assistant grocery manager in 2020 and grocery manager in 2021 before moving into an insurance coordinator role in late 2022.
He was named assistant director of insurance in late 2024 and interim director of insurance in September 2025. As director, Haulmark oversees the company’s self-insured program, spanning property, casualty, workers’ compensation and health insurance. His responsibilities include broker and third-party administrator performance, coverage strategy, claims authority and regulatory compliance for all of the company’s stores.
McDoniel to guide AI adoption
McDoniel joined Harps part-time in 2014 while attending the University of Arkansas. After graduating, he entered the company’s management training program in 2016, followed by roles as grocery manager in Fayetteville and store manager in Springdale.
He moved to the corporate office in late 2017 as a grocery category analyst, joined the meat and seafood team as a category analyst in 2018 and was promoted to meat and seafood category manager in August 2023.
In his new role, McDoniel will focus on identifying practical ways Harps can use AI throughout the company to improve processes, increase efficiency and help the organization adopt new AI capabilities more quickly.
McDoniel holds a BSBA in supply chain management from the University of Arkansas’ Walton College of Business and an MBA from Arkansas State University with a concentration in financial planning and analysis.
Harps is a 100 percent employee-owned company operating 177 stores in Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma and Tennessee, and is the largest employee-owned company in Arkansas. Founded by Harvard and Floy Harp in Springdale in 1930, the company employs more than 6,900 associates.
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