BENTONVILLE, Ark., March 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Don Frieson, a veteran operations and logistics executive, has been promoted to Senior Vice President in charge of Wal-Mart operations in its 14-state Central Division.

Frieson, 48, had been serving as the company's Vice President and Regional Manager in Maryland. In his new position he will have responsibility for more than 600 Wal-Mart stores in Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Iowa and Arkansas. He will be based in Arkansas.

Before moving to Maryland in 2005, Frieson had been Wal-Mart's Regional Vice President of Logistics since 2003. A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Frieson joined Wal-Mart in 1999 as a district manager for the company's private truck fleet. He quickly moved up the ranks and was promoted to Director of Private Fleet Administration and then to the Director of Private Fleet Operations. In 2001, he was promoted to Vice President of Private Fleet Operations, where he managed one of the largest truck fleets in corporate America and supported more than 7,000 drivers, mechanics and office associates.

Prior to joining Wal-Mart, Frieson worked with Schneider National Carriers, where he spent 12 years developing expertise in the trucking industry by working in various positions including service team leader, operations manager and operating center manager.

Frieson holds a bachelor's degree in Operations Management from the University of Tennessee. He is a member of the Board of Regents for Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland; a member of the Retail, Hospitality, and Tourism Advisory Board at the University of Tennessee, and a Life member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. Frieson and his wife, Marilyn, have two daughters, Kristen and Danielle.