Arts and Crafts and Bears...Oh My!!!

For many with a crafty or creative bent, a trip to Michaels for supplies is a regular to-do list item. With more than 1,200 stores in North America and roughly 44,000 employees, Michaels is well-known for arts and crafts, do-it-yourself gifts and décor. But what might not be known is that Michaels is led by a Baylor graduate.

Ashley Buchanan, B.B.A. ’96, M.B.A. ’98, was named Michaels president and CEO last year after a long tenure with Walmart Inc. Michaels, a company based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, turned to Buchanan shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic began. He has led the company throughout that uncertainty and overseen the company’s transition from public to private.

It was a career move that kept Buchanan close to home. The Mount Pleasant, Texas, native has worked for Dell Technologies Inc. in addition to his time at Walmart, where he led a variety of the company’s endeavors including eCommerce and Sam’s Club.

Buchanan says he’s working to turn Michaels into an “arts and crafts ecosystem.” In so doing, he has some help at home as his three daughters are an at-home focus group, weighing in on everything from glitter color to paint selection.