Raul Walters
Founder
Raul Walters founded Raul Walters Properties in 1970 in Columbia, Missouri. After college, Raul was drawn to the Missouri real estate industry where he amassed a great wealth of experience in buying, selling and financing residential and commercial real estate.
The pivotal affiliation in building his successful commercial and multi-family real estate development company was his relationship with Sam Walton. Raul built and financed most of the early stores for the Wal-Mart Corporation under a coalition he formed with five S & Ls. It was a time when million dollar deals were built only on a handshake with Sam.
Walters’s personal life is just as impressive. As a great competitor, he had a passion for riding, shooting and living life on a large scale. He was a member of the Master of Foxhounds and his love of the sport was featured in Sports Illustrated. He was also a member of the California Steeple Chase and United States Pistol Team, where he was ranked as the top U.S. shooter for five years and the top 45 shooter in the 1977 World Competition. Because of his love for shooting, Raul founded a shooting academy in Columbia, Missouri, which provided firearms training to Navy Seals, in addition to government and military branches. Raul was also a Gold medal winner in a downhill ski racing team.
Married at the old Las Vegas courthouse in 1967, Raul and his wife, Vicki, shared a commitment to philanthropy. They have donated an Olympic-style youth bike trail in Columbia, Missouri, as well as the Walters Boone Country Museum, which houses the largest collection of early 19th and 20th century black and white photographs in the country. Raul and Vicki also support Cedars Sinai Medical Research Center among other charitable organizations. They have three children and two grandchildren.
After fighting a courageous battle with cancer, Raul Walters passed away in February of 2009. His legacy lives on in the company he founded, the charitable organizations that Vicki Walters continues to support on their behalf, as well as his positive impact in the real estate industry, his many contributions to the betterment of the Los Angeles community and his beloved home state of Missouri.