Arthur Blank

From Grokipedia

Arthur M. Blank (born 1942) is an American billionaire businessman and philanthropist best known as the co-founder of The Home Depot, the world's largest home improvement retailer, and as the owner of the NFL's Atlanta Falcons and Major League Soccer's Atlanta United FC.

Born in Queens, New York City, to Jewish parents Molly and Max Blank, he earned a B.S. in business administration from Babson College in 1963. After early work in his family's pharmaceutical distribution business and roles at companies like Daylin and Handy Dan Hardware, Blank co-founded The Home Depot in 1978 with Bernie Marcus following their dismissal from Handy Dan; the first two stores opened in Atlanta in 1979, pioneering the warehouse-style retail model for home improvement. By the time Blank retired as co-chairman in 2001, the company had grown to over 1,300 stores worldwide with annual sales of $53.5 billion (fiscal 2001).

In 2002, Blank purchased the Atlanta Falcons for $545 million, later investing in the $1.6 billion Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which opened in 2017 and hosted Super Bowl LIII. He expanded into soccer by founding Atlanta United FC, which debuted in 2017 and set MLS records for attendance, averaging over 48,000 fans per home game in its inaugural season. Blank's business portfolio also includes the Arthur M. Blank Family Office, which oversees investments in ranching properties and other enterprises like PGA TOUR Superstore. His net worth, largely derived from Home Depot stock and sports holdings, was estimated at $11.4 billion as of 2025, with his Falcons stake alone valued at $6.35 billion (2025).

A prominent philanthropist, Blank established the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation in 1995, which has granted over $1 billion to initiatives in education, youth development, environmental conservation, and community economic mobility, including support for Habitat for Humanity and green spaces in Atlanta. In 2012, he signed The Giving Pledge, committing to donate the majority of his wealth, and has been recognized as one of Forbes' World's 100 Greatest Living Business Minds and Sports Business Journal's Executive of the Year. Blank resides in Atlanta, where he continues to influence business, sports, and civic life.

In brief

Arthur Blank helped invent the big-box home store, then took that builder’s instinct to a football sideline. Atlanta became his second shop floor.

The Falcons, Atlanta United, and a growing sports group carry his name now. The through-line is hospitality: a place ordinary people can enter and feel the goods are meant for them.