Perhaps best known as co-founder of The Home Depot, Arthur Blank is now widely recognized for his diverse businesses. Named by ESPN as the 2021 Sports Philanthropist of the Year, Blank is a tireless advocate of using purpose and profit hand-in-hand to benefit the communities around him. Blank has been distinguished by Forbes as one of the World’s 100 Greatest Living Business Minds 2017, Sports Business Journal’s Executive of the Year 2018 and Sports Business Journal’s one of the 50 Most Influential People in Sports 2016, 2017, 2018.
In addition to the Blank Family Foundation, Blank’s Family of Businesses includes the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United; the nationwide PGA TOUR Superstore; three ranches in Montana, Mountain Sky Guest Ranch, West Creek Ranch and Paradise Valley Ranch; and Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which hosted the 2019 Super Bowl and is home to the Falcons and Atlanta United.
In 2020, Blank released his book Good Company, a national best-seller, highlighting how the core values successfully used to the build The Home Depot can be applied to varying businesses. Blank believes in the importance of making a difference – professionally and personally. In addition to the company’s financial success, during his 23 years with The Home Depot the company donated more than $113 million to communities, while associates participated in hundreds of thousands of hours of volunteer time. Blank is applying the same business acumen and values in building his competitive, successful and community-oriented businesses today.
Blank is dedicated to his own giving back. Since 1995, the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation has granted more than $800 million, and will significantly accelerate the impact of its philanthropy over the next 10+ years in its new collective areas of giving, which include Youth Development, Democracy, and Environment. The foundation also leads giving programs for each of the for-profit businesses in Blank’s portfolio. Through his Foundation and businesses, Blank has donated nearly $7 million to COVID-19 pandemic relief.
A native of Queens, N.Y., Blank received a B.S. Degree in Business Administration with Distinction from Babson College. Blank resides in Atlanta, Georgia and is the father of six children and has six grandchildren. Consistent with the way he approaches work and life, his favorite T-shirt appropriately reads, “There is no finish line.”
