The book lays out a set of values that guided him to turn around the struggling Atlanta Falcons NFL team, launch the Atlanta United FC soccer club and build the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Blank, who is worth about $6.2 billion, per Forbes, is one of the higher donors among Biden's billionaire backers, who outnumber Trump's at 134 to 101, although more of Biden's backers have given the $2,800 personal maximum. Blank and Marcus put their discounting experiment to the test in their own brand of warehouse stores called Home Depot and opened the first two Atlanta-area stores in 1979. Copyright 2023 InfluenceWatch. They were trying to indicate that what the military had fought for these rights, the civil rights, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, etc. We had a different leader [Robert Nardelli ] in place that was eventually replaced. And that's it. It Now Actually Matters, a Lot. Blank donated another $35,500 to the Democratic National Committee, according to Federal Election Commission filings. But go ahead and do it, if that's what you want. So we did it. Seventy percent of the players in the NFL are African American a disproportionate number. With Enemies Like Scott Jensen, Who Needs Friends? The Athletic reported that Blank gave $2,800 to Biden, the Democratic nominee for president, on July 1. Left to right: Dennis Ross, Arthur Blank, Bernie Marcus, Pat Farrah, Ron Brill. And myself, if you will, I'm at the very bottom of the pyramid as a servant leader and somebody who is there to provide leadership, but also provide whatever that needs to be done for us to be successful. And so he speaks to people throughout the United States, young people primarily, about that. 9. If you sit in your homes instead of burning your home to the ground, you will have time to properly plot, plan, strategize and organize and mobilize in effective ways., Two of the most effective ways is first taking your butt to the computer and making sure you fill out your census so that people know who you are and where you are. "It's healthy to disagree on things, but it's not acceptable to not be kind.". In order to put this grinding pandemic behind us once and for all? All Rights Reserved. Yet the team continues to unite Atlantans during the ups and downs. Steve Bullock, and the Democratic National Committee, to name a few, according to records filed with the Federal Election Commission. So I think that part of that comes out of really being a good listener and responding to what you're hearing and trying to find a way to make things work for the benefit of everybody collaboratively. There are nearly one million Latinos in Georgia, with one of the fastest growth rates of the Latino population in the nation. A documentary surrounding Brian Dowling and Arthur Gourounlian's surrogacy journey is set to air on RT on March 13. For the last two decades, sports have united this largely racially divided city, and partially due to the actions of the Hawks and the Braves, the Falcons could ill-afford to have a stadium plan that was not only racially inclusive, but also worked to incorporate the surrounding community. Blank told Business Insider that despite their differences, running a company is "not a red issue or a blue issue" and is instead about sharing the same values. The organization works directly with election officials to maintain accurate and complete voter lists and to secure their election technology infrastructure. But there was nothing I could say better than what Mayor @KeishaBottoms said last night! Blank retired as Home Depot's co-chairman in. Blank's statement did not specify any initiatives or call any elected officials or political parties by name. The largest donor was Falcons owner Arthur Blank. Organizations also called to move The Masters, which begins April 8. /ca 1.0 MATTIE'S CALL: A 9-month-old baby girl was reported missing from the Ellenwood area with a man police say was diagnosed with a mental illness. And I remember him looking at me saying, If I told your mother what you just said, she would wash your mouth out with soap. But that was the last thing I said. No, I'm not. /SM 0.02 9, Blank is a strong supporter of the Democratic Party. Like all stories meant to inspire, he takes some knocks. Like many other enormous corporations the NFL, selling a slick, bristling mix of testosterone and patriotism, ducks away from anything with a whiff of political conflict. You can do whatever you choose to do. Political Donations: Blank has largely donated to Democratic causes, most notably: $32,400 to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in 2013; $28,500 to the Obama Victory Fund in '08; and. They're a PR's dream because they rarely say the wrong thing. Link Copied! Open, honest dialogue is needed on a much greater scale. Home Depot cofounder, Arthur Blank, is a longtime Democratic supporter and donated $250,000 to committees supporting Joe Biden between July and September in 2020, Another Home Depot cofounder, Bernie Marcus, is an. 12, Blank has been married three times. Founded in 2010 as the Asian American Legal Advocacy Center (AALAC), the organization became part of the Asian Americans Advancing Justice affiliation in 2014. After cofounding Home Depot in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1978, Blank and Marcus helped put the do-it-yourself phenomenon on the map by offering the tools for personal home renovations. It had to do with our set of values.". 7, Blank founded the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation in 1995 and has awarded over $560 million to causes such as education and early childhood development. endobj In his new book, Good Company, Blank follows his own success to show that purpose and profit can and should coexist. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. One of the beauties is that when you come to the stadium, it feels like it's the United Nations. But COVID vaccination, as a consequence of being made political by belligerent partisans, many of whom love football more than life itself, is terrifying territory for the NFL. We were living in a single-bedroom apartment in Queens. Its a story about making bad choices and the impact of young people. They want to have a home-field advantage. Mercedes-Benz Stadium aims to be the first stadium to receive LEED Platinum certification. With Labels, Listen to Affected Populations, Not Activists, As With Alcohol, Mitigation, Not Prohibition, Is the Answer, It Seems Democrats Are Blundering Badly (Again) with Their All-Abortion, All-the-Time Campaign. RELATED:Georgia Secretary of State calls many election changes 'solid'. But my mother would say to me, You know, what you have to say is important. In their sixth season of Major League Soccer, the Five Stripes bring some new faces onto the field this year. The latest of Blank's many charitable endeavors is aimed at helping the museum expand its reach. He received his MBA from Harvard. In 2014 it emerged that Bruce Levenson, who owned the NBAs Atlanta Hawks, had written an email that amongst other things theorized that the black crowd [at Philips Arena] scared away the whites, adding for good measure: I have even bitched that the kiss cam is too black. Levenson later that year sold his stake in the franchise, and the Hawks have worked hard to win back their black audience. And today that's 2,200 stores in Canada, United States and Mexico probably have a market capitalization today of about $300 billion. I have what's called a veil state, or I am a stutterer. And then he came up to my suite afterward and it was like 10, 15 minutes later, his face was just full of tears and he said that he was so moved by it. Also watchRISING UP: A Westside Story,a documentary film by David Lewis Productions that gives viewers a detailed look into the ideation, construction, and impact of the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on the city of Atlanta. It's an inverted pyramid that speaks to our whole orientation and all of our businesses today. During the past year, GALEO staff and volunteers have participated in events at food banks, churches, and schools, where they provide information while assisting with free COVID-19 testing and food distribution. . 8 . Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank is married to Angela Macuga, his third wife. Think about How do I listen to the people that are actually trying to serve and how do we put results in place that would give them the very best chance for equality and for success and for fair treatment? And I think we have to strive more for that. The trouble is that the NFL is not coming clean on that investigation. /AIS false So we had 35, 40 players kneeling before that, after that speech, we had close to 300 players kneeling because they took it personally and their families took it personally and their parents and their siblings and their grandparents and their heritage was being challenged. Two Gruden compadres, ex-Gophers star and former NFL coach Tony Dungy and his ESPN partner Mike Tirico, both black, are in a bad spot for defending Gruden about his michellin [sic] tires description of another black guys lips. My dad didn't look at who it was. And to be sure, Atlanta is better than what we saw in the actions of a few last night. They all understand it's, you know, you have an opportunity to be here on Earth and how do you want to leave it? Blank, who is Jewish, also addressed the administration's failure to recognize the losses suffered by the Jewish people during the Holocaust. Falcons owner Arthur Blank spoke with reporters during a 10-minute teleconference from the Super Bowl. And the core values that our forefathers drafted for us they weren't perfect, either, but in their own ways, they strove for those things. So there wasn't a word on the other end of the phone. In recent years Atlantas sports teams have attracted controversies that have highlighted the racial disparities that still largely define the city. But I know where his heart is and his heart is really in a good place. ", It is your duty not to burn your own house down for anger with an enemy We have to be better than this moment. But what, I ask, would be the effect of a dozen or so top current and former stars, coaches and league executives stepping up to a camera and telling pro footballs millions (and millions) of fans to get vaccinated for the sake of other people like the season ticket holders sitting next to them if not themselves? Martin Luther King Jr. once lived in this part of town, but decades of disinvestment and neglect have resulted in over 40 percent of the community living in poverty with an unemployment rate twice that of the rest of Atlanta. And thats despite our recent record, which hasn't been, you know, one I'm particularly proud of, but we'll get better. A study by ESPN and FiveThirtyEight in October 2020 showed Blank is a bipartisan contributor to political campaignsbut contributed more to Democratic candidates from 2012 to 2020. The Gruden e-mails were leaked from a (way too) long-running investigation of the toxic (i.e. "And I'm not 100 years old I'm getting there, but I'm not but the things I see and deal with are just inherently not what's made this country great. They have no serious public, political advocates. America has long struggled to deliver a fair and equitable democracy to all of its citizens. I mean, everybody's standing for an hour-and-a-half and they just don't sit down. So, I would say it was very successful. How do you help repair the world if we can use that expression? << Another Home. It is my hope that we take this terrible moment in our history to elevate that conversation toward productive action and lasting, positive change. About Arthur Blank Arthur Blank and Bernie Marcus cofounded Home Depot in 1978 after being fired from their jobs at a regional hardware store. I understand that, but I respect it," said Blank. What Would Trump Steal That is So Ultra Top Secret and Why? You know, dig in [your] heels and it becomes, "My territory, your territory," etc. Minnesota Legislature, What Are You Chewing? He had three children with his first wife Diana Blank, whom he divorced in 1993. And they love that. Liz Cheney Aint Going Nowhere in This Republican Party, Jensens Abortion Ban Promises Come Back to Haunt Him, Thanks to Oppo. Paul, are you there? And Blanks role in this project extends beyond the stadium. They survived. Mercedes-Benz Stadium will also be home to Atlantas MLS team, Atlanta United FC. It's our job is to serve the American people and I think we need to have more focus on that.". Soon after, Blank met his third wife Angela Macuga whom he married in 2016 and later announced their plans to divorce in 2019. During the 2020 elections, Blank contributed $300,000 to the Biden Victory Fund, $35,000 to the Democratic National Convention, and tens of thousands of dollars to state Democratic Party committees. A number of events over the last couple of weeks have reminded us again that the long, worthy quest for equal justice, civility and unity in America is far from over. The Athletic's Felipe Crdenas joined Georgia Public Broadcasting's Orlando Montoya tohelp breakdown what fans can expect this year on and off the field. I know you see my partner, Bernie, on Fox News very often. When you burn down this city, youre burning down our community., If you want change in America, go and register to vote. And he had to mop the floors for weeks and months on end. Nationality: United States Executive summary: Co-Founder of Home Depot. But Blank regularly speaks on business school campuses, where future leaders and executives tell him they are anxious about the environment, the wealth gap, racial and gender inequities, and a litany of examples of corporate malfeasance. Arthur Blank greets a crowd of cheering Atlanta United fans in 2017. Arthur Blank is worried that capitalism is getting a bad rap. So everything is designed to accommodate the soccer fans so they feel like this is their place as a result of that. Arthur Blank is firmly in Joe Biden's corner. Arthur Blank co-founded the Home Depot in the late 1970s after being fired from a regional hardware store chain in Southern California. >> Please, please stop this violence!! Ticket pricing was higher than it could have been or should have been at that time, and so I brought Dick Sullivan over from Home Depot, the gentleman who now runs our PGA Superstores and we came up with a strategy that we've got to sell season's tickets for $100. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. So, long story short, I think, is that we should recognize the past, understand the progress we have made. So there was no disrespect to the military. Kirk Cousins Failed His Character Test, But the NFL Gives Him Its Highest Award for Character Anyway, Bidens Junk Fee Fight Should Include Broders Deli as Well as Las Vegas. Dueling Visions for Minnesota: Scandinavia or South Dakota? And so think about the implications of the choices you're making for yourself and for your loved ones, etc. You need to figure out something else to do for the rest of your life. And after a while, he said, Would you please shut up? And she never did. And I think this should be addressed out of respect and out of listening.". 8 In 2012, Blank signed the Giving Pledge and committed to giving more than half of his wealth away to philanthropic efforts in his lifetime. But he was. Fernandez says that they intend to use the stadium as an anchoring institution, and that the number one thing people in the community said they wanted are jobs. It doesn't mean we agree on everything, we don't, but that's healthy," he said.