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Arthur Blank is one of the co-founders of Home Depot. Today he is known for his philanthropy and his ownership of the Atlanta Falcons NFL team as well as the Georgia Force arena football team.

Arthur Blank was born in 1942 and grew up in Queens, New York with his father, Max, his mother, Molly, and his older brother, Michael. Blank graduated from Stuyvesant High School in New York City and went on to attend Babson College, where he graduated in 1964 with a B.S. degree in Business Administration.

After graduating from college, Blank was hired by Handy Dan Hardware, and worked his way up through the company to become a regional manager. However, he was fired in 1978 for a disagreement with executives. In 1978, Arthur co-founded Home Depot with Bernie Marcus, another former Handy Dan manager. Together, with the help of New York investment banker Ken Langone who assembled a group of investors, the two launched the highly successful home-improvement retailer in 1979. The store revolutionized the home improvement business with its warehouse concept and the two became billionaires as a result. Blank retired from the company in 2001 as co-chairman.

In February 2002, Blank purchased the Atlanta Falcons franchise in the National Football League from longtime owner Taylor Smith. In September 2004, he bought the Arena Football League franchise, the Georgia Force; he moved the team back to the city of Atlanta after it had spent several years in suburban Gwinnett County.

Blank has expressed serious interest in purchasing other Atlanta franchises. In early 2006, he temporarily withdrew from contention as a potential buyer of the Major League Baseball team Atlanta Braves. Some months later, Blank re-entered serious talks with Time Warner and a report indicated that a sale was imminent.[1] However, in February 2007, the Braves completed the sale of the team to Liberty Media.

Arthur owns two football teams and is the Chairman, President, and CEO of AMB Group, LLC, and the Arthur Blank Family Foundation. He is married with six children and two grandchildren. As of September 21, 2006, his net worth was estimated at $1.3 billion.

• Bio at the Blank Foundation Website
• #297 Arthur M Blank
• Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year
• Lemonade Stories: Art Blank
• Arthur Blank in Atlanta