The 79-year-old philanthropist has supported educational projects to promote civil rights and racial justice. We don't have any fans in our building, and this is what we plan on doing: We're going to, you know, promote season tickets for 100 bucks or $10 a ticket. And I remember waiting for, you know, probably two minutes. Democracy - The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation 6 Blank was the 2003 Chairman of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. 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. But tell me what I can do to help? And they said, Well, you know, the reality is about 40% of our stadium is empty. ATLANTA Protests over the death of George Floyd have been gaining national attention. How do I do my part in it? The rescue team said the man was buried up to his neck in soil. I understand that, but I respect it," said Blank. But We Aint Seen Nuthin Yet. %PDF-1.4 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. I think when the president [Donald Trump] in the fall of 2017 commented during his speech in Alabama about I don't want to use the words, you know what they were but he termed the players that were kneeling, in my view, in a very derogatory way. GALEO has also handed out flyers at city events, supermarkets, and churches that target Latinos. Proceeds from sales of Good Companygo to the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta. (To his enormous credit, Leibovich burned up all the access his name and the Times brand afforded him to tell a story the average sports writer only dares hint at.) We must not accept or condone violence in any way. /Height 155 It doesn't mean we agree on everything, we don't, but that's healthy," he said. It's a beautiful thing. How could Trump possibly have lost re-election? Arthur Blank talks sensible gun reform. Owner, Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United FC. No. Student Loan Forgiveness and The Ghost of John Kline, (Who?). You know, dig in [your] heels and it becomes, "My territory, your territory," etc. 17. One was in pricing. He released a statement five days after Gov. Because It Delivers Comfort, Status and Cash. Expand. Arthur blank politics The largest donation made to a political party by an Atlanta Falcons employee was by Arthur Blank. 16 Blanks son, Kenny Blank, also sits on the foundations board and is the executive director of the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. My dad didn't look at who it was. The Braves leaving town also represented an end to the multicultural hub in the heart of the city that was forged by those Olympics. 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. When GALEO was established, Georgias Latino community was not well represented, nor was it a viable electoral force; today, there are over 385,000 registered Latino voters in the state. Stop feeding fear and anger every day. Bernard Marcus - Wikipedia Blank also contributed $28,500 to the Obama Victory Fund in 2008. Full statement from Arthur Blank: https://t.co/1lU870TGWa pic.twitter.com/0qejiahKKY, Please, please stop this violence!! So you take your time, you get the words out and people will listen to you. So I think that from those days in college where I raised my hand and I know my buddies around the class would think, Oh, boy, here goes another 5-minute answer, you know? That should never be tolerated. GALEO engages in advocacy, creates opportunities for engagement and networking, and develops leadership skills for Latino community members. I mean, people were throwing tea off those boats because they were protesting, you know. Blank writes about being teased for having a stutter. Hes a combination of father and brother to me. And the Falcons new stadiumscheduled to open this summerwith an estimated cost of $1.5 billion, $200 million coming from Atlanta hotel-motel taxesis definitely big and shinny with tons of gadgets to enhance the fan experience. But this is where the similarities with most other stadiums end. 13 Diana is a left-of-center philanthropist based in Atlanta and anonymously contributed several high-profile donations in the area including a $4 million gift to the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra as well as a nearly $20 million gift to Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta. The 79-year-old co-founder of Atlanta-based The Home Depot . /Type /ExtGState And so he carries a weight of authority that somebody who's just called a suit and comes in and talks to them and doesn't quite feel the same, same way. I would suggest, for anybody in business, that you listen to who you're serving. There are people and other countries who are posting things pretending to be US, pretending to stand for peaceful protest, but they are trying to incite us into violence and chaos to try and do more harm! 4, Blank purchased the NFLs Atlanta Falcons for more than $540 million shortly after stepping down as CEO of Home Depot. Find out more about how we use your personal data in our privacy policy and cookie policy. This must happen more than every four years, because theres no offseason for democracy. 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. And so think about the implications of the choices you're making for yourself and for your loved ones, etc. I worked with him for over 40 years and we shared the same bathroom for over 30 years, which is more than any of our marriages lasted," said Blank, who's currently valued by Forbes at about $6.2 billion. Bernie has great values and Bernie cares deeply not only about our faith, but about giving back. There's no place for looting and stealing and whatever else. 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, Forbes reported. They survived. Arthur Blank is worried that capitalism is getting a bad rap. And it was early on a Sunday morning. ~B?/"J()NF =|Z|&t?jCJw)C 0H>~9 ( 81c2fO=a>}@#y}~9]jqCZ'}*x:qj@PTj+2>dm?aU2 8'z?mWm)yt7,?:99=, +oG6 <4!I lg, ]6vDT2zu9~1bA'px#?)X&,:irv.q'/U:~]{tf&[eR|ozKD-sCEAMnO e=#MguofhNFT1vMfH# Q,e_oZdb_47OatAYs2=LJr~R1# gwg],Xs7q72 f) _n:R-r9-:Q`Mg?_t*"v8? But the two subsequent CEOs the gentleman there today, Craig Minear, the CEO and president Ted Decker both live the culture. I've had conversations with a number of senators who made it very clear that some of their best friends, both politically and otherwise, are on the other side of the aisle. So everything is designed to accommodate the soccer fans so they feel like this is their place as a result of that. https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=Arthur%2BBlank&contributor_employer=The%2BArthur&two_year_transaction_period=2016&contributor_state=GA, https://www.ajc.com/news/local/molly-blank-strong-widow-grew-successful-business-sons/JMYrzmcGsGc4nXD58rqltJ/, https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/197614, https://corporate.homedepot.com/sites/default/themes/thd/images/timeline/History-Of-The-Home-Depot.pdf, https://www.forbes.com/profile/arthur-blank/?sh=ae7b330749c3, https://www.atlantafalcons.com/team/front-office-roster/arthur-blank, https://blankfoundation.org/trustee/arthur-m-blank/, https://www.atlantafalcons.com/news/statement-from-arthur-blank-on-georgia-voting-rights, https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/04/11/companies-voting-bills-states/, https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/arthur-blank-wife-angela-are-getting-a-divorce/897352464/, https://saportareport.com/a-longtime-anonymous-donor-reveals-her-identity/sections/abcarticles/maria_saporta/, https://blankfoundation.org/trustee/dena-kimball/, https://blankfoundation.org/trustee/kenny-blank/. And at the top of that is who is being served comes first. And he had to mop the floors for weeks and months on end. Its appalling how heavily-to-tightly-managed entities, especially those controlled by a small cluster of well-heeled egos turn into shuddering eunuchs at the thought of riling just an ugly faction of its consumer base. GPBs Virginia Prescott asked Blank about some of those stories in a conversationpresented in collaboration with Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlantas Book Festival in Your Living Room, the National JCC Literary Consortium and the Atlanta History Center. . << Now 78, he is largely beloved in Georgia as an entrepreneur, owner of two professional sports teams and a prolific philanthropist. 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. The Falcons' owner, Arthur Blank, the co-founder of Home Depot with a net worth of $3 billion, at first glance certainly fits the bill of your standard billionaire athletic team owner. But that was typical of my mother. Weve never won a Super Bowl, and this years loss in Super Bowl LI was especially hard to take. Home Depot co-founders pictured in 1979, a year after the first store opened. Theres a revelation of Blank stumbling dazedly into a parking lot after being abruptly forced out of Home Depot in 2001, and his devastation after the Falcons epic 2017 loss in the Super Bowl. 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. He fielded multiple quarterback-related questions and spoke glowingly of Ridder, who. Its also part memoir of how his ethics evolved from watching his father run a neighborhood pharmacy in Queens, New York, to launching multi-billion dollar ventures. Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United owner Arthur M. Blank released a statement Monday on the importance of fair elections and democracy: "Free and fair elections are vital to the health of our. No, I'm not. I said, Paul? I mean, those fans, they feel like that's the only sport that we're hosting in that stadium. If you go to a Home Depot shareholders meeting, they start out every single meeting for 42 years now with this value wheel that we developed. Since then, they have re-organized their focus areas more specifically into four groups: policy advocacy, organizing and civic engagement, impact litigation, and legal services. And whether, you know, be it Dr. King or, a great friend to America and a great leader, Congressman Lewis, [who] was a great personal friend of mine and served our country beautifully, would say peaceful nonviolent protest is how we that's how we make progress. "I know what he cares about and he cares about a lot of the same things that I care about.". Arthur Blank Archives - Wry Wing PoliticsWry Wing Politics So that's really what it was about. They all have a great set of values. Arthur Blank is an American entrepreneur and a co-owner of the home improvement retail giant The Home Depot. I want you to talk to 10 of your friends. That was in 1979. What Does Hamline Not Understand About Academic Freedom? By all accounts, those associated with the new stadium and the Westside view their presence as at least a 10-20 year commitment toward revitalizing a downtrodden community and bringing the city together. . And they've worked collectively for the United States, for everybody in this country, 330 million people. ", It is your duty not to burn your own house down for anger with an enemy We have to be better than this moment. Our democracy is made stronger when we hear from all Americans on the issues of our day whether they be national or local. JFIF K K C Max died when Arthur was 15, leaving his mother to grow what became a multi-million-dollar business. They have no serious public, political advocates. The next thing is making sure you exercise your political bully power and going to local elections and beating up the politicians you dont like., It is time to beat up prosecutors you dont like at the voting booth. All of which is, yknow, really classy stuff. The stadium boasts roughly 4,000 solar panels and will use 70 percent less energy. I listen to what he says and sometimes I'll cringe. 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. In his new book, Good Company, Blank follows his own success to show that purpose and profit can and should coexist. I remember I called the commissioner then, who was Paul Tagliabue, and I say, Well, Paul, I have this idea. And that's it. Which country do you come from? Over the past week, figures around the NFL have /Type /XObject In that way, I don't think my personality, probably, or my patience level probably is not the level it would have to be to sustain myself in this political atmosphere today. Home Depot cofounders Arthur Blank and Bernie Marcus have long been on separate sides of the fence when it comes to politics. NFL Owner Political Donations: Who Gave to Obama AND Rubio? - The Big Lead So it was a great story and is a great story. 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. The pair always strove to create a work environment that put people before politics, said Blank. The latest of Blank's many charitable endeavors is aimed at helping the museum expand its reach. Is the Jensen-Birk Campaign Minnesotas WOAT? The foundation is . Theres at least one more level to the Jon Gruden disaster that NFL fans should consider about the leagues remarkable influence. Paul, are you OK? I was going to call his secretary, thinking Paul got a heart attack or something. A Handful of Things I Could Not Care Less About, Matt Birk: Rape Victims Are Playing the Rape Card?, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

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