Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank is an American business tycoon and sports franchise owner. Blank is best known for co-founding home improvement retailer The Home Depot. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Arthur Blank is worth an estimated $7 Billion.
Blank was born in New York City on September 27, 1942. Blank attended Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan, after which he got admission to the private business school the Babson Institute. He graduated from the institution in 1963.
Following his graduation, Blank became a senior accountant for Arthur Young and Company. He spent a couple of years in the company before porting over to Daylin Corporation, where he became president of Elliott's Drug Stores and Stripe Discount Stores.
Blank co-founded Home Depot with Bernard Marcus in 1978. The partners used their knowledge to revolutionize the home improvement business with its warehouse concept. This business helped both Blank and Marcus become billionaires.
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Blank retired from Home Depot in 2001 as co-chairman following decades as a president and later CEO. These days, he serves as the Chairman of AMB Group LLC, the parent company of Atlanta United and the Atlanta Falcons.
Arthur Blank's sports ownership
Blank bought the Atlanta Falcons in February 2002 from Taylor Smith. This purchase marked the billionaire businessman's first foray into sports ownership, and it wouldn't be the last.
He later founded an expansion Major League Soccer franchise named Atlanta United FC that began operations in 2017. Atlanta United is one of the MLS's best teams, as they are regular postseason contenders in America's premier soccer league. The Falcons and United use the Mercedes-Benz Stadium for home fixtures and off-field team activities. Blank also owns the Arena Football League, the Georgia Force, a franchise he purchased just two years after buying the Atlanta Falcons.
Arthur Blank's personal life and philanthropic efforts
Arthur Blank is the founder and chairman of the Arthur Blank Family Foundation and serves on the Board of Trustees of Emory University. He has donated millions to charity through his foundation and is one of Georgia's most prominent contributors.
Furthermore, it was announced in October 2020 that the new Children's Healthcare of Atlanta hospital would be named after Blank after his foundation donated $200 million to the project. The Arthur M. Blank Hospital is expected to open in 2025.
Blank has six children from three previous marriages. You can find him watching Atlanta Falcons home games and the occasional Atlanta United MLS game. He is a hands-on owner who prioritizes his teams' success.
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