I said, Paul? I mean, people were throwing tea off those boats because they were protesting, you know. But its the NFL itself that should be held to greater account and responsibility than it ever is. Were trying to do the exact opposite of that.. GALEO has also handed out flyers at city events, supermarkets, and churches that target Latinos. 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. Porn Star Pay Offs, Inciting Insurrection, Sexual Assaults, Bank Fraud, Election Conspiracy and FoxNews v. Dominion. A company where we already know from law suits the teams executives treated its cheerleaders like Vegas escorts and, yup, traded nudie pictures of them changing outfits. 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. endobj The 79-year-old co-founder of Atlanta-based The Home Depot . Download the FOX 5 Atlanta appfor breaking news and weather alerts. How could Trump possibly have lost re-election? Over the past week, figures around the NFL have 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 it's all connected not only to associates, but to the communities in which we live and operate. 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. His faith is very strong. Blank's statement did not specify any initiatives or call any elected officials or political parties by name. Additionally in 2014, the Atlanta Braves announced that they were building a new stadium outside the city in the northern suburbs, and leaving Turner Field, which was originally the site of Centennial Olympic Stadium for the 1996 summer games. Playoffs, playoff championships, etc. But staying in the city and trying to work with the community definitely beats the usual stadium construction scam and unwanted racial division that has become far too common in sports today. They survived. Like all stories meant to inspire, he takes some knocks. How do you help repair the world if we can use that expression? And to be sure, Atlanta is better than what we saw in the actions of a few last night. Players and coaches appear giving quick testimonials. It's an inverted pyramid that speaks to our whole orientation and all of our businesses today. But really, in my view, it's mostly that talking to young people about, you know, here's somebody who's been there, done it, gotten on T-shirts, lived it, and somebody whose name they respect or the least they know of, I should say, in most cases. << And, you know, living in poverty, we had friends coming by all the time and what have you. And Blanks role in this project extends beyond the stadium. Falcons owner Arthur Blank spoke with reporters during a 10-minute teleconference from the Super Bowl. The latest of Blank's many charitable endeavors is aimed at helping the museum expand its reach. I would suggest, for anybody in business, that you listen to who you're serving. If you do not want us and our partners to use cookies and personal data for these additional purposes, click 'Reject all'. How do I do my part in it? Please consider making a gift today to support this vital public service. In the 1940sGeorgia mountains, eight children were taken into the woods and left to die. In 1978, they co-founded the home-improvement retailer The Home Depot, with the help of merchandising expert Pat Farrah and New York investment banker Ken Langone who assembled a group of investors. Friday on Political Rewind: Mary Rodgers grew up among some of Broadway's biggest names, from Sondheim to Bernstein. So it was good. So it really never defined me. 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. Mercedes-Benz Stadium is located adjacent to the Falcons current home, the Georgia Dome, in Atlantas Westside. His professional team Atlanta United FC brought professional soccer to Atlanta beginning in 2017. 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. 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. Stop feeding fear and anger every day. That is the change we need in this country.". 10, Following proposed changes to Georgia voting laws in early 2021, Blank released a statement saying, We should be working to make voting easier, not harder for every eligible citizen, and that his businesses and family foundation will support efforts that advance voting access for the citizens of Georgia and across the nation. 11 Blank also participated in an online call with over 100 corporate executives to discuss taking action following changes to state voting laws including the possibility of delaying investments in states that pass allegedly restrictive voting laws. In 1978, both he and future Home Depot co-founder Arthur Blank were fired during a corporate power struggle at Handy Dan. They all understand it's, you know, you have an opportunity to be here on Earth and how do you want to leave it? Pictured is the famous napkin deal that sealed Arthur Blanks agreement with Taylor Smith to purchase the Atlanta Falcons for $545 million in 2001. You know, better than in the 40s and 50s, but not where we should be. In 1989, the company opened its 100th store. ATLANTA - Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United Owner Arthur Blank said Tuesday afternoon he believes voting should be made "easier, not harder for every eligible citizen" and his business and non-profit partners plan to support efforts to advance voting access. The league has recently been running in-game PSAs pushing cancer and mental health awareness screenings, etc. "His approach obviously is different. A little shaky now. 3, By 1981, Home Depots stock went public and raised over $4 million. Home Depot cofounders Arthur Blank and Bernie Marcus have long been on separate sides of the fence when it comes to politics. And I think we got disconnected. But we both said, you know, if we ever had to compete with Handy Dan that was the most successful conventional chain of home improvement center stores in the country at that time it would be with a large, no frills, downmarket store. Blank also contributed $28,500 to the Obama Victory Fund in 2008. Her father was one half of Rodgers and Hammerstein. Copyright 2023 InfluenceWatch. Generally speaking they dont do a lot to lift up the communities and neighborhoods around them. So, I would say it was very successful. Blank allowed the previous front office to make shortsighted moves that still are costing the. 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. Paul, are you there? We must not accept or condone violence in any way. Then I would not be bashful about asking questions. Dueling Visions for Minnesota: Scandinavia or South Dakota? And now their story is a page-turning novel. But that was typical of my mother. ", It is your duty not to burn your own house down for anger with an enemy We have to be better than this moment. I felt and others felt that we could be successful here. When I left [Home Depot] in 2001, [it] was the second largest retailer in the world, second only to Wal-Mart. It's a beautiful thing. I mean, it wasn't like, You're Republican or Democrat. Which country do you come from? And today that's 2,200 stores in Canada, United States and Mexico probably have a market capitalization today of about $300 billion. He owns the team, after all. The NFL could and should be a leader among other giant corporations in taking stark stands against belligerent stupidity like racism (which it is sort of good at in a lipservice/signage kind of way, considering 70% of its players are black) and sexism (where it has a long ways to go, despite promoting Breast Cancer Awareness Month with pink shoes), but also right now for wait for it COVID vaccinations. Owner, Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United FC. I have many friends who are no longer fervent Braves supporters. I seriously doubt the leagues TV ratings or ad revenue would suffer an iota. w !1AQaq"2B #3Rbr Do it in November. I mean, I was stuttering when I was senior class president, [and in] student government. 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. Blank who grew up in New York City said he believes the US is going through one of the most tumultuous times in its history. 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. Among Blanks diverse interests are the nationwide PGA Tour Superstore chain, three guest ranches in Montana, and a family foundation that counts millions in economic development investments on Atlantas beleaguered Westside among its $660-million outlay to date. I mean, everybody's standing for an hour-and-a-half and they just don't sit down. More must be done to address systemic racism. I know you see my partner, Bernie, on Fox News very often. A documentary surrounding Brian Dowling and Arthur Gourounlian's surrogacy journey is set to air on RT on March 13. Blank retired from the company in 2001 as co-chairman. One of the robbers tied me up in the bathroom, the bathtub, and I said a few things to him, which, at 10 years old, I don't think my mother even knew I knew those words. Our Family Foundation and the rest of our businesses here in Atlanta and elsewhere remain committed to being part of the solution., Together for Atlanta. Arthur Blank co-founded the Home Depot in the late 1970s after being fired from a regional hardware store chain in Southern California. And my mother was giving him a lecture saying, You realize this is not what your parents would want you to do. 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. We need to recognize those truths. It's hard to believe. In a time when more than half of Americans are dissatisfied with the state of our democracy, the most powerful way to demonstrate and have our voices heard is through the vote. Support more understanding and be better listeners trying to see how the other people, you know, try to stand in the footsteps of others. Sign up for notifications from Insider! On Thursday, Falcons owner Arthur Blank's foundation donated a five-year, $17 million grant to the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta. You know, he uses the phrase community of chaos, that we move away from chaos and towards community and community in a very broad sense, community with each other. It starts with respect. Together we will rise above this on the strength of what has always made Atlanta great its people, its leaders of past and present and its unique culture that is welcoming to all. The portfolio includes nearly $10 million in grants to 12 nonprofits that represent a diverse set of organizations with a strong presence in Georgia and the Southeast. (Airlines resisting vaccination mandates for passengers are another prime example of failure of true leadership.) If executed improperly, this stadium could continue a long line of broken promises for this blighted community. We sold out the entire stadium in two-and-a-half hours. The Georgia Dome was also built for the Olympics, and construction for Philips Arenathe Hawks home, which sits next door to the Dome and where the previous basketball arena, the Omni Colosseum, once satbegan in 1997. 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. Weve never won a Super Bowl, and this years loss in Super Bowl LI was especially hard to take. They all have a great set of eyes and they're all different. And the great political leaders in the past, they were civil and they were good listeners. 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. And I love him. The public discourse on these and other issues is too divisive, too political. And I told him before, You get in a convertible and drive around the field and Michael, there are 73,000 people in the building. When you burn down this city, youre burning down our community., If you want change in America, go and register to vote. Please, please stop this violence!! 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. 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. It is in effect protecting the teams owner, a guy regularly reviled by sportswriters, players and fans as a (very wealthy) toxic idiot. The Gruden e-mails were leaked from a (way too) long-running investigation of the toxic (i.e. I mean, you know, all those things. Where did your parents come from with your grandparents? We all came from someplace else, other than the other Native Americans. Blank, speaking with Falcons reporters via phone from the Super Bowl, expressed confidence in the direction of the team following a 7-10 finish under second-year coach Arthur Smith. The Home Depot co-founder, Arthur Blank, candidly shares details of an impromptu meeting in an airport hangar when he was asked to step down, the company's short-term mistake of replacing him. 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. 1 0 obj 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. They all live life with purpose. I went to a small business school outside of Boston called Babson College I would always sit in the front because I always wanted to pay attention and learn. Blank told Business Insider that despite their political differences, their different leanings never got in the way of their ability to work together as partners or as friends. His daughter Dena is the executive director of the Kendeda Fund, a left-of-center private foundation founded by her mother, Diana Blank. After stepping down as CEO of Home Depot in the early 2000s, Blank's interests centered on a variety of Atlanta-based sports franchises and the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, a private foundation that has awarded over $560 million. And in fact, one of her famous expressions was: You do the right things for the right reasons and live with the consequences of them. And I'm trying to build that into my life as well. These are not political issues, they are human issues that need serious, earnest attention from leaders and . Blank donated another $35,500 to the Democratic National Committee, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
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