Perhaps best known as co-founder of The Home Depot, Arthur Blank is now widely recognized for his diverse businesses. Recipient of the 2024 Sports Business Journal’s Lifetime Achievement Award for his immense industry impact and named by ESPN as the 2021 Sports Philanthropist of the Year, Blank is a tireless advocate of using purpose and profit hand-in-hand to benefit the communities around him.
Blank has been distinguished by Forbes as one of the World’s 100 Greatest Living Business Minds in 2017, Sports Business Journal’s Executive of the Year in 2018, and one of Sports Business Journal’s 50 Most Influential People in Sports in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
In 2020, Blank released his book Good Company, a national bestseller, highlighting how the core values successfully used to build The Home Depot can be applied to varying businesses. Blank believes in the importance of making a difference – professionally and personally.
In addition to the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, Blank’s portfolio of businesses includes the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United; PGA TOUR Superstore; AMB West; Atlanta Drive GC; and Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home to the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United.
Blank has made groundbreaking contributions to soccer in the United States, beginning in 2014 when he secured Major League Soccer’s then-22nd franchise for Atlanta. With its inaugural season in 2017, Atlanta United quickly rose to prominence, winning the 2018 MLS Cup, followed by titles in both the U.S. Open Cup and Campeones Cup in 2019.
Supported by record-breaking crowds and renowned for its world-class matchday experience, Mercedes-Benz Stadium has become a premier destination for major soccer events. Its status was further solidified in 2024 when it was named a host venue for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup and eight matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
In September 2023, Blank further demonstrated his commitment to the sport’s growth by contributing $50 million to the U.S. Soccer Federation to build a National Training Center in the Atlanta area. The facility will serve as the Federation’s headquarters, creating a central hub for the entire soccer community, including coaches and referees, to access best-in-class training, technology, and infrastructure to promote successful and sustainable playing environments throughout the country. Recognizing his transformative impact, United Soccer Coaches honored Blank as the 2024 recipient of its Honorary All-American Award for contributions to the game of soccer and to the public good.
Since 1995, the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation has granted more than $1.3 billion, investing in education, parks and green space, youth development, and community redevelopment. The Foundation also leads giving programs for all the for-profit businesses within the Blank Family of Businesses portfolio.
A native of Queens, N.Y., Blank received a B.S. Degree in Business Administration with Distinction from Babson College. Consistent with the way he approaches work and life, his favorite T-shirt appropriately reads, “There is no finish line.”
