Arthur Blank co-founded The Home Depot with Bernie Marcus in 1978, helping build the company into the dominant U.S. home-improvement retailer before retiring as co-chairman in 2001. He converted that fortune into one of the most prominent private positions in American sports and Georgia civic life.
Through his holding company AMB Group, Blank owns the NFL's Atlanta Falcons (purchased in 2002) and Major League Soccer's Atlanta United FC (which won the 2018 MLS Cup), and he controls Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the Atlanta venue that hosts both teams. A Giving Pledge signatory, his Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation has given away more than $1 billion.
Blank is also a significant Democratic political donor, contributing to national party committees and candidates, which places him in NOLIGARCHY's donor-network category: a single wealthy individual whose giving spans sports, philanthropy, and electoral politics in a major American region.
What they control
- Atlanta Falcons (NFL): reported roughly 70 percent ownership stake
- Atlanta United FC (MLS): owner of a top-drawing expansion franchise
- AMB Group: the private holding company for his sports and business interests
- Mercedes-Benz Stadium: the Atlanta venue partly financed with public funds
- Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation: more than $1 billion in lifetime giving
- PGA Tour Superstore: a national golf-retail chain he controls
Key institutions & holdings
Built with Bernie Marcus into the largest U.S. home-improvement retailer; Blank retired in 2001.
Holds the NFL and MLS franchises and Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Established 1995; lifetime giving has passed $1 billion.
Key facts
- Co-founded The Home Depot in 1978 with Bernie Marcus and retired as co-chairman in 2001.
- Purchased the Atlanta Falcons in 2002 and added Atlanta United FC, which won the 2018 MLS Cup.
- Net worth estimated around $11 billion in 2025.
- A signatory of the Giving Pledge, committing to give away at least half his wealth.
- His family foundation, established in 1995, has given away more than $1 billion.
- A notable Democratic donor, including a reported $300,000 to the Biden Victory Fund in 2020.
Timeline
- 1978Co-founds The Home Depot with Bernie Marcus.
- 2001Retires from The Home Depot as co-chairman.
- 2002Buys the Atlanta Falcons.
- 2017Opens Mercedes-Benz Stadium in downtown Atlanta.
- 2018Atlanta United FC wins the MLS Cup.
Controversies
Public financing of Mercedes-Benz Stadium · 2013-2017
The downtown stadium for Blank's teams was supported by Atlanta hotel-motel tax bonds, which critics argued directed public money toward a venue owned by a billionaire.
Concentrated donor influence · 2020
As a Giving Pledge philanthropist and significant Democratic donor, Blank exemplifies how one private fortune can shape a region's civic institutions, sports, and electoral politics at once.
Network
- Bernie MarcusBusiness partnerCo-founded The Home Depot with Blank in 1978.
- Steve CannonLieutenantChief executive of AMB Group, which runs Blank's sports and business holdings.
Why this matters
A single individual's fortune underwrites a major-market NFL and MLS team, a downtown stadium built partly with public funds, a billion-dollar foundation, and substantial political donations. That concentrates cultural, economic, and political influence over a major American city and state in private hands, with limited public accountability for how it is used.