How aerobics changed the life of Arthur Blank long before he bought the 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. I remember I called the commissioner then, who was Paul Tagliabue, and I say, Well, Paul, I have this idea. A little shaky now. 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. We believe the right to vote is sacred and should be protected, so that we can have an active and engaged citizenry that participates in our democracy year-round, not just during presidential election cycles. And they love the camaraderie. Political Affiliations of Retail Leaders - liveabout.com And so he's used that time since he got out of prison and giving back to community, speaking to young people. I want you to talk to 10 of your friends. "This notion of divisiveness has become, in my humble opinion, maybe, post-Civil War, probably one of the most stressful times I've ever seen in our country," he said. So I'm happy to see that, you know, he came back to Atlanta and spent time here. It's the customers. No. } !1AQa"q2#BR$3br 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 2022, they plan to connect with over 1 million voters/ potential voters through phone banking, text banking, in-person canvassing events, and going door to door. The league has recently been running in-game PSAs pushing cancer and mental health awareness screenings, etc. And Blanks role in this project extends beyond the stadium. Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta is the first nonprofit legal advocacy organization dedicated to protecting the civil rights of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander (AANHPI) and Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian (AMEMSA) communities in Georgia and the Southeast. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images). I mean, it doesn't make a difference how old you are. /Type /XObject Yet the team continues to unite Atlantans during the ups and downs. Blank's statement did not specify any initiatives or call any elected officials or political parties by name. All those 25,000 tickets were gone. Mercedes-Benz Stadium aims to be the first stadium to receive LEED Platinum certification. Minnesota Legislature, What Are You Chewing? Today, Blank is the Chairman of AMB Group LLC, parent company of the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United. Weve never won a Super Bowl, and this years loss in Super Bowl LI was especially hard to take. And it was early on a Sunday morning. Statement from Arthur Blank on the 2020 election - Atlanta Falcons Friday on Political Rewind: Mary Rodgers grew up among some of Broadway's biggest names, from Sondheim to Bernstein. >> 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. Arthur Blank Politics, Foundation, Businesses, Net Worth Now it's ranked like seventh. 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. Stop making people feel so fearful. Well, I shouldn't say I'm not. So, that represents that melting-pot philosophy: Were all in this together. Those come first. Arthur M. Blank is responsible for the sorry state of the Falcons. And next thing I know, he was sitting on his knees and with a gun to his head. endobj I know you see my partner, Bernie, on Fox News very often. Enter your email address to be notified about new posts. Arthur M. Blank Foundation donates over $5 million for mental health That is the change we need in this country.". I have what's called a veil state, or I am a stutterer. The 79-year-old co-founder of Atlanta-based The Home Depot . "People are coming from different places, which is okay, but it's not okay when they're disrespectful; it's not okay when they're not kind. Which country do you come from? And that's an example of the happiness that we're talking about. NFL Owner Political Donations: Who Gave to Obama AND Rubio? - The Big Lead . The couple filed for divorce in 2013. Link Copied! Arthur Blank releases statement on Georgia voting rights We've broken every season ticket record per game. I mean, you know, all those things. Peaceful protests of the past have led to new ways forward. 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. Then I would not be bashful about asking questions. 17. 2010-2023 Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. Currently, over 200 Westside residents are working on the stadiums construction and the foundation has funded, among other things, Westside Works to help residents find employment and learn job training skills. Support more understanding and be better listeners trying to see how the other people, you know, try to stand in the footsteps of others. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images), WSOC TV facebook feed(Opens a new window), >> Go home. 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/. Our family foundation seeks to preserve and strengthen our democracy, and weve chosen this as one of our new collective areas of giving. In 1978, they were both fired from Handy Dans by a corporate raider who took over the chains parent company. Please, please stop this violence!! 16 Blanks son, Kenny Blank, also sits on the foundations board and is the executive director of the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. Tikkun Olam [a Jewish concept of repairing the world through action]. Resistance to Artificial Intelligence (AI) is Futile. Home Depot co-founders pictured in 1979, a year after the first store opened. But in any event, that was part of just being a good listener. In their sixth season of Major League Soccer, the Five Stripes bring some new faces onto the field this year. /SA true And so think about the implications of the choices you're making for yourself and for your loved ones, etc. It's good to be different, said Blank, but he said it's the intolerance of some that worries him about the future. GALEO engages in advocacy, creates opportunities for engagement and networking, and develops leadership skills for Latino community members. . Arthur Blank: I was fired from Home Depot - YouTube Home Depot cofounders Arthur Blank and Bernie Marcus have long been on separate sides of the fence when it comes to politics. Though the 78-year-old who's now the owner of the Atlanta Falcons NFL team was aware of their political differences, he said it never had any bearing on their shared values. In order to put this grinding pandemic behind us once and for all? I seriously doubt the leagues TV ratings or ad revenue would suffer an iota. Find out more about how we use your personal data in our privacy policy and cookie policy. $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ? /Filter /DCTDecode 1, Arthur Blank was born to Molly and Max Blank in Queens, New York. We expect to learn a great deal from these groups and have that learning inform our strategy on voting access and civic participation in Georgia and beyond. And myself, if you will, I'm at the very bottom of the pyramid as a servant leader and somebody who is there to provide leadership, but also provide whatever that needs to be done for us to be successful. Arthur Blank On Michael Vick, Bernie Marcus, And How He'd Run The U.S. People are scared and in pain. We need to recognize those truths. that those rights were not being fully reflected in our society today. The Center for Election Innovation & Research (CEIR) mission is to ensure elections are secure, voters have confidence in election outcomes and democracy thrives as civic engagement grows. With Labels, Listen to Affected Populations, Not Activists, As With Alcohol, Mitigation, Not Prohibition, Is the Answer, It Seems Democrats Are Blundering Badly (Again) with Their All-Abortion, All-the-Time Campaign. So, we had great confidence in our own abilities. At the time, Atlanta liked to call itself The City Too Busy to Hate, but as more African Americans moved to the city the moniker shifted to The City Too Busy Moving to Hate, as more white Atlantans escaped the city to the northern suburbs. Porn Star Pay Offs, Inciting Insurrection, Sexual Assaults, Bank Fraud, Election Conspiracy and FoxNews v. Dominion. We Present You Trumps Deposition, More or Less Verbatim. This must happen more than every four years, because theres no offseason for democracy. When I left [Home Depot] in 2001, [it] was the second largest retailer in the world, second only to Wal-Mart. 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! I felt and others felt that we could be successful here. The perceived linebetween politics and sports further blurred when Major League Baseball's union chief said players are ready to discuss moving the 2021 MLB All-Star Game out of Truist Park. And that's all part of his story of redemption and his story of being a changed person. "And I'm not 100 years old I'm getting there, but I'm not but the things I see and deal with are just inherently not what's made this country great. Martin Luther King Jr. once lived in this part of town, but decades of disinvestment and neglect have resulted in over 40 percent of the community living in poverty with an unemployment rate twice that of the rest of Atlanta. They said it would take an act of courage on your part to go out on the field and and to be recognized. And, you know, people stood up! We believe that voting rights are critically important, and our home state of Georgia is at the center of the struggle. It starts with respect. Like all stories meant to inspire, he takes some knocks. /CA 1.0 His is another example of how well powerful systems, in this case, the almighty NFL, can throw a PR cocoon around people and project to the public only the parts of its culture that serve its business interests until they dont. 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. 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. Please consider making a gift today to support this vital public service. The statement reads: "We are at our very best. More must be done to bring people together through meaningful change. The stadium boasts roughly 4,000 solar panels and will use 70 percent less energy. But its the NFL itself that should be held to greater account and responsibility than it ever is. "It's healthy to disagree on things, but it's not acceptable to not be kind.". His professional team Atlanta United FC brought professional soccer to Atlanta beginning in 2017. Blank, who is Jewish, also addressed the administration's failure to recognize the losses suffered by the Jewish people during the Holocaust. If you don't make good choices, you can end up being in really bad places. And if you go to the Museum of Equal Justice in Montgomery, Alabama, [Equal Justice Initiative Director] Bryan Stevenson says the same thing: We need to recognize [that] these 5000 lynchings took place in the United States[a 2019 Report from the EJI documents more than 4440 racial terror lynchings in the U.S. between 1877 and 1950]. And then as Dr. King wrote in his last book, which his wife published a year after he passed away. I mean, everybody's standing for an hour-and-a-half and they just don't sit down. Organizations also called to move The Masters, which begins April 8. It's a beautiful thing. Arthur Blank is worried that capitalism is getting a bad rap. Kimball previously served as the vice president of network support at Teach for All. His daughter Dena is the executive director of the Kendeda Fund, a left-of-center private foundation founded by her mother, Diana Blank. All Rights Reserved. So there wasn't a word on the other end of the phone. I'm not sure how they're going to receive you. How could Trump possibly have lost re-election? I had another NFL player, while [Vick] was in prison, come visit me and say I came from exactly the same neighborhood, but it was in a part of Pittsburgh. So sadly, Michael was raised in an environment where that was kind of normal behavior, if you will. follow. Like many other enormous corporations the NFL, selling a slick, bristling mix of testosterone and patriotism, ducks away from anything with a whiff of political conflict. The largest donor was Falcons owner Arthur Blank. Arthur Blank on NFL kneelers: 'Players have no interest in being disrespectful to flag' Political Insider By Jim Galloway, Political Insider Trump is apparently referencing a highly sourced. So, you know, soccer is on the ascent in the United States dramatically, which is a great thing. He just opened the door. Over the past week, figures around the NFL have We were living in a single-bedroom apartment in Queens. Why Is Doc Jensen Still So Obsessed With His Long-Disproven COVID Claims? 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. Your support makes this possible. One where guys like the Vikings Mark and Zygi Wilf and Arthur (Home Depot) Blank of the Atlanta Falcons come off as comparatively rational. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. So thats Gruden. Thats great. He notes pervasive cynicism about corporate leaders and perceptions that the drive for profit comes at the expense of public good. But you want your core values to be the same, ideally. /CreationDate (D:20210314125741+02'00') And I love him. 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. 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. For the last two decades, sports have united this largely racially divided city, and partially due to the actions of the Hawks and the Braves, the Falcons could ill-afford to have a stadium plan that was not only racially inclusive, but also worked to incorporate the surrounding community. How? The book lays out a set of values that guided him to turn around the struggling Atlanta Falcons NFL team, launch the Atlanta United FC soccer club and build the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. His faith is very strong. He fielded multiple quarterback-related questions and spoke glowingly of Ridder, who. Seventy percent of the players in the NFL are African American a disproportionate number. 2023 FOX Television Stations, Georgia Secretary of State calls many election changes 'solid', study by ESPN and FiveThirtyEight in October 2020, too restrictive and targets minority voters, Cobb leader says moving MLB All-Star game in protest would hurt business, Democrats dispute police report in Georgia lawmakers arrest, Civil rights groups file new lawsuit over Georgia voting law, Photos show rescue of Woodstock man 'buried up to his neck' in collapsed trench, Frederick, MD tanker explosion leaves 1 dead; Shuts down part of US-15, Sheriff's office continues five-year-long search for missing Carrollton man, Georgia baby girl reported missing with man diagnosed with mental illness, police say, Jesse Wilson: Adoptive mother arrested in boy's death in Arizona, Clayton County twin sisters make history rising the ranks in Georgia UPS facility, Alex Murdaugh killed wife, son to buy time, prosecutor says, UGA football star Jalen Carter facing charges in fatal crash: What we know, Young Thug trial: Judge orders probe of leaked evidence, Families intensify search for two men missing for more than a week. But, you know, I needed to change my view on what I could give back and how it could be connected to other people.. We sit down with New York Times theater critic Jesse Green to discuss Rodgers' autobiography, Shy. Blank retired from the company in 2001 as co-chairman. In the 1940sGeorgia mountains, eight children were taken into the woods and left to die. my patience level probably is not the level it would have to be to sustain myself in this political atmosphere today. As I've said, 95% of my estate is going to be recycled back through our foundations and they will provide their insights and their leadership and their views and values that their father and their mothers would be very proud of. Georgia Public Radio GPTV, a 2019 Report from the EJI documents more than 4440 racial terror lynchings in the U.S. between 1877 and 1950], National Center for Civil and Human Rights, Political Rewind: Theater critic Jesse Green remembers Mary Rodgers in 'Shy', Longtime nature writer Janisse Ray delivers gripping debut novel, At new season kickoff, Atlanta United looks for fresh start on the field. 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. In 2014 it emerged that Bruce Levenson, who owned the NBAs Atlanta Hawks, had written an email that amongst other things theorized that the black crowd [at Philips Arena] scared away the whites, adding for good measure: I have even bitched that the kiss cam is too black. Levenson later that year sold his stake in the franchise, and the Hawks have worked hard to win back their black audience. Their frustration is real, and it must be acknowledged and addressed. So, I think the great political leaders and the great spiritual leaders, in my view, have always, always opened up their arms and included everybody. The system has worked well for the multi-billionaire and co-founder of The Home Depot. Arthur Blank - Forbes I mean, you write a book like this, it's really getting into kind of the political arena. I mean, it wasn't like, You're Republican or Democrat. By Bob Bahr October 12, 2021, 5:48 pm. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. A protest has purpose. 2, In the late 1970s, Arthur Blank was an officer at Handy Dan, a regional hardware store chain in Southern California. The views expressed here are the authors' alone, not necessarily the views of their clients, employers or families. 2023 Cox Media Group. /Type /ExtGState So it was a great story and is a great story. ", CNN -- Ted [Turner] did a great thing. Now 78, he is largely beloved in Georgia as an entrepreneur, owner of two professional sports teams and a prolific philanthropist. "I know Bernie's heart. 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. He came out of the prison system as a changed person for the positive, not for the negative. I suspect he had help. A co-founder of Home Depot increased his giving for children in the pandemic because, he said, "they don't always have the tools to deal with what's happened to them.". 4, Blank purchased the NFLs Atlanta Falcons for more than $540 million shortly after stepping down as CEO of Home Depot. She was a woman of great principle, great personal authority. Who knows how successful theyll be, and many residents worry that economic growth could facilitate gentrification. I listen to what he says and sometimes I'll cringe. But he did. We are better than this We are better than this as a country. And he recently gave $250,000 to committees supporting Joe Biden, Forbes reported. All Rights Reserved. How do you help repair the world if we can use that expression? Do it in November. In recent years Atlantas sports teams have attracted controversies that have highlighted the racial disparities that still largely define the city. Fernandez says that they intend to use the stadium as an anchoring institution, and that the number one thing people in the community said they wanted are jobs. In 1978, both he and future Home Depot co-founder Arthur Blank were fired during a corporate power struggle at Handy Dan. Arthur Blank is firmly in Joe Biden's corner. "His approach obviously is different. (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.) Show up at the polls on June 9. "It's not a red issue or a blue issue, it's about how you treat people, whether it be guests, fans, customers, associates, or shareholders in the case with HD," said Blank, whose Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation has granted over $800 million to help underserved people across the nation. But Id like to say to CNN right now: Karmas a mother. Arthur Blanks talks football, philanthropy, and Kanye West - FOX 5 Atlanta I mean, people were throwing tea off those boats because they were protesting, you know. And they've worked collectively for the United States, for everybody in this country, 330 million people. Kirk Cousins Failed His Character Test, But the NFL Gives Him Its Highest Award for Character Anyway, Bidens Junk Fee Fight Should Include Broders Deli as Well as Las Vegas. 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? Blank told Business Insider that despite their differences, running a company is "not a red issue or a blue issue" and is instead about sharing the same values. endobj He's done a lot of work in terms of animal rights, which has been great and been appreciated by all of those agencies and all those institutions. Through their work, we envision a social movement in which communities of color are fully empowered, active in civic life, and working together to promote equity, fair treatment, and self determination for all. << And part of that is reducing our environmental impact.. By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices. Given its footprint, we have good rights to expect a lot more from this monolith. NOW WATCH: We combined Trump and Biden's separate town halls so you can watch an actual debate between the presidential candidates, Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories, according to records filed with the Federal Election Commission.
Vit Inquiry Question Differentiation,
Dragunov Sniper Rifle,
How Much Are Kitten Shots At Petsmart,
Articles A