This isnt just a short-cut, this is a long-term play with significant input and investment into the community and its future, said Scott Jenkins, the general manager of Mercedes-Benz Stadium, to The Daily Beast. So it was good. Who knows how successful theyll be, and many residents worry that economic growth could facilitate gentrification. Arthur Blank (Atlanta Falcons owner and co-founder of Home Depot) 2020Joe Biden 2016Hillary Clinton 2012Barack Obama Maxine Clark (founder and former CEO of Build-A-Bear Workshop) 2016Hillary Clinton Michael Eisner (former CEO of Disney) 2016Marco Rubio, then later Hillary Clinton 2016Kamala Harris Jack M. Greenberg (former CEO of McDonald's) This is chaos. So that's really what it was about. Home Depot cofounder, Arthur Blank, is a longtime Democratic supporter and donated $250,000 to committees supporting Joe Biden between July and September in 2020, Forbes reported. Copyright 2023 InfluenceWatch. One of the beauties is that when you come to the stadium, it feels like it's the United Nations. Falcons owner Arthur Blank to miss Sunday's game due to positive COVID Student Loan Forgiveness and The Ghost of John Kline, (Who?). When you burn down this city, youre burning down our community., If you want change in America, go and register to vote. 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. So everything is designed to accommodate the soccer fans so they feel like this is their place as a result of that. If executed improperly, this stadium could continue a long line of broken promises for this blighted community. But you want your core values to be the same, ideally. Two Gruden compadres, ex-Gophers star and former NFL coach Tony Dungy and his ESPN partner Mike Tirico, both black, are in a bad spot for defending Gruden about his michellin [sic] tires description of another black guys lips. 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. Max died when Arthur was 15, leaving his mother to grow what became a multi-million-dollar business. He came out of the prison system as a changed person for the positive, not for the negative. If you don't make good choices, you can end up being in really bad places. And he had to mop the floors for weeks and months on end. "He cares deeply about giving back and making a difference in people's lives. Given its footprint, we have good rights to expect a lot more from this monolith. Because It Delivers Comfort, Status and Cash. 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. !, Do not fall for this foolishness!!! Stop making people feel so fearful. Mercedes-Benz Stadium is located adjacent to the Falcons current home, the Georgia Dome, in Atlantas Westside. The Braves leaving town also represented an end to the multicultural hub in the heart of the city that was forged by those Olympics. /SM 0.02 The ones in Atlanta on Friday started off peaceful but later turned into violent demonstrations and looting of local businesses. These are not political issues, they are human issues that need serious, earnest attention from leaders and citizens alike who understand that diversity is our strength and fair treatment is everyones right. And it's all connected not only to associates, but to the communities in which we live and operate. Blank, who is Jewish, also addressed the administration's failure to recognize the losses suffered by the Jewish people during the Holocaust. It's an inverted pyramid that speaks to our whole orientation and all of our businesses today. %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz 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. 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. 5) But Blank regularly speaks on business school campuses, where future leaders and executives tell him they are anxious about the environment, the wealth gap, racial and gender inequities, and a litany of examples of corporate malfeasance. << And so from there, since the 2001- 2002 season, we've only had three games that were not sold out during the season. 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. C q" Despite being widowed at a young age, his mother managed the familys mail-order pharmaceutical business and sold it to a large retail conglomerate. !, And listen to me, be careful where you are getting your information to JOIN protests!! Download the FOX 5 Atlanta appfor breaking news and weather alerts. Shrinking from conflict over something as valid, real and life-protecting as a vaccine is not what Id call, manly, brave, courageous or patriotic. 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. The organization works directly with election officials to maintain accurate and complete voter lists and to secure their election technology infrastructure. Arthur Blank responsible for sorry state of Falcons - ajc 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. 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. Atlanta Falcons employees are most likely to be members of the Republican Party. /Width 625 One where guys like the Vikings' Mark and Zygi Wilf and Arthur (Home Depot) Blank of the Atlanta Falcons come off as comparatively rational. Home Depot Co-Founder Donates to Mentorship Program for Teens - The New I said, Look, I'm going to be a new owner, tell me what I can do to help. Show up at the polls on June 9. When you find common solutions that work for everybody and [are] respectful of everybody to represent the best of you. Opponents of the bill argue it's too restrictive and targets minority voters. I felt and others felt that we could be successful here. And they found ways to get things done with people who had a little bit a different view but found that commonality that was really important. 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. 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. [Thats] something that I talk about in the book, which most people are not aware of. 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. And they love that. The statement came about five days after Gov. That coming the day before the New York Times dropped the bomb(s) about Gruden calling the NFL commissioner a faggot, ripping the leagues concussion protocols, (in other words, Grudens pro-concussion) and trading nudie pictures of cheerleaders. Why Should Tim Walz Even Bother Debating Scott Jensen? Georgia Politics FOX 5 Atlanta ATLANTA - Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United Owner Arthur Blank said Tuesday afternoon he believes voting should be made "easier, not harder for every eligible. Blank is a dedicated Democratic supporter, having donated thousands to Hillary Clinton's campaign, the Bullock Victory Fund, which backs the party's 2020 candidate for Montana senator, Gov. I mean, I was stuttering when I was senior class president, [and in] student government. We want to see the system that sets up for systemic racism burned to the ground. (Airlines resisting vaccination mandates for passengers are another prime example of failure of true leadership.) If you go to a Home Depot shareholders meeting, they start out every single meeting for 42 years now with this value wheel that we developed. He had three children with his first wife Diana Blank, whom he divorced in 1993. Weve never won a Super Bowl, and this years loss in Super Bowl LI was especially hard to take. So I would just cut him some slack. He notes pervasive cynicism about corporate leaders and perceptions that the drive for profit comes at the expense of public good. ~B?/"J()NF =|Z|&t?jCJw)C 0H>~9 ( 81c2fO=a>}@#y}~9]jqCZ'}*x:qj@PTj+2>dm?aU2 8'z?mWm)yt7,?:99=, +oG6 <4!I lg, ]6vDT2zu9~1bA'px#?)X&,:irv.q'/U:~]{tf&[eR|ozKD-sCEAMnO e=#MguofhNFT1vMfH# Q,e_oZdb_47OatAYs2=LJr~R1# gwg],Xs7q72 f) _n:R-r9-:Q`Mg?_t*"v8? After stepping down as CEO of Home Depot in the early 2000s, Blanks 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. 2023 Cox Media Group. Lawlessness, vandalism and intentionally upending the peace with any form of violence has never been productive and is not the answer. Arthur Blank, Tyler Perry speak out about protests, riots . But what, I ask, would be the effect of a dozen or so top current and former stars, coaches and league executives stepping up to a camera and telling pro footballs millions (and millions) of fans to get vaccinated for the sake of other people like the season ticket holders sitting next to them if not themselves? 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. 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. So I would fight for that and surround myself with people who believe the same thing, because you have to have that brain power in every institution or corporation or nonprofit. 3, By 1981, Home Depots stock went public and raised over $4 million. To anyone interested in a deeper dive into NFL culture I strongly recommend, Big Game by New York Times Magazine writer Mark Leibovich for an inside-the-suites sense of who says what to who when its more or less just them peer billionaires talking. One was in pricing. Marcus handed the CEO reigns to Blank in 1997; Blank held the position until a new president and CEO was hired in 2000. I mean, those fans, they feel like that's the only sport that we're hosting in that stadium. /CreationDate (D:20210314125741+02'00') Now it's ranked like seventh. 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. And we need to figure out, you know, how do we move past that and how do we learn from that and how do we get connected with our current reality? Minnesota Legislature, What Are You Chewing? Please stop the violence!, Im not in Atlanta, but if I were I would have been standing with our Mayor! 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. Political Affiliations of Retail Leaders - liveabout.com Arthur Blank: I was fired from Home Depot - YouTube We Present You Trumps Deposition, More or Less Verbatim. I know you see my partner, Bernie, on Fox News very often. But he did. . Owner, Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United FC. I've always believed that the circumstances around me might change, but these core values, which we discuss in the book, they're not mine, they really belong to all of us. If you would like to customise your choices, click 'Manage privacy settings'. And we've had a very successful team for the first threeand-a-half years this year. And I remember he told me, he said, You know, when [I went into] the prison system, they gave me three pair of underwear, three shirts, three pair slacks, three socks and one pair of shoes, and that was it. He said, That was all I was going to have, as opposed to the lifestyle he was leading before. Falcons' Blank excited about building around Ridder at QB Our family foundation seeks to preserve and strengthen our democracy, and weve chosen this as one of our new collective areas of giving. Now, there's no place for violent protest. 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. /SMask /None>> He fielded multiple quarterback-related questions and spoke glowingly of Ridder, who. We need to recognize those truths. I'm not sure how they're going to receive you. Playoffs, playoff championships, etc. The 79-year-old co-founder of Atlanta-based The Home Depot . Now 78, he is largely beloved in Georgia as an entrepreneur, owner of two professional sports teams and a prolific philanthropist. To many Atlantans, myself included, leaving Turner Field was symbolic of the white flight that has defined the city since the 1960s. Arthur Blank Archives - Wry Wing PoliticsWry Wing Politics We've broken every season ticket record per game. In order to put this grinding pandemic behind us once and for all? 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. So we designed our stadium to accommodate not just for the Atlanta Falcons and National Football League football American football but soccer as well. Founded in 2010 as the Asian American Legal Advocacy Center (AALAC), the organization became part of the Asian Americans Advancing Justice affiliation in 2014. All the issues that Colin [Kaepernick] raised at that time [2016-2107] about the social injustice and lack of equality and equity in the criminal system and all those issues, I think they were real then and they're certainly real now. 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! So thats Gruden. But Id like to say to CNN right now: Karmas a mother. He just opened the door. "It's healthy to disagree on things, but it's not acceptable to not be kind.". /ca 1.0 That was in 1979. "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. And it was early on a Sunday morning. 6 0 obj 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. "Obviously, it's a tragic time in the history of the. 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. Falcons Owner Arthur Blank Gave Nearly $40,000 to Joe Biden and /Type /ExtGState that those rights were not being fully reflected in our society today. She was a woman of great principle, great personal authority. >> ", It is your duty not to burn your own house down for anger with an enemy We have to be better than this moment. /ColorSpace /DeviceRGB Blank is a strong supporter of the Democratic Party. His professional team Atlanta United FC brought professional soccer to Atlanta beginning in 2017. And then he came up to my suite afterward and it was like 10, 15 minutes later, his face was just full of tears and he said that he was so moved by it. Arthur Blank is getting more involved in the political process. Walz Cooperation With Law Enforcement Deserves Praise, Not Punishment, If You Think Republicans Cant Ban Abortion in Minnesota, Look No Further than Iowa, Russia, Ukraine and My Seven Months with YouTube. And whether, you know, be it Dr. King or, a great friend to America and a great leader, Congressman Lewis, [who] was a great personal friend of mine and served our country beautifully, would say peaceful nonviolent protest is how we that's how we make progress. He's committed to his wife now, his children. And that's one of our core values as well: Include everybody. 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. Sign up to receive GPB Event announcements via Email. I said, Paul? The documentary will premiere exclusively Nov. 23, 2020 at 8 p.m.on Georgia Public Broadcasting. But, you know, I think the word civility is terribly important today in the political world in which we just don't see it the way we need to see it. I want you guys to come up with real solutions. Home Depot co-founders pictured in 1979, a year after the first store opened. Kemp and the law's backers said it provides some common-sense reformsto ensure elections are secure. OMG, Democrats Are Criminally Bad At Marketing What They Accomplish. 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. Friday on Political Rewind: Mary Rodgers grew up among some of Broadway's biggest names, from Sondheim to Bernstein. And I remember him looking at me saying, If I told your mother what you just said, she would wash your mouth out with soap. But that was the last thing I said. Another Home. So that was a low price a lower price than before Michael Vick the star quarterback was born 22 years before that. 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. Like all stories meant to inspire, he takes some knocks. And, you know, you see the blending of every type of person and personality you can imagine. Resistance to Artificial Intelligence (AI) is Futile. Marcus has been an outspoken Donald Trump devotee throughout both the 2016 and 2020 elections, donating $7 million to Trump's campaign four years ago. You know, dig in [your] heels and it becomes, "My territory, your territory," etc. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images), WSOC TV facebook feed(Opens a new window), >> Go home. Bernie has great values and Bernie cares deeply not only about our faith, but about giving back. By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices. But the two subsequent CEOs the gentleman there today, Craig Minear, the CEO and president Ted Decker both live the culture. /Title ( A r t h u r b l a n k p o l i t i c s) 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. I know you see my partner, Bernie, on Fox News very often. All of which is, yknow, really classy stuff. When GALEO was established, Georgias Latino community was not well represented, nor was it a viable electoral force; today, there are over 385,000 registered Latino voters in the state. For more information about Life Itself, visit the . Our democracy is made stronger when we hear from all Americans on the issues of our day whether they be national or local. But its the NFL itself that should be held to greater account and responsibility than it ever is. But thus far Blank and those connected to the stadium appear committed to using this opportunity as one to enhance and not exploit this community. Their frustration is real, and it must be acknowledged and addressed. This is not a protest. Is the Jensen-Birk Campaign Minnesotas WOAT? It's good to be different, said Blank, but he said it's the intolerance of some that worries him about the future. He owns the team, after all. Were usually very happy to talk, very happy to share our opinions and what have you I have enough humility to understand that the people were serving know better. This can create a steady stream of jobs and revenue for the community. endobj My suspicion is that while Dungy and Tirico and dozens if not hundreds of other NFL leaders may have been surprised by Grudens racist imagery, they arent as unfamiliar with his other boys club stupidity. 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. 12, Blank has been married three times. You can do whatever you choose to do. 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. How do I do my part in it? Their siblings, their families, you know, may have gone to battle and wore a variety of uniforms for our country over many, many years. I would suggest, for anybody in business, that you listen to who you're serving. 4 0 obj More must be done to bring people together through meaningful change. It Now Actually Matters, a Lot. Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank responds to Georgia's election reforms Arthur Blank greets a crowd of cheering Atlanta United fans in 2017. . Here, using insidegov.com's database, are the disclosed political donations* for majority NFL owners dating back to the 2008 election. Blank also owns Atlantas Mercedes-Benz Stadium, a sports and entertainment facility valued at $1.5 billion that hosted the 2019 Super Bowl. "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. Georgia businessman Arthur Blank joins with voting groups on Democracy Class Atlanta The Jolt: Arthur Blank teams with voting groups to forge 'Democracy Class Atlanta' Caption Credit:. And thats despite our recent record, which hasn't been, you know, one I'm particularly proud of, but we'll get better. But I know where his heart is and his heart is really in a good place.