Owner Arthur Blank of the Atlanta Flacons reacts before a game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes Benz Superdome on November 10, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. I mean, it wasn't like, You're Republican or Democrat. 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.". The problem for the big, powerful, macho NFL, as it is for every other giant public entity, is that racism and cancer are kind of the easy stuff. 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. A study by ESPN and FiveThirtyEight in October 2020 showed Blank is a bipartisan contributor to political campaignsbut contributed more to Democratic candidates from 2012 to 2020. 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. Those come first. 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. Were trying to do the exact opposite of that.. The largest donor was Falcons owner Arthur Blank. And how do I put my shoulder to the wheel and lead by example and take the blessings of all the resources that our family. However, peaceful protests really go back and look at the history of our country back to the Boston Tea Party. During the past year, GALEO staff and volunteers have participated in events at food banks, churches, and schools, where they provide information while assisting with free COVID-19 testing and food distribution. 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. "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. "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. By all accounts, those associated with the new stadium and the Westside view their presence as at least a 10-20 year commitment toward revitalizing a downtrodden community and bringing the city together. /Creator ( w k h t m l t o p d f 0 . My dad didn't look at who it was. 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. And they've worked collectively for the United States, for everybody in this country, 330 million people. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. But that was typical of my mother. So I'm happy to see that, you know, he came back to Atlanta and spent time here. Home Depot cofounders Arthur Blank and Bernie Marcus have long been on separate sides of the fence when it comes to politics. The latest of Blank's many charitable endeavors is aimed at helping the museum expand its reach. Arthur Blank gives $17M to National Center for Civil and Human Rights /Type /XObject ATLANTA - Atlanta Falcons Owner Arthur Blank released a statement on Saturday following President Donald Trump's comments on Friday about the NFL. And I love him. And at the top of that is who is being served comes first. The family foundation has already invested over $20 million into the surrounding community. So thats Gruden. But the two subsequent CEOs the gentleman there today, Craig Minear, the CEO and president Ted Decker both live the culture. . Blank's statement did not specify any initiatives or call any elected officials or political parties by name. Young you are. In recent years Atlantas sports teams have attracted controversies that have highlighted the racial disparities that still largely define the city. Shrinking from conflict over something as valid, real and life-protecting as a vaccine is not what Id call, manly, brave, courageous or patriotic. I worked with him for over 40 years and we shared the same bathroom for over 30 years, which is more than any of our marriages lasted," said Blank, who's currently valued by Forbes at about $6.2 billion. 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. Arthur Blanks brother, Michael, and his father, Max, are photographed outside the OES Pharmacy family business, in 1940. It doesn't mean we agree on everything, we don't, but that's healthy," he said. So I would just cut him some slack. Your support makes this possible. I look at my six children, Batch 1, Batch 2, and, you know, they go from age 19 to age 52, if I have it right. Another Home. Expand. 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. And they love that. Arthur Blank On Michael Vick, Bernie Marcus, And How He'd Run The U.S. This is not a protest. The Atlanta Falcons new stadium is going to be beautiful. The NFL owners club is a remarkable collection of avaricious gargoyles. Weve never won a Super Bowl, and this years loss in Super Bowl LI was especially hard to take. Blank writes about being teased for having a stutter. Arthur Blank, owner of Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United, co-founder of Home Depot . The stadium boasts roughly 4,000 solar panels and will use 70 percent less energy. And then as Dr. King wrote in his last book, which his wife published a year after he passed away. And my mother was giving him a lecture saying, You realize this is not what your parents would want you to do. ", It is your duty not to burn your own house down for anger with an enemy We have to be better than this moment. Arthur Blank is worried that capitalism is getting a bad rap. A documentary surrounding Brian Dowling and Arthur Gourounlian's surrogacy journey is set to air on RT on March 13. And he recently gave $250,000 to committees supporting Joe Biden, Forbes reported. Prior to the construction of the Georgia Dome they played at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium with the Atlanta Braves, and you could see the spot where Hank Aaron surpassed Babe Ruth in home runs. >> Blank retired from the company in 2001 as co-chairman. I have many friends who are no longer fervent Braves supporters. /Title ( A r t h u r b l a n k p o l i t i c s) And so from there, since the 2001- 2002 season, we've only had three games that were not sold out during the season. Stay up to date with what you want to know. meathead) culture inside the team formerly known as the Washington Redskins. Players and coaches appear giving quick testimonials. Marcus handed the CEO reigns to Blank in 1997; Blank held the position until a new president and CEO was hired in 2000. Looting is NOT THE ANSWER!!!! And that's all part of his story of redemption and his story of being a changed person. We have to be better than burning down our own homes because if we lose Atlanta what else do we have?, I want you to go home. 2010-2023 Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. I want you to talk to 10 of your friends. Arthur Blanks talks football, philanthropy, and Kanye West - FOX 5 Atlanta 13 Diana is a left-of-center philanthropist based in Atlanta and anonymously contributed several high-profile donations in the area including a $4 million gift to the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra as well as a nearly $20 million gift to Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta. But in any event, that was part of just being a good listener. Mercedes-Benz Stadium will also be home to Atlantas MLS team, Atlanta United FC. We've broken every season ticket record per game. 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. 3 0 obj Is the Jensen-Birk Campaign Minnesotas WOAT? I listen to what he says and sometimes I'll cringe. If you do not want us and our partners to use cookies and personal data for these additional purposes, click 'Reject all'. And it's all connected not only to associates, but to the communities in which we live and operate. Scott Jensens Dramatic Fall Shows Ads Still Matter. That Vote for Secretary of State? GPB intern Eva Rothenberg contributed to this article. [Thats] something that I talk about in the book, which most people are not aware of. You know, dig in [your] heels and it becomes, "My territory, your territory," etc. C q" GALEO has also handed out flyers at city events, supermarkets, and churches that target Latinos. Porn Star Pay Offs, Inciting Insurrection, Sexual Assaults, Bank Fraud, Election Conspiracy and FoxNews v. Dominion. These are not political issues, they are human issues that need serious, earnest attention from leaders and . A number of events over the last couple of weeks have reminded us again that the long, worthy quest for equal justice, civility and unity in America is far from over. I seriously doubt the leagues TV ratings or ad revenue would suffer an iota. And that's it. But he did. His daughter Dena is the executive director of the Kendeda Fund, a left-of-center private foundation founded by her mother, Diana Blank. Arthur Blank talks sensible gun reform. 14, He also had three children with his second wife of 16 years, Stephanie Blank. Who knows how successful theyll be, and many residents worry that economic growth could facilitate gentrification. Born on September 27, 1942, Blank owns the Atlanta, Georgia sports teams - the Atlanta Falcons of the NFL and Atlanta United of the MLS. Blank also contributed $28,500 to the Obama Victory Fund in 2008. All those 25,000 tickets were gone. "So, you know, I love him. And, you know, you see the blending of every type of person and personality you can imagine. /BitsPerComponent 8 In our case, the fans, customers, guests or grantees, whatever the case may be, you're going to find out the ultimate truth of what you need to do to build a business response to issues, spot opportunities, deal with problems, whatever it may be. Arthur Blank is getting more involved in the political process. 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. I'll flip words around, you know, subconsciously and, and make sentences complete. "I know what he cares about and he cares about a lot of the same things that I care about.". And if I stop talking now for two minutes, you realize just how long two minutes is. (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.) !, Do not fall for this foolishness!!! Kemp and the law's backers said it provides some common-sense reformsto ensure elections are secure. (And Im not forgetting Colin Kaepernicks protests against police violence, and how the league effectively blackballed him before paying him off to avoid a certain-to-be-nightmarish public trial.). Good Company is billed as a visionary road-map for creating successful businesses. People are scared and in pain. 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. So there wasn't a word on the other end of the phone. Arthur blank politics The largest donation made to a political party by an Atlanta Falcons employee was by Arthur Blank. About Arthur Blank Arthur Blank and Bernie Marcus cofounded Home Depot in 1978 after being fired from their jobs at a regional hardware store. I was gagged. 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? Friday on Political Rewind: Mary Rodgers grew up among some of Broadway's biggest names, from Sondheim to Bernstein. "I think one of the things that is wrong with America today that we can work on and become better at is that we need to become better listeners to each other and we need to be better about understanding where people are coming from," Blank said. Of the other 60% who do come, half are rooting for the other team. So I understood what they were saying: They just wanted support noise. 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. Arthur Blank Politics, Foundation, Businesses, Net Worth He had three children with his first wife Diana Blank, whom he divorced in 1993. What Would Trump Steal That is So Ultra Top Secret and Why? Political Affiliations of Retail Leaders - liveabout.com He released a statement five days after Gov. /ColorSpace /DeviceRGB This is not a good way to make a living. So there was no disrespect to the military. So I think that part of that comes out of really being a good listener and responding to what you're hearing and trying to find a way to make things work for the benefit of everybody collaboratively. Soccer fans don't want to feel like they go into a stadium and they're a second-class citizen citizen. Mercedes-Benz Stadium aims to be the first stadium to receive LEED Platinum certification. Theres at least one more level to the Jon Gruden disaster that NFL fans should consider about the leagues remarkable influence. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images), WSOC TV facebook feed(Opens a new window), >> Go home. Stop making people feel so fearful. How? 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. There was a six-year period in there, when things went a little south. Blank Launches New Voter Education Project - Atlanta Jewish Times 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. So it really never defined me. Arthur Blank Archives - Wry Wing PoliticsWry Wing Politics Falcons' Blank excited about building around Ridder at QB Arthur Blank, Tyler Perry speak out about protests, riots 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. Arthur Blank releases statement on Georgia voting rights Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. 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. Georgia businessman Arthur Blank joins with voting groups on - ajc When he came out, he was on house arrest and I took a meal to him and his family from his favorite restaurant here in Atlanta. So we spent six months maybe talking to fans, or people that were not fans, but were, you know, living in the Atlanta area at that time, and we found out that there were four or five things we had to fix. 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. 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. A little shaky now. In a statement released on the Mercedes-Benz Stadium Twitter account, attributed to Blank, he said Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation leadership conveyed his sentiment directly to state officials in recent weeks. When you find common solutions that work for everybody and [are] respectful of everybody to represent the best of you. Yet the team continues to unite Atlantans during the ups and downs. And the Falcons new stadiumscheduled to open this summerwith an estimated cost of $1.5 billion, $200 million coming from Atlanta hotel-motel taxesis definitely big and shinny with tons of gadgets to enhance the fan experience. But this is where the similarities with most other stadiums end. 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. 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:. Politicians, business owners and celebrities are speaking out to share their thoughts on Floyds death, the issues his killing have brought to the forefront and the protests that turned to chaos, specifically in Atlanta. In 1978, they were both fired from Handy Dans by a corporate raider who took over the chains parent company. It is my hope that we take this terrible moment in our history to elevate that conversation toward productive action and lasting, positive change. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Her father was one half of Rodgers and Hammerstein. And he should know. And Ambassador Young, another good friend would say the same thing. Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank responds to Georgia's election reforms It starts with respect. So, long story short, I think, is that we should recognize the past, understand the progress we have made. More must be done to bring people together through meaningful change. 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. Paul, are you there? How best to put it? Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. 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. So it was a great story and is a great story. Here, using insidegov.com's database, are the disclosed political donations* for majority NFL owners dating back to the 2008 election. /Height 155 Arthur Blank says Falcons are 'excited' about Desmond Ridder's play The couple filed for divorce in 2013. Sign up to receive GPB Event announcements via Email. << This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. 1, I think at that time I didn't probably fully appreciate the environment, the communities and neighborhood that Michael was raised in, an area called New Newport News. Resistance to Artificial Intelligence (AI) is Futile. We had a different leader [Robert Nardelli ] in place that was eventually replaced. Statement from Arthur Blank on the 2020 election - Atlanta Falcons endobj Arthur Blank on Trump policies: 'Troubled by anything that However, many Americans are still being denied access to their vote and their ability to fully participate in our democracy. Like all stories meant to inspire, he takes some knocks. The Atlanta media thrashed Arthur Smith, Terry Fontenot, and Arthur Blank about their interest level sometime after the news broke. All of which is, yknow, really classy stuff. It Now Actually Matters, a Lot. 7) And the great political leaders in the past, they were civil and they were good listeners. my patience level probably is not the level it would have to be to sustain myself in this political atmosphere today. One was in pricing. More must be done to address the underlying issues that have led to these incidents across the country. 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. Atlanta Falcons employees are most likely to be members of the Republican Party. The 74-year-old Blank, who Forbes estimates has an estimated net worth of $3.1 billion, is the director of Cox. We Present You Trumps Deposition, More or Less Verbatim. They want to have a home-field advantage. You can change your choices at any time by clicking on the 'Privacy dashboard' links on our sites and apps. Support more understanding and be better listeners trying to see how the other people, you know, try to stand in the footsteps of others. Then I would not be bashful about asking questions. One reporter asked Fontenot whether he thought the Falcons were getting Watson. We had the option of going to a variety of companies, doing a variety of things in a traditional sense of management leadership. And they love the camaraderie. If you don't make good choices, you can end up being in really bad places. 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. So we designed our stadium to accommodate not just for the Atlanta Falcons and National Football League football American football but soccer as well. Atlanta Falcons vNew Orleans Saints Owner Arthur Blank of the Atlanta Flacons reacts before a game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes Benz Superdome on November 10, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. 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. So we had 35, 40 players kneeling before that, after that speech, we had close to 300 players kneeling because they took it personally and their families took it personally and their parents and their siblings and their grandparents and their heritage was being challenged. Arthur Blank greets a crowd of cheering Atlanta United fans in 2017. 6 Blank was the 2003 Chairman of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. During the 2020 elections, Blank contributed $300,000 to the Biden Victory Fund, $35,000 to the Democratic National Convention, and tens of thousands of dollars to state Democratic Party committees. Left to right: Dennis Ross, Arthur Blank, Bernie Marcus, Pat Farrah, Ron Brill. Over the next two years (2021-2023), we will create an inclusive relationship with and among these grantees to share ideas, best practices, lessons and challenges. 6 0 obj 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. We were living in a single-bedroom apartment in Queens. So, you know, we understood that our culture had nothing to do with which party you are affiliated with.