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. It Now Actually Matters, a Lot. I know you see my partner, Bernie, on Fox News very often. 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:. What Does Hamline Not Understand About Academic Freedom? The 74-year-old Blank, who Forbes estimates has an estimated net worth of $3.1 billion, is the director of Cox. I want you to talk to 10 of your friends. United States, Copyright 2023, Georgia Public Broadcasting. More must be done to bring people together through meaningful change. 5 Other Blank family businesses include the nationwide PGA TOUR Superstore as well as a handful of ranches across the country. Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank said Wednesday he is encouraged by the progress of quarterback Desmond Ridder and the potential of building around the rookie. 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. Expand. They put my mother, my brother and I in the living room with one of them and the other was searching the house, looking for cash that wasn't there. And they love the camaraderie. They all live life with purpose. The ones in Atlanta on Friday started off peaceful but later turned into violent demonstrations and looting of local businesses. Blank is a strong supporter of the Democratic Party. 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. In 1978, they were both fired from Handy Dans by a corporate raider who took over the chains parent company. All Rights Reserved. I said, Look, I'm going to be a new owner, tell me what I can do to help. Sadly, sometimes these young men and women get involved in that cycle and they never get out of it. The couple filed for divorce in 2013. 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. 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. Friday on Political Rewind: Mary Rodgers grew up among some of Broadway's biggest names, from Sondheim to Bernstein. 4, Blank purchased the NFLs Atlanta Falcons for more than $540 million shortly after stepping down as CEO of Home Depot. 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. Blank's statement did not specify any initiatives or call any elected officials or political parties by name. One reporter asked Fontenot whether he thought the Falcons were getting Watson. He said, All of that really gave me time not only for redemption, but more importantly, for reflection. And he said, I really realized that I had done a lot of good things in my life putting aside and playing ball. By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices. One of the beauties is that when you come to the stadium, it feels like it's the United Nations. Atlanta Falcons employees are most likely to be members of the Republican Party. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. 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? He notes pervasive cynicism about corporate leaders and perceptions that the drive for profit comes at the expense of public good. "So, you know, I love him. You know, he uses the phrase community of chaos, that we move away from chaos and towards community and community in a very broad sense, community with each other. He had a gun on his lap, sitting on his right thigh. And it's all connected not only to associates, but to the communities in which we live and operate. They all understand it's, you know, you have an opportunity to be here on Earth and how do you want to leave it? And so from there, since the 2001- 2002 season, we've only had three games that were not sold out during the season. They survived. America has long struggled to deliver a fair and equitable democracy to all of its citizens. Given its footprint, we have good rights to expect a lot more from this monolith. 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. Brian Dowling And Arthur Gourounlian Surrogacy Documentary Announced } !1AQa"q2#BR$3br Owner, Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United FC. But Its All Too Familiar. 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. Those come first. Arthur Blank is firmly in Joe Biden's corner. Download the FOX 5 Atlanta appfor breaking news and weather alerts. << meathead) culture inside the team formerly known as the Washington Redskins. GPB intern Eva Rothenberg contributed to this article. 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. Blank retired as Home Depot's co-chairman in. I've had conversations with a number of senators who made it very clear that some of their best friends, both politically and otherwise, are on the other side of the aisle. 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. But really, in my view, it's mostly that talking to young people about, you know, here's somebody who's been there, done it, gotten on T-shirts, lived it, and somebody whose name they respect or the least they know of, I should say, in most cases. But I would keep raising my hand. Think about How do I listen to the people that are actually trying to serve and how do we put results in place that would give them the very best chance for equality and for success and for fair treatment? And I think we have to strive more for that. 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! /Length 7 0 R They're a PR's dream because they rarely say the wrong thing. Opponents of the bill argue it's too restrictive and targets minority voters. To assist with the effective inclusion of community voices, the city of Atlanta participated in the Living Cities City Accelerator program, which streamlined and articulated (PDF) best practices for service providers and community leaders to build stable communities in Atlanta. He fielded multiple quarterback-related questions and spoke glowingly of Ridder, who. The foundation is . /CreationDate (D:20210314125741+02'00') 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. What I Learned Over One Cup of Coffee Yesterday Morning, You Want to Laugh at Liz Truss and The Brits. /SA true It is making no promises that it will reveal everything it has found out about the Redskins and others who had contact with the team. Now 78, he is largely beloved in Georgia as an entrepreneur, owner of two professional sports teams and a prolific philanthropist. Arthur Blank is an American entrepreneur and a co-owner of the home improvement retail giant The Home Depot. And I love him. Its more like cowardly, and meatheaded. In Fall 2021, we launched our new Democracy program area with $10 million in grants designed to strengthen key democracy organizations to be resilient for the long haul of this work. All Rights Reserved. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. I stayed in touch with him to some degree when he was in prison. He shares how he and Bernie Marcus were brusquely fired from executive positions at Handy Dan Home Improvement Stores the humiliating inflection point that led the pair to create The Home Depot. Arthur Blank, Atlanta Falcons - Sports Illustrated I listen to what he says and sometimes I'll cringe. 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. Open, honest dialogue is needed on a much greater scale. Blank is a strong supporter of the Democratic Party. He released a statement five days after Gov. One where guys like the Vikings Mark and Zygi Wilf and Arthur (Home Depot) Blank of the Atlanta Falcons come off as comparatively rational. So I'm happy to see that, you know, he came back to Atlanta and spent time here. 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. He came out of the prison system as a changed person for the positive, not for the negative. Did the Vikings and NFL Just Blacklist Another Left-Leaning Player? Blank donated another $35,500 to the Democratic National Committee, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Yet the team continues to unite Atlantans during the ups and downs. It's the customers. 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. /BitsPerComponent 8 It's not trying influence, but trying to share philosophies of life and stories and thoughts about a certain set of values, which really transcend business, nonprofit, as well as the political arena. endobj 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. Founded in 2010 as the Asian American Legal Advocacy Center (AALAC), the organization became part of the Asian Americans Advancing Justice affiliation in 2014. How do I do my part in it? Arthur Blank on Trump policies: 'Troubled by anything that We've broken every season ticket record per game. 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. Now, the last game we had in the Georgia Dome before we moved to Mercedes Benz Stadium in August of 2017, wewere honoring all of our ring of honor members and he was one of them. my patience level probably is not the level it would have to be to sustain myself in this political atmosphere today. And there are two [robbers] and they want to know, "Where's the money, where's the cash?" So that was a low price a lower price than before Michael Vick the star quarterback was born 22 years before that. But you want your core values to be the same, ideally. I still remember this as if it was yesterday. 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. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Atlanta, GA 30318 Young you are. I would suggest, for anybody in business, that you listen to who you're serving. 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. The 79-year-old co-founder of Atlanta-based The Home Depot . 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 Archives - Wry Wing PoliticsWry Wing Politics In 1978, both he and future Home Depot co-founder Arthur Blank were fired during a corporate power struggle at Handy Dan. Falcons owner Arthur Blank made a $15 million donation on Tuesday to The Cooper Institute, run by its founder Dr. Kenneth Cooper, a friend of Blank's and a strong proponent of preventive medicine. They want to have a home-field advantage. That origin story is well known in business and retail circles as an example of how bold, disruptive thinking can change the game, but Good Company provides a more personal view. I know you see my partner, Bernie, on Fox News very often. Looting is NOT THE ANSWER!!!! 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. That Vote for Secretary of State? 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. Stop making people feel so fearful. 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. 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. 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. Well, I shouldn't say I'm not. And they've worked collectively for the United States, for everybody in this country, 330 million people. Statement from Arthur Blank on the 2020 election - Atlanta Falcons Why Should Tim Walz Even Bother Debating Scott Jensen? a guy regularly reviled by sportswriters, players and fans as a (very wealthy) toxic idiot. No. 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. A protest has purpose. /Producer ( Q t 4 . All those 25,000 tickets were gone. 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. We believe that voting rights are critically important, and our home state of Georgia is at the center of the struggle. that those rights were not being fully reflected in our society today. Dr. Sanjay Gupta speaks with businessman Arthur Blank about gun regulation and philanthropy. . Scott Jensens Dramatic Fall Shows Ads Still Matter. Arthur Blank Politics, Foundation, Businesses, Net Worth Your support makes this possible. But I know that his essence, at his heart and his soul, is a really good person that cares deeply about humanity. Like all stories meant to inspire, he takes some knocks. Looting is NOT THE ANSWER!!! And Blanks role in this project extends beyond the stadium. More must be done to address the underlying issues that have led to these incidents across the country. 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. Over the past week, figures around the NFL have But Still Not Even an Indictment. 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. So we designed our stadium to accommodate not just for the Atlanta Falcons and National Football League football American football but soccer as well. That is the change we need in this country.". 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. The views expressed here are the authors' alone, not necessarily the views of their clients, employers or families. Bernardo Little . GPBs Virginia Prescott asked Blank about some of those stories in a conversationpresented in collaboration with Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlantas Book Festival in Your Living Room, the National JCC Literary Consortium and the Atlanta History Center. 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. It is my hope that we take this terrible moment in our history to elevate that conversation toward productive action and lasting, positive change. 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. %PDF-1.4 follow. Today, Blank is the Chairman of AMB Group LLC, parent company of the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United. >> Who knows how successful theyll be, and many residents worry that economic growth could facilitate gentrification. If executed improperly, this stadium could continue a long line of broken promises for this blighted community. 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. "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. ~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? So, that represents that melting-pot philosophy: Were all in this together. Ticket pricing was higher than it could have been or should have been at that time, and so I brought Dick Sullivan over from Home Depot, the gentleman who now runs our PGA Superstores and we came up with a strategy that we've got to sell season's tickets for $100.