On any given Sunday, The Home Depot co-founder and Babson alumnus Arthur Blank ’63, H’98 can be seen sporting a touch of Falcons red and cheering on the players, even dancing with joy after a big win.
Being an NFL owner has brought him both epic highs and lows. With a Super Bowl loss in 2017, also came the opening of a dramatic new home for the Falcons, the $1.6 billion Mercedes-Benz Stadium, an immense and impressive structure that Blank calls “a dream come true.”
Blank has plenty to keep him busy outside of football as well. He’s the owner of the Atlanta United soccer team, two Montana ranches, and the PGA Tour Superstore, which has locations across the country.
He also is dedicated to philanthropy, following the lead of Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates by signing the Giving Pledge, a commitment by billionaires to donate at least half of their wealth to charity. Blank has promised to give 95 percent of his estate to The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation.
“I have all the things I need and want and could use, so it’s an opportunity to make a difference,” he says. “You want to have meaning in your life in some form or fashion, and meaning for me comes from making a difference in others’ lives.”
In November 2019, Blank brought this commitment to Babson College by investing $50 million in the College’s new Arthur M. Blank School of Entrepreneurial Leadership.
Posted in Campus & Community, Entrepreneurship of All Kinds
