Bernie Marcus made his billions co-founding Home Depot with his partner Arthur Blank, creating one of the largest companies in Georgia. But civic and business leaders in the state remembered him for much more than his homegrown retail empire.
Known as an eternal optimist, a tough-as-nails negotiator and a natural salesperson, Marcus, a pillar of Atlanta’s business community, died late Monday at the age of 95 in Boca Raton, Florida. Tributes from Georgia and national leaders poured in Tuesday.
A son of Jewish immigrants in New Jersey, Marcus used his riches to found the Marcus Autism Center, which diagnoses and treats children with autism and related disorders, and help launch the Israel Democracy Institute, a think tank promoting democracy in Israel. He also donated millions of dollars into stroke research and treatment, as well as help for veterans and first responders with traumatic brain injuries, post-traumatic stress and substance abuse issues.
He was a major Republican donor. And, in landlocked Atlanta, he masterminded and financed the Georgia Aquarium, which Central Atlanta Progress President AJ Robinson said changed the state’s tourism infrastructure entirely.
“Who would’ve thought that putting big fish and sea animals in Atlanta made sense?” Robinson laughed. “I think he knew from the get-go that this would have a big impact. I’m not sure he knew how large the impact would be, but it’s proven that it’s even more impactful than he ever thought.”
In a statement to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens nodded to Marcus’ role as the benefactor of the aquarium, his support for individuals with developmental disabilities and his co-founding of a “global business that revolutionized the way we build and take care of our homes.”
“May his career inspire future generations to never give up when times are tough,” Dickens said in the statement.
In a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, Gov. Brian Kemp called Marcus an icon of the business world and said Georgia was “blessed to know such a man of vision and generosity.”
Blank in a statement said with Marcus’ passing, “I’ve lost a father figure, mentor, brother and business and life partner.”
“While this loss is profoundly painful, I am grateful for the close to 60 years we spent together, navigating challenges and celebrating successes, and I am honored to have been part of Bernie’s remarkable life,” he said.
Home Depot updated its website in memory of Marcus with a biography that sketched out his career — before and after the founding of the home improvement juggernaut — as well as his upbringing.
The Vinings-based retailer, now a $152 billion-a-year company with more than 2,300 stores, described Marcus as “a master merchant and a retail visionary. But even more importantly, he valued our associates, customers and communities above all. He’s left us with an invaluable legacy and the backbone of our company: our values.”
For some, Marcus’ impact was both professional and personal. Joe Handy was hired by Marcus as part of the founding team at the Georgia Aquarium and would go on to serve as its president and COO in 2017.
Handy also viewed Marcus as both a mentor and a father figure. Handy said Marcus’ wisdom shaped the way he viewed the world, his career path, his family and how to carry himself as a man and as a business leader.
“He was my biggest critic, and he was my biggest supporter throughout my career,” Handy said.
Credit: Joe Handy
Credit: Joe Handy
Handy, now the CEO of Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Florida, said Marcus had the ability to look at something and not see it for what it is but for what it could be. He uses the Georgia Aquarium as an example, as well as Marcus’ decision to hire him more than two decades ago.
“He gambled on me,” Handy said. “I was a kid that grew up in the inner city, working at (New York City’s) American Museum of Natural History. Bernie asked me to come down to Georgia and help be a part of history. He took a gamble on a kid from New York, and I guess I took a gamble on a kid from New Jersey.”
Several organizations and universities to which Marcus donated also released statements.
Grady Health System said Marcus’ vision and leadership were instrumental in the revitalization of Grady. He helped fund the construction of the Marcus Stroke and Neuroscience Center and the Marcus Trauma & Emergency Center, which enabled Grady to expand its services and invest in new medical equipment.
“His contributions to Grady and the broader health care community have left an enduring impact that will continue to benefit generations to come,” a representative for Grady wrote in a statement.
In a statement, Piedmont Healthcare said Marcus’ philanthropy played an integral role in “transforming Piedmont into a destination for health care across the state of Georgia and beyond.” He helped establish the Marcus Heart and Vascular Center in 2016.
Jared Powers, the CEO of the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta, said in a statement that Marcus’ philanthropic support transformed the organization in ways beyond measure. Marcus ensured that it remained “innovative, vibrant, inclusive and a safe hub for Jewish life.”
“His tremendous philanthropy shaped the Marcus JCC’s past and present and has inspired countless individuals and future generations to celebrate their Jewish values and connect with each other,” Powers said. “His legacy lives on in the spaces he helped create, the lives he impacted and the community he strengthened.”
Marcus was a longtime donor to Georgia Tech, supporting the Marcus Center for Therapeutic Cell Characterization and Manufacturing, Marcus Nanotechnology Research Center and other efforts. On X, the university’s president, Angel Cabrera, said “we lost a great man with an immense impact.”
In a written statement, Emory University President Gregory Fenves called Marcus’ contributions to the city unmatched.
“He had unwavering focus; crystal clear ideas; a commitment to improving lives and investing in people; and he cared deeply for others,” Fenves said. “He was impatient in the best possible way — impatient for high-quality results and impatient for those in need to receive the finest health care in Atlanta as quickly as possible. Through his generous philanthropy to Emory and organizations across Atlanta, Bernie Marcus always delivered for the people of our city.”
The former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a Republican who represented Georgia’s 6th Congressional District for two decades, called Marcus a great entrepreneur and said Home Depot would not exist without him.
“His creation of the aquarium in Atlanta was a wonderful act of citizenship,” Gingrich wrote on X. “He will be deeply missed.”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct a reference to the formal name of the Marcus Autism Center.
