Home Depot turns 30

1978: Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank are fired from Handy Dan. New York investor Ken Langone tells them, “You’ve just been kicked in the (butt) with a golden horseshoe!”

1979: The founders acquire four locations from JCPenney in Atlanta. First two Home Depot stores open June 22 on Buford Highway and Memorial Drive.

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Renee Hannans/Staff 1994 photo

Arthur Blank (left) and Bernie Marcus opened Home Depot. Blank became CEO in 1997.

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DENNIS BRACK/Bloomberg News

Robert Nardelli, Chairman, President, and CEO of Home Depot Inc. listens to a panelist of the White House Conference on the Economy at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington DC on December 15, 2004.

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John Bazemore/STF

Home Depot chief executive Frank Blake talks during an interview at the company’s Atlanta headquarters in this Feb. 28, 2007 file photo.

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JEFF BOAN/Special to the AJC

Home Depot Expo Design Center.

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T. LEVETTE BAGWELL/Staff 2004 photo

Home Depot in Manhattan.

1981: Stock debuts on Nasdaq, raising $4 million in the IPO.

1984: Stock moves to the New York Stock Exchange.

1985: Home Depot opens 50th store.

1986: First “super-sized,” 140,000 square foot, store opens in El Cajon, Calif.

1990: Home Depot overtakes Lowe’s as top seller in the home improvement category.

1991: First Expo store opens as a high-end décor concept.

1992: Home Depot becomes an Olympic sponsor.

1997: Arthur Blank becomes CEO.

1998: First store opens in Chile.

1999: Stock added to Dow Jones index.

2000: Company hires first outside CEO, Bob Nardelli, who had been at GE.

2001: Stores in Chile and Argentina close.

2002: Home Depot opens 1,500th store and expands to Mexico by buying Del Norte chain.

2003: 100th store opens in Canada.

2004: First “urban store” opens in Manhattan.

2005: Home Depot opens 2,000th store worldwide, 50th in Mexico.

2006: HD Supply acquires 12 companies, including Hughes Supply. Home Depot buys 12 The Homeway stores in China and the 4,000-unit Chem Dry carpet cleaning chain, which it still owns.

2007: Nardelli abruptly resigns amid criticism of a $210 million severance package. Frank Blake takes the helm. Blake sells HD Supply and closes the landscape supply and flooring stores.

2008: Home Depot closes 15 stores and removes 50 new ones from the development pipeline.

2009: Company posts first quarterly loss since 1982 citing charges for closing Expo and YardBirds stores, and lays off 7,000 employees.

Compiled by Rachel Tobin Ramos