Home Depot said Thursday that Edward (Ted) Decker will become chief executive on March 1, succeeding Craig Menear.

Decker, 58, has been president and chief operating officer of the giant retailer since October of 2020. He has been with the Georgia-based company since 2000.

Menear, 64, has been CEO since 2014. Menear is also chairman of the board and will retain that role, the company said.

In a statement, Menear said Decker’s “ability to blend the art and science of retail is exactly what is needed in the next phase of growth for The Home Depot.”

The company, whose headquarters is in Vinings, was founded in 1978 and grew to become the largest hardware chain in the world, now selling to both contractors and do-it-yourselfers. In the past few years, Home Depot has also aggressively marketed its online business.

Home Depot has about 500,000 employees at 2,317 stores, most of them in the United States. The company has 90 stores and about 30,000 employees in Georgia.

In its most recent fiscal year, Home Depot reported revenues of $132.1 billion, more than any other company based in Georgia. It will report results from its current fiscal year in a few weeks.