Feb. 2, 2017 By Hannah Wulkan
The owner of the Atlanta Falcons who is taking his team to the 51st Superbowl on Sunday has deep ties to Sunnyside.
Arthur Blank, who also co-founded Home Depot, grew up in Sunnyside, before moving to Flushing when he was 12 years old. He often cites his modest beginnings, in which his family would scrape together pennies and nickels to donate to their local synagogue, as a foundation for his success in life, reported a recent Forward article.
Blank grew up in a small one-bedroom home in Sunnyside pinching pennies, before going on to found the multi-billion dollar Home Depot Company in 1978. He is now worth about $3 billion.
Upon retiring as president of Home Depot after 18 years in 2001, Blank bought the Falcons in 2002.
Now that the Falcons have made it to the Super Bowl for the first time under Blank’s ownership, and will face off against the New England Patriots in Houston on Sunday, Blank is paying for the more than 400 employees to attend the game.
“I don’t want our associates ever to feel it’s just a job —but that they feel deeply about people they’re serving. And care deeply. They’re giving back,” Blank told the Forward.
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33 Comments
Hahah , fu sunnyside boy, GO PATS!!!! SUPER BOWL CHAMPS ONCE AGAIN!!
TOM BRADY GREATEST QUARTERBACK EVER
BLANK YOU!!!!!
Who cares
Why so negative? A Sunnyside guy made it big and gives back to people through his foundation and taking all the folks who helped make it happen to the Super Bowl. Get politics out of it! Rise Up Falcons and for someone who is proud of his roots and celebrates where he is with others.
Where’s the bandwagon? I’m rooting for Atlanta. This article is reason enough. Who’s with me?
Why all of a sudden everyone is a narcissist?? People get the bug out and relax a bit. Enjoy life as much as possible :)-
Smartest thing he did was leave sunnyside
There is still hope for my boy!
There is still hope for my boy!!
Trump and Blank!! 2016 is the year for the local Queens boys!!
What’s this guy’s name again? I’m drawing a Blank.
Ok, you made 1 funny remark quit while you’re ahead.
Shut the hell up. Is that funny? I hate you.
He left Sunnyside when he was 12 years old. He doesn’t owe you a dime. Stop your whining and go ask deBlasio for your free handouts
go to JVB he likes to give free handouts too –
O look, a kid from Sunnyside who made it to the top. Grew up in a one bedroom, went to a school that did not hold out much expectations, probably took his fair amount of lumps on the street being a Jewish kid and is now established and giving back to people around him. No complaining, No blaming the schools, no blaming society, no blaming the police and on and on….and before you liberals start attacking my comment, ask yourself first “what have I done for society not what has society to offer me”
Please enlighten us as to what you have done for Sunnyside
I suppy bricks to this neighborhood
making $ off people is not community service. try again.
What kind of “bricks”? Kilos of coke?
Welk said!!!???
@self righteous make anywhere Sunnydide had 3 active synagogues at one time. Inform yourself before you post a smug remark. You’re an obnoxious Fox News Watching chest pounding blowhard of a narcissist and a bore.
We sound a little angry there Suzy. in fact your anger is so apparent you can’t even type correctly. Have you no march to go to this weekend where you can roar and scream and kick over garbage cans?
Suzy doesn’t sound angry at all and is spot on about you and just keeping it real. You are an imbecile and the rest of the descriptive terms used in her post fits you as well. Suzy has a typo you’re still chest pounding fox watching blowhard. Don’t you have a TV to sit in front and scream obscenities at? You’re an idiot.
You must be Suzy’s partner- so while she is kicking over the garbage cans in anger you are pounding on the banks glass door trying to smash it with a 2×4
We all can’t be heroes like you politicizing local news articles.
You mean like the conservative right has been doing since reagan? Now they call dems obstructionists, but conveniently forgot they’ve been obstructionists for 8 years. Liars and hypocrites are most all conservatives.
@make it any where- Wow. Just had to find a way to squeeze in some negativity. Seek help dude.
“probably took his fair amount of lumps on the street being a Jewish kid.”
What a moronic post.
What happened? His parents forgot to fill in his last name on his birth certificate?
Hahahaha!
and his left hand is a keyboard
Excellent. Very funny. Not often that you find a funny email on this blog. Go have a beer.