You're fired !

 

At some point in our lives, we have all faced a job loss. It may be due to corporate downsizing, mergers, getting a new boss who doesn’t like you, and (on occasion) due to the fact that you screwed up.

 

Although the job loss can be unsettling at the time, it often leads to a new job that is more rewarding. A prime example of that is Handy Dan Home Improvement stores.

Handy Dan Home Improvement was one of the first home improvement retailer chains. It went out of business in May, 1989.

 Bernard Marcus was CEO of Handy Dan in 1978 when he was fired along with company vice president Arthur Blank amid a corporate power struggle with Sanford C. Sigoloff, who led Handy Dan's owner at the time, Daylin Inc. Marcus and Blank went on to found Home Depot.

Daylin was purchased by W. R. Grace and Company in 1979. In 1986, Grace's retail home improvement division, which included Handy Dan and Channel Home Centers, was sold to the division's executives through a leveraged buyout.

Handy Dan played a major role in getting Texas's religion-based blue laws repealed in 1984 by opening on Sunday and using white price stickers for goods that could be sold seven days a week, and blue price stickers for items that could not be sold on Sunday.

After they were fired, Marcus and Blank decided to form their own company.

With the help of merchandising expert Pa Farrah and investment banker Ken Langone, they formed the Home Depot corporation.

The store revolutionized the home improvement business with its warehouse concept. Blank, Marcus, and Langone became billionaires. Marcus served as the company's first CEO for 19 years and also served as chairman of the board until his retirement in 2002. Marcus was inducted into the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame in 2006.

Marus is the son of Russian Jewish immigrants, and Arthur Blank was also born into a Jewish family. Both he and Bernard Marcus have set up charitable foundations, but lank has also acquired some sports teams.

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Marcus

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Blank

 

Although Both Marcus and Blank have demonstrated how to build a successful company, Barnard Marcus is also a poster child for what NOT to do.

Home Depot is  under fire again with social media users calling for a boycott of the home improvement retailer after its co-founder said he was going to support President Donald Trump in the 2020 election. The backlash came after an opinion article appeared on Fox News from Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus explaining why he was supporting President Trump for a second term.

In the article, Marcus said, “President Trump has stared down COVID-19, the biggest threat this country has faced in at least a generation. If re-elected, he will quickly end this COVID nightmare and restart the American dream. Just look at Thursday's record 33.1 percent GDP growth for the latest proof.

“Trump deserves a second term not despite his COVID-19 response, but because of it. While Democrats try to blame Trump for the roughly 220,000 disease victims, far more would have perished if Joe Biden were in office.”

Marcus went on to explain why other Americans should also vote for Trump, concluding the article by saying, “That Trump has held his Republican caucus and base, despite this unprecedented climate, is a testament to his leadership, charisma, and policy agenda. He is truly Ronald Reagan’s heir. He deserves four more years.”

Following the article, calls for a boycott of Home Depot began circulating on Twitter, with users telling Americans to instead shop at Lowe’s. The hashtag #boycotthomedepot began making its way around the social media site as users criticized Marcus for his Trump support. In 2016, he was one of Trump’s largest donors, giving $7 million to his campaign.

 

https://www.ibtimes.com/heres-why-more-people-are-boycotting-home-depot-3075048

$7 million is a lot of money, but it pales in comparison to what the late Sheldon Adelson and his wife have contributed to the Republican Party. Since 2016, the total is $424 million, but his net worth is still $35 billion.

https://www.newsweek.com/sheldon-adelson-donald-trump-republicans-donations-1560883

I’m not a big believer in boycotts, even though we DID boycott Papa John’s for a few years due to founder John Schnatter’s political positions.

In 2012, Papa John's and Schnatter received media attention after he made critical comments about the Affordable Care Act to a class on entrepreneurship. In a shareholder conference call, Schnatter said that he opposed the ACA because "our best estimate is that the Obamacare will cost 11 to 14 cents per pizza".

Schnatter hosted a fundraiser at his home for Republican Party candidate Mitt Romney in May 2012.

Schnatter contributed to Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and made supportive comments about his administration in January 2017.

Schnatter stepped down as CEO on January 1, 2018, after controversy around his comments that the National Football League (NFL), who had a business affiliation with Papa John's, had not done enough to stop national anthem protests by NFL players, and that the protests had hurt his business. Before he stepped down, his comments had resulted in the NFL cancelling its association with Papa John's.

After stepping down as CEO, Schnatter remained chairman of the board of directors until July 2018, when it was revealed that, during an internal sensitivity-training May 2018 conference call, he pointed out that Colonel Sanders had used the word "nigger" without backlash. Schnatter resigned when the comment became public, but has since maintained that the board conspired against him and unfairly forced him out of his position.

Now that Schnatter is no longer running the company, Papa John’s is the ONLY pizza that Sharon eats on a regular basis.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Schnatter

In a lot of ways, this story provides proof that the hurdles we all face in life are not the end of the world, since they can be overcome. However, this story is also a reminder that you have to be VERY careful about who you share your political views with. (As of February 11 of this year, 18 retailers have stopped selling My Pillow products).