Bernie Marcus, who with Arthur Blank founded The Home Depot, has died at the age of 95. Marcus and Blank made the most of their dual firing from Handy Dan Home Improvement Centres in California in 1978 when they started the upstart big box concept. With others such as Ron Brill, Pat Farrah, and Ken Langone, they grew The Home Depot into the largest home improvement retailer in the world. It currently has some 2,300 stores.
Jim Inglis, former EVP of strategic development at The Home Depot in its formative years, wrote about Marcus in his bestselling book, Breakthrough Retailing. “Bernie’s management style was MBWA (Management by Wandering Around), which gave him keen insight into what was going on in the business,” Inglis wrote. “Listening was one of Bernie’s greatest talents… People felt comfortable sharing their true thoughts and feelings because he was never defensive and always appreciative.”
