Acquired · Monday, September 14, 2026
Frank Blake's tenure as CEO (2007-2014) revitalized Home Depot by halting store expansion, selling off non-core businesses like HD Supply, and heavily investing in e-commerce and distribution centers. This strategic shift, coupled with a renewed focus on the core retail business and a culture emphasizing customer service, led to significant revenue growth despite a declining housing market.
“So when Frank takes over as CEO, at that same board meeting on January 2nd, like the first thing that he says to the board, the first ask that he makes is, I want to place a call to Bernie.”
“So the next thing is he completely stops new store expansion for Home Depot. Says, all right, if we're going to return this company to growth, we got to do it with same-store sales.”
“So the net of all that is building towards what Home Depot's strategy is today: 90% of all homes in America can get anything they need for any project—over a million SKUs delivered to their home or job site or a nearby store within 2 to 24 hours.”