Biographies

Bernie Marcus helped launch Home Depot after a setback at Handy Dan and served as the retailer’s first CEO. His story also encompasses large-scale philanthropy, a lasting mark on Atlanta institutions, and personal political controversy.

Peter Thiel co-founded Confinity, led PayPal through its sale to eBay, and backed Facebook before it became public. Those milestones preceded a wider career in technology investing, software, and advocacy.

Marvin Ellison started in a part-time Target security role and later became CEO of both JCPenney and Lowe’s. His career spans store operations, a difficult department-store turnaround, and a major shift in home-improvement strategy.

Benjamin Abrams acquired Emerson phonograph assets in 1922 and helped build a radio and consumer-electronics enterprise. His career spanned the Depression-era compact radio, wartime production, television, business setbacks, and support for educational broadcasting.

Robert Sengstacke Abbott launched the Chicago Defender with little capital and expanded it through contributors and an informal distribution network. His publishing career brought commercial growth, civic responsibility, and a carefully prepared family succession.

Charles Elmer Hires began in the pharmacy trade before building a business around root-beer preparations. His story follows the rise of Hires Root Beer, a major condensed-milk enterprise, and a brand that continued after his death.

Daniel Gerber helped commercialize his family’s strained baby foods in 1928 and later became president of Gerber Products Company. His life connects a Michigan cannery, Dorothy Gerber’s practical idea, and the growth of a leading baby-food business.

David Geffen helped shape recorded music, then joined Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg to establish DreamWorks. This biography follows the shifts in his entertainment work and the educational and artistic institutions supported by his philanthropy.

Alonzo G. Decker was a tool-and-die maker who built Black & Decker with S. Duncan Black. Their influential portable-drill design was followed by industrial expansion, serious financial hardship, and a move into household power tools.

Fred DeLuca and Peter Buck moved into franchising in 1974 after building 16 shops. This biography explains the strategy, the people behind Subway’s expansion, and why more locations did not guarantee stronger sales.