both fired in 1978 by corporate raider Sandy Sigiloff. Blank, a CPA, and Marcus, an ex-pharmacist, were devastated. Bernie, heartbroken and virtually broke, fell into a deep funk. Arthur considered becoming a private CPA. Both thought a former associate was crazy when he told them: "You've just been hit in the ass by a golden horseshoe".

They proved him right. Blank and Marcus both recovered from their professional downturn to found The Home Depot, a phenomenally successful business with 1,000 locations, 200,000 employees, and $30 billion in sales. The Home Depot story is one of the great entrepreneurial tales of the last twenty years -- how incredibly determined and creative people built a business empire from nothing. It's an inspirational tale of two people who had to beg for capital to begin and grow their business but never forgot their principles.

The Home Depot today is one of America's toughest, most growth-oriented companies, but one with a huge sense of responsibility to its employees and to the communities in which it operates. Well over 1,000 Home Depot hourly associates are millionaires (from stock options and other benefits) who continue to work at the store level. When disasters like the Oklahoma bombing or Hurricane Andrew hit local communities, Home Depot employees don't call central headquarters for permission to do something. They close the store and take personal action.

The Home Depot is a category killer -- but one you can love. It is "Toys 'R Us for adults" and the founders, Arthur Blank and Bernie Marcus, are the "Ben and Jerry" of the retail world.