Good Company

Written by Arthur M. Blank

Narrated by Danny Campbell

Featuring an introduction by President Jimmy Carter

The Home Depot cofounder and owner of the NFL's Atlanta Falcons and MLS's Atlanta United shares a vision and a roadmap for values-based business.

Arthur M. Blank believes that for good companies, purpose and profit can-and should-go hand in hand. And he should know. Together with cofounder Bernie Marcus, Blank built The Home Depot from an idea and a dream to a $50 billion-dollar company, the leading home improvement retailer in the world. And even while opening a new store every 42 hours, they never lost sight of their commitment to care for their people and communities. In fact, in 2001, The Home Depot was voted America's most socially responsible company. 

Blank left The Home Depot that same year with a burning question: Could the values and culture that made that company great be replicated? Good Company takes readers inside the story of how he did just that-turning around a struggling NFL team, rebooting a near-bankrupt retail chain, building a brand-new stadium, revitalizing a blighted neighborhood, launching a startup soccer club, and more.

""When good companies put the wellbeing of their customers, their associates, and their communities first, financial success will follow,"" Blank writes. ""The entrepreneurs and business leaders of today and tomorrow have an extraordinary opportunity: to prove that through upholding values we can create value-for the company, for the customer, and for the community.""

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Sep 15, 2020
• ISBN: 9780063035379

Arthur M. Blank

Arthur M. Blank is a co-founder of the The Home Depot, which he retired from in 2001. He is currently the owner of the NFL's Atlanta Falcons, MLS's Atlanta United, Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, PGA TOUR Superstore, Mountain Sky, West Creek and Paradise Valley Ranches, and the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. A successful businessman, community leader, and philanthropist, Blank lives in Georgia with his family. 

Reviews for Good Company

[Josh Eslick · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very powerful and insightful, a must read for anyone who wants to run a business or find creative ways to solve problems.

[shazjhb · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I did not love the main character. Some of the other people were ok. Enjoyed the acting stuff. Liked the daughter. Marriage complicated.

[flourgirl49 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a quiet, emotional, and honest portrayal of two marriages - not a lot of action but driven by the development of the characters. The dialogue was excellent and authentic. I really enjoyed it.

[bookworm12_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This quiet novel reminded me a lot of Crossing to Safety. Two married couples have been close friends for decades when a secret comes to light. The novel is less about the big reveal and more about the relationships that shape us. The pairs: a TV star and her doctor husband and a voice actress and her a theatre company director spouse. They’ve shared their ups and downs through the years. I appreciated the tender exploration of the choices they’ve made.I read this while visiting my favorite theater company, which puts on Shakespeare at a huge outdoor theater. It was particularly appropriate as the author explores a theater company in the novel that produces immersive outdoor shows. I loved the moments of reflection about the impact of theater on audience and cast members alike.In the end, marriage and friendships are hard. It’s easy to drift apart and difficult to fight to keep those relationships strong. Change in the dynamic is an evitable, but it’s worth the fight for the life you’ve built

[bookwyrmm_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Well-written, but nothing felt really new.

[nivramkoorb · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The is my 2nd book by Sweeney. "The Nest" was a 5 star debut and she continues her excellence in this book. Not as good as the Nest but a good follow up. The main characters are Flora and Julian who are actors that have struggled but are now in Hollywood and doing well. They have a 18 year daughter Ruby who is graduating high school as the book opens. The other main characters are Margot(Flora's best friend) and David a doctor. Margot is a very successful actor in a soap opera and also living in L.A. The book deals with lots of back story about how everyone met and their relationships. Sweeney tells the story through the eyes of each character and she is has an engaging writing style.The story begins when Flora finds her husbands long lost wedding ring and realizes there is a problem. The rest of the book does of good job of dealing with all of the ups and downs of marriage, raising an only child and the entertainment industry. This is a worthwhile read. Start with this and then do " The Nest". A couple of excellent books.

[yourotherleft_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

On the afternoon of her daughter Ruby's high school graduation, Flora Mancini, while hunting for an old family photo, stumbles across a lost wedding ring, a ring that was supposed to have been lost and forgotten at the bottom of a pond for years, but somehow has reappeared. The discovery of the ring throws Flora's life into turmoil and casts her history with her husband, Julian, into doubt. Flora always thought she and Julian were the real thing, now she's not so sure. Over the course of the book, Sweeney weaves the present with the past of Flora and Julian and their friends Margot and David, creating a rich drama of family and relationships that comes to a reckoning at the very place where the photo that lead Flora to the ring was taken. Poor Good Company seems to be having a rough go of it in the reviews I've read so far. People seem to think it doesn't live up Sweeney's smash hit debut, The Nest. Lucky for Good Company, I'm not that great at reading books, so I haven't even read the much-acclaimed The Nest, so Good Company gets to stand on its own merits. And it has them! Frankly, the way that the plot unfolded, acquainting readers with the characters and the histories by spending time with each character reminded me a bit of Maggie O'Farrell's style, which I love. I love a story with layers that slowly pulls them off until the characters and their stories feel real, and I long for their redemption as much as they do. I love the slow burn of this style, and I love the payoff, the moment of redemption or the moment when that redemption at least seems possible. I think Good Company accomplishes that without making things that are hard seem too easy. In addition to what Sweeney does with her characters, I appreciated her talent for setting scenes. The book takes place primarily in three places - California, where Flora and Julian are finally both making a good living after years as struggling theater actors; New York City, where both characters got their start in the theater; and Stoneham, an idyllic upstate New York farm that hosts a yearly outdoor, avant-garde theater production. Sweeney captures the languor of a countryside summer interrupted by the excitement of a theater production. She brings to life a California that was meant to be a temporary stop for Flora and Julia, but a sun-washed spot where they made a home. New York and the theater scene is arguably the most well-drawn, and Sweeney captures the excitement of the theater people with big ideas trying to make them work and eke out a living, the scraping and struggling for roles, the living in a miniscule apartment, but also the magic of when it all just works. I enjoyed Sweeney's sophomore effort, and if it is, indeed, the lesser of her two novels, then I imagine I'll quite love The Nest!

[tibobi · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Short of It:Marriage for some, is like walking a tightrope without a net.The Rest of It:When Julian and Flora first met, they were both struggling artists in the process of finding themselves. Scraping to get by was never enjoyable but there was something to be said for blood, sweat and tears and being able to build something together meant something. Good Company, a small theatre group born out of Julian’s dreams to run his own theatre took center stage for many years but when they each started to have their own successes with acting and then had a beautiful daughter of their own, they moved to Los Angeles and there, the romantic lure of acting wasn’t as shiny as it was when they were newly married yet still an important part of who they were.The benefit to being in Los Angeles is that Flora is once again close to her dear friends Margo and David. Margo, also an actress but much more recognizable than Flora had ever been, is the friend that always grounds Flora no matter what is going on. Years and years of friendship and Margot’s own challenges with her husband who suffered a stroke, do nothing but bond them tighter together. That’s why Flora finds herself completely lost when a secret comes out and she’s not sure if she can turn to Margot for support.This is one of those dishy reads that you zip through. There is a lot of mature drama. Marriage difficulties, insecurities, trying to keep up appearances for your adult child, the threat of an empty nest, success and what happens to a relationship when it’s been strained. Flora and Julian’s story is intermingled with that of Margot’s and I found it to be a good balance. This isn’t an “escape” read because it’s too rooted in real life for that feeling to overcome you but I didn’t mind spending time with these characters and felt that the ending was appropriately realistic.I think I felt the same way about Sweeney’s previous book, The Nest. A good read but probably not one that will stick with me. I would have liked the story to go a bit deeper into Flora’s character. She had a lot going on and was presented with some very difficult choices. I would have appreciated more of her.For more reviews, visit my blog: Book Chatter.

[jillrhudy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Thanks to HarperCollins for an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.Married couple Julian and Flora both finally have stable careers and stable lives, and their only daughter Ruby is graduating from high school. Flora's old friend Margot is riding high as the star of a medical TV drama, and Julian too is a successful actor. Then Flora finds Julian's hidden wedding ring that he claimed to have lost years ago during a summer that Flora remembers fondly. The true story of that happy summer looms like a threat over their previously settled and contented lives.Meanwhile, Margot may be about to fall prey to Hollywood's disinclination to keep older women in starring roles.Julian, Flora, and Margot are California transplants from New York City, where they were happy amateur actors in a theater troupe named Good Company. The past looms large in the novel—the pull of a simpler time, in which pressures were few and creativity and satisfaction ran high even if paychecks did not. Raising Ruby has been Flora's priority, but Flora has found an income stream doing voiceover work. The discovery of Julian's ring sets off a ripple effect in the lives of all of the characters, and bonds of family and friendship are tested. Like young Ruby, everyone will need to figure out who they are and what they need, and find a path forward. Thanks to HarperCollins for an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.