The Georgia Aquarium
The Georgia Aquarium is the world’s single largest aquarium, dedicated to inspiring, entertaining and educating generations to come about the global story of water. This destination centerpiece in Atlanta features more animals than any other aquarium, across 60 majestic exhibits comprising more than 10 million gallons of marine and fresh water. This outstanding aquarium, which opened in November 2005, is modeled after the greatest zoos and aquariums in the world.
The Georgia Aquarium is an entertaining, intriguing and educational experience for guests of all ages. While promoting a fun and enjoyable learning experience, the Aquarium instills in its guests a new appreciation for the world’s aquatic biodiversity.
On a more global scale, the Georgia Aquarium supports, conducts and leads research on environmental and conservation issues.
To date, Georgia Aquarium has attracted more than eleven million visitors and employs more than 400 employees and a dedicated core of more than 2,000 volunteers.
The Georgia Aquarium was built on 20 acres north of Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta and it is the brainchild of The Home Depot founder Bernie Marcus.
The Gift
In November 2001 Bernie Marucs announced his idea to construct an aquarium as a present to Atlanta, the city where he had founded his national home improvement empire. He has said the inspiration came to him when he spent his 60th birthday at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in 1990. Afterward, he and his wife Billi visited and studied 56 renowned aquariums in 13 countries to further their research into the design of this world-class attraction.
Once he’d put together the ideas, Bernie Marcus put his money where his mind was. He donated $250 million of his own money towards the construction of the Georgia Aquarium. The final $40 million of the cost was donated by fellow Georgia businesses including Coca-Cola Company, Turner Broadcasting, and The Home Depot, as well as UPS, AirTrain Airways, AT&T, Georgia-Pacific, Time Warner, SunTrust and Southern Company. Because of this generous $290 million gift Bernie Marcus assembled, the aquarium opened its doors in November 2005 completely debt-free.
About Bernie Marcus
Bernie Marcus co-founded The Home Depot in 1979, opening its first stores and its headquarters in Atlanta. By revolutionizing the home improvement industry, The Home Depot became one of the fastest growing companies in America.
Bernie Marcus says he knows The Home Depot would not have achieved its full potential without the incredible support of the citizens of Atlanta and Georgia, including customers, associates and stockholders. Thus was his desire to give back to the Atlanta community through a gift that reached as many different lives as possible. In his vision, Mr. Marcus wanted to promote economic impact for the city and state, bring growth and new jobs and help create a destination to inspire visitors to stay - and stay longer.
Bernie Marcus remains director emeritus and The Home Depot’s largest single stockholder. From 1972 to 1978, Marcus was Chairman of the Board and President of Handy Dan Improvement Centers, Inc., a home center retail chain. Prior to Handy Dan, Marcus was President of O’Dell’s, a manufacturing conglomerate, and Vice President of Hard Goods Merchandising for Vornado, Inc., a retail chain.
Marcus’s personal civic involvement has been translated into the creation of The Marcus Foundation where he serves as chairman of the board. His areas of focus include Jewish causes, children, medical research, free enterprise and the community. In 1991, he and his wife Billi established The Marcus Institute, which provides programs for children and adolescents with disorders of the brain.