Edward "Ted" Decker (born 1963)[1] is an American businessman and, since 2022, the CEO and president of the world's largest home improvement company, The Home Depot.[2][3] He became the chairman of the company in 2022.[4][5]

Ted Decker
Born
Edward Decker

1963 (age 60–61)
Alma mater
Occupation(s)CEO and President of The Home Depot, Inc.

Early life

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Edward Decker grew up in Fairview Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania, and attended Fairview High School there. In his high school years, he began managing landscaping and gardening for both residential and commercial customers, after having mowed and helped landscape his family's lawn from the age of eight.[2] During summers as an undergraduate student, he worked sealcoating driveways in Erie.[6]

Decker graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1985 with a BA in English and from Carnegie Mellon University in 1993 with an MBA.[2][7][8]

Career

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Prior to working for The Home Depot, Decker worked in Australia and Pittsburgh for PNC and worked in business development and finance positions at Kimberly-Clark and their property Scott Paper Company, moving to England and Atlanta for the latter positions.[2] At Home Depot, Decker held multiple executive positions following his hiring in 2000, including managing their store and online merchandising,[2] and as director of business valuation.[6] In October 2020, Decker became president and chief operating officer at Home Depot.[7]

Decker was announced as the new CEO and president at Home Depot in January 2022 after 22 years with the company. Decker's appointment to the position coincided with renewed demand for home improvement materials following a lull spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic.[3] Decker took the position in March that year.[9] As CEO, Decker announced Home Depot's record earnings and sales quarter, the company partially citing a global rise in inflation, though Decker also pointed to the rise in "DIY" home projects as bolstering spending.[10]

In August 2022, the board of Home Depot announced that it had elected Decker to assume the position of chairman on October 1 that year, replacing the retiring Craig Menear, who Decker had previously replaced as CEO and company president.[11][3]

Personal life

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Decker and his wife Cathy (née Creekmore[6]) have two adult daughters.[2] Decker met his wife while both were attending William & Mary; the two were married in the campus's Wren Chapel.[12]

Decker has donated at least $5,800 to the 2024 re-election campaigns of Democratic U.S. Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia.[13]

References

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  1. ^ Repko, Melissa (January 27, 2022). "Home Depot names company veteran Ted Decker as CEO". CNBC. Archived from the original on August 27, 2022. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Myers, Valerie (October 19, 2020). "Fairview native is Home Depot president/COO". Erie Times-News. Gannett Company. Archived from the original on August 27, 2022. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c "Home Depot picks veteran Ted Decker as new CEO". CNN. Reuters. January 27, 2022. Archived from the original on August 27, 2022. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  4. ^ Ebrahim, Yasin (August 18, 2022). "Home Depot Appoints Ted Decker as Chair". Yahoo! News. Archived from the original on August 27, 2022. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  5. ^ De Lisle, Claire (February 23, 2024). "Home & Hearth Matter". W&M News. College of William & Mary. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c De Lisle, Claire (Winter 2024). "Home & Hearth Matter: Ted Decker '85 Leads the Home Depot, The World's Largest Home Improvement Retailer". W&M Alumni Magazine. 89 (2): 28–35.
  7. ^ a b Kanell, Michael E. (October 2, 2020). "Home Depot names Edward Decker president, chief operating officer". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cox Newspapers. Archived from the original on August 28, 2022. Retrieved August 27, 2022 – via ProQuest.
  8. ^ "W.L. Mellon Speaker: Ted Decker". Tepper School of Business. April 13, 2021. Archived from the original on August 27, 2022. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  9. ^ Stebbins, Jack (August 18, 2022). "Home Depot CEO Ted Decker to replace retiring Craig Menear as chair". CNBC. NBCUniversal. Archived from the original on August 27, 2022. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  10. ^ La Monica, Paul R. (August 16, 2022). "Record Home Depot sales show America's housing market is still strong". CNN Business. CNN. Archived from the original on August 27, 2022. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  11. ^ "Home Depot Elects Ted Decker As Chair Of Board; Authorizes $15 Bln Share Repurchase". Business Insider. August 18, 2022. Archived from the original on August 27, 2022. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  12. ^ "Ted Decker '85". Bold Leaders. College of William & Mary in Virginia. Archived from the original on July 24, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  13. ^ Schwartz, Brian (July 15, 2022). "Joe Manchin raises over $1 million from donors including Patriots owner, Wall Street execs, energy giants". CNBC. Archived from the original on August 26, 2022. Retrieved August 27, 2022.