The Chairman, President and CEO of Lowe’s is recognized as the only African American to have led two separate Fortune 500 companies as Chairman and CEO, for a $250 million bet on training the next generation of tradespeople, and for launching the largest cross-sector skilled trades coalition in U.S. history at a moment when he argues artificial intelligence “can’t fix a hole in your roof.”
HG HomeClub has named Marvin R. Ellison, Chairman, President and CEO of Lowe’s Companies, Inc., to its list of the 25 Most Influential Leaders in Home Improvement, Home Services and Outdoor Living.
The list, published by HG HomeClub, recognizes 25 leaders who are shaping these three industries in the right way. It spans manufacturing, distribution, retail, technology, franchising, contracting, media, capital and the associations that convene the trades. It is presented alphabetically and carries no numerical ranking, because the leaders on it exercise influence in fundamentally different ways, and comparing a keynote stage to a distribution network, or a franchise system to a product platform, would flatten what makes each of them consequential.
Ellison earns his place on it as the leader of one of the two dominant retailers in home improvement, and as a singular figure in American corporate history: he holds the unique distinction of being the only African American to serve as Chairman and CEO of two Fortune 500 companies, Lowe’s and J.C. Penney. He leads a FORTUNE 100 home improvement company with more than 1,700 stores and approximately 300,000 associates in the United States.
Those are the numbers. The story starts with a $4.35-an-hour security guard job at Target, and a strategy built on volunteering for the work nobody else wanted.
From a $4.35-an-Hour Security Guard to a Director at Target
Ellison grew up in Brownsville, Tennessee, a small town northeast of Memphis, and began his retail career at Target Corporation while putting himself through college, starting as a part-time store security guard making $4.35 an hour. He spent 15 years at Target in a variety of operational and leadership roles, eventually reaching a director-level position. “I didn’t have great pedigree, I didn’t have an Ivy League education,” Ellison has said of that climb, crediting his rise to a willingness to take on assignments “nobody else wanted.”
Twelve Years Climbing to the Top of Home Depot’s U.S. Stores
From Target, Ellison moved into home improvement, spending 12 years in senior-level operations roles with The Home Depot, including Vice President of Loss Prevention, Senior Vice President of Global Logistics, and President of the Northern Division, before being named Executive Vice President of U.S. Stores from 2008 to 2014, a role in which he oversaw more than 2,000 stores and dramatically improved customer service and operational efficiency across the organization. Along the way, while based in Atlanta, he earned his Executive MBA from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School in 2005. “The program broadened my thinking, especially in finance and business strategy,” Ellison has said of the degree. “It also boosted my credibility with decision-makers within the company.”
Becoming the Only African American to Lead Two Fortune 500 Companies
In 2015, Ellison left Home Depot to become Chairman and CEO of J.C. Penney Co., where, per Lowe’s own account of his career, he delivered positive sales growth, reduced debt and generated positive adjusted earnings per share during a turbulent period for department store retail. Lowe’s named Ellison President and CEO effective July 2018, with then-lead director Marshall O. Larsen calling him “an experienced retail CEO with extensive expertise in a complex omni-channel consumer-facing company,” joining Lowe’s, in Larsen’s words, “at a critical inflection point.” Ellison was named Chairman of the Lowe’s board in 2021.
Betting the Company’s Growth on Pro Customers and AI
Since taking the helm, Ellison has driven a sweeping operational transformation at Lowe’s, modernizing its supply chain and merchandising systems and sharpening its focus on professional contractors, a higher-margin segment the company had historically ceded ground to competitors on. The technology push has accelerated in recent years: Lowe’s has deployed more than 50 active AI models for sourcing logic, inventory planning and pricing, and its OpenAI-built virtual assistants, Mylow and Mylow Companion, are fielding nearly 1 million customer questions per month, with customers who engage with Mylow converting at more than double the rate of those who don’t. “We’re not just experimenting with AI, but operating at a true enterprise scale,” Ellison has told investors.
“AI Isn’t Going to Fix a Hole in Your Roof”
Even as he champions AI inside Lowe’s own operations, Ellison has become one of the most visible corporate voices warning that artificial intelligence cannot replace hands-on skilled trades work. “AI isn’t going to fix a hole in your roof, it’s not going to respond to an electrical issue in your home. It’s not going to stop your water heater from leaking,” Ellison said at the Business Roundtable’s CEO Workforce Forum in Washington, D.C., where he co-chairs the organization’s Skilled Trades Initiative. “When young people come to me and they desire to work in the corporate office, my advice to them is, stay as close to the cash register as you can,” Ellison has said. “Stay close to the customers because you will always have employment opportunities to grow.”
A $250 Million Bet, and Then the Largest Coalition of Its Kind
In April 2026, Lowe’s exclusively told Fortune its foundation was investing $250 million over the next decade to help train 250,000 skilled trades workers in fields including plumbing, carpentry and electrical work, quintupling an earlier $50 million commitment. “We’re a company that believes strongly in the future of AI, but in a world where administrative and analytical occupations are going to be increasingly dominated with the acceleration of AI, we think the skilled trades initiative is going to be even more important here in the near future,” Ellison told Fortune.
Then, on September 1, 2026, the Lowe’s Foundation launched the Building Futures Skilled Trades Coalition, described as the largest cross-sector skilled trades coalition in U.S. history, aiming to help train and develop one million people for skilled trades careers by 2035. The coalition launched with more than 75 founding partners, including NVIDIA, AT&T, Bank of America, Carrier, General Motors, DEWALT, Duke Energy, and the National Association of Home Builders. “The next industrial revolution won’t be built by algorithms alone. It will be built by the millions of skilled trade professionals who power, connect and move this country forward,” Ellison said of the coalition. The effort builds on Lowe’s existing Gable Grants program, an ecosystem of 73 community colleges and nonprofits across 30 states, and on Track to the Trades, the tuition-free pre-apprenticeship program Lowe’s launched in 2018 for its own associates, covering trade skill certifications and licenses in fields including HVAC, electrical and plumbing at no cost to employees.
Investing Billions in the People Behind the Registers
Lowe’s own recognition from the Executive Leadership Council credits Ellison with building a genuinely people-first operating model: since 2018, Lowe’s has invested more than $4 billion in associate wages and share-based compensation, and its Lowe’s Hometowns initiative annually funds 100 large-scale community revitalization projects, with every individual store also completing its own local community improvement project across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. “Lowe’s exemplifies the intersection of operational excellence and people-first strategy,” said Michael C. Hyter, President and CEO of the Executive Leadership Council, when Lowe’s received the organization’s 2025 Corporate Award. “They are building a workforce and a leadership culture that serve as a blueprint for success for every industry.”
Directing Millions Toward HBCUs
On June 13, 2024, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund honored Ellison with its inaugural TMCF CEO Impact Award, recognizing his dedication to championing investments supporting Historically Black Colleges and Universities, citing $4 million in Lowe’s contributions to TMCF since 2018 that have supported scholarships, internships and career development opportunities, including the Lowe’s Retail Immersion program. Ellison currently serves on the Board of Trustees at his alma mater, the University of Memphis.
A Growing Wall of National Recognition
On October 6, 2025, Points of Light honored Ellison with its George H.W. Bush Points of Light Award at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., recognizing his and his wife Sharyn’s commitment to service within their faith and community. In 2023, the National Retail Federation named Ellison its Visionary Award recipient, and in 2024, he received the William McGowan Ethical Leader of the Year Award. His accolades also include multiple appearances on Barron’s list of “Top CEOs” and inclusion on Fortune’s “Most Inspirational CEOs” and “World’s Greatest Leaders” lists. Looking ahead, the World Affairs Council of Charlotte has selected Ellison to receive its 2027 World Citizen Award at a dinner scheduled for March 11, 2027, an honor presented since 1990 to individuals whose accomplishments carry international significance.
Why Does Marvin Ellison Belong Among the 25 Most Influential Leaders in These Industries?
Influence in these industries takes several forms. Some leaders influence through a keynote stage or a book. Some through a franchise system that creates business owners. Some through a distribution network, a software platform, or the price of a pallet.
Marvin Ellison influences through the sheer scale of the platform he commands, and through a personal story he has made central to how he wields it. He rose from a $4.35-an-hour security guard job to become the only African American ever to lead two Fortune 500 companies as Chairman and CEO, and now runs one of the two dominant home improvement retailers in the country. Rather than treat that platform quietly, he has used it to launch the largest skilled trades coalition in U.S. history and to argue publicly, at a moment when much of corporate America is racing to automate, that AI “can’t fix a hole in your roof.” That combination of enterprise scale and a deliberate, well-funded bet on the human workforce behind these industries is exactly the kind of influence this list was created to recognize.
About HG HomeClub
HG HomeClub is a national media platform serving the home improvement, home services and outdoor living industries. Created to champion media back to its original purpose of informed transparency, HG HomeClub curates the top stories, headlines, rankings, videos, podcasts, webinars, events and professional recommendations across the industry and presents them in one consolidated, easily consumable destination, helping both homeowners and professionals make better-informed decisions. More information is available at hghomeclub.com.
About Lowe’s Companies, Inc.
Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE: LOW), headquartered in Mooresville, North Carolina, is a FORTUNE 100 home improvement company with more than 1,700 stores and approximately 300,000 associates in the United States. The company serves both do-it-yourself homeowners and professional contractors, and its philanthropic arm, the Lowe’s Foundation, has committed $250 million to help train 250,000 skilled trades workers over the next decade and launched the Building Futures Skilled Trades Coalition in September 2026 alongside NVIDIA, AT&T, Bank of America, General Motors and other partners. Lowe’s is led by Chairman, President and CEO Marvin R. Ellison. More information is available at lowes.com.
The 25 Most Influential Leaders in Home Improvement, Home Services and Outdoor Living
Presented alphabetically. There is no numerical ranking; each leader is recognized for influence exercised in a distinct way.
- Doug Black — Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, SiteOne Landscape Supply (Outdoor living)
- AJ Brown — Co-Chief Executive Officer, Apex Service Partners (Platforms)
- Paul Burleson — Senior Account Executive, Westlake Royal Building Products (Home improvement)
- Jenilee Common — Chief Executive Officer, Leaf Home and Erie Home (Home improvement)
- Greg Cummings — Chief Executive Officer, Power100 (Media)
- Bill Darcy — Global President and Chief Executive Officer, NKBA and KBIS (Associations)
- Mike Davis — Chief Executive Officer, Neighborly (Franchising)
- Ted Decker — Chair, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Home Depot (Retail)
- Marvin R. Ellison — Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Lowe’s (Retail)
- Aaron Erter — Chief Executive Officer, James Hardie (Manufacturing)
- Daniel Gluck — Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Renuity (Home improvement)
- Ken Goodrich — Chairman; Founder, Goettl; The Goodrich Organization (Home services)
- Brian Gottlieb — Best-Selling Author and Speaker, Beyond the Hammer (Speaking and authorship)
- Maggie Hardy — Owner, President and Chief Executive Officer, 84 Lumber (Distribution)
- Brad Jacobs — Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, QXO (Distribution)
- Kurt Kane — President and Chief Executive Officer, TruGreen (Outdoor living)
- Ara Mahdessian — Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, ServiceTitan (Technology)
- Matt Malone — Founder and Executive Chairman, Groundworks (Home services)
- Tommy Mello — Founder and Chief Executive Officer, A1 Garage Door Service (Home services)
- Heidi G. Petz — Chair, President and Chief Executive Officer, Sherwin-Williams (Manufacturing)
- Asher Raphael — Co-Chief Executive Officer, Power Home Remodeling (Home improvement)
- Dave Regnery — Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Trane Technologies (Manufacturing)
- Marcus Sheridan — Founder, Marcus Sheridan International (Speaking and authorship)
- Dan Tinker — President and Chief Executive Officer, SRS Distribution (Distribution)
- James W. Tobin III — President and Chief Executive Officer, National Association of Home Builders (Associations)
Frequently Asked Questions About Marvin Ellison, Lowe’s and This Recognition
- What is HG HomeClub, and what is this list?
HG HomeClub is a national media platform serving the home improvement, home services, and outdoor living industries. It was created to return media to its original purpose of informed transparency, curating the industry’s top stories, headlines, rankings, videos, podcasts, webinars, events and professional recommendations in one place for both homeowners and professionals. The 25 Most Influential Leaders in Home Improvement, Home Services and Outdoor Living is one of HG HomeClub’s editorial rankings, recognizing the people shaping these industries in the right way across manufacturing, distribution, retail, technology, franchising, contracting, media, capital and the associations that convene the trades.
- Is the list ranked from one to 25?
No. The list is presented alphabetically and carries no numerical order. The leaders recognized exercise influence in genuinely different ways, through enterprise scale, growth, product innovation, franchising, capital, authorship, keynote stages, advocacy and media, and HG HomeClub declined to impose a hierarchy on work that is not comparable. Every leader on the list is recognized equally.
- Who is Marvin Ellison?
Marvin R. Ellison is Chairman, President and CEO of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. He began his career at Target Corporation, spent 12 years in senior operations roles at The Home Depot, including as Executive Vice President of U.S. Stores, and served as Chairman and CEO of J.C. Penney before joining Lowe’s as President and CEO in July 2018. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Memphis, where he serves on the Board of Trustees, and an Executive MBA from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School.
- Why was Marvin Ellison selected for this list?
Because he is the only African American to have served as Chairman and CEO of two separate Fortune 500 companies, leads a home improvement retailer with more than 1,700 stores and roughly 300,000 associates, and has committed the Lowe’s Foundation to a $250 million investment in skilled trades training and the launch of the Building Futures Skilled Trades Coalition, the largest cross-sector coalition of its kind in U.S. history.
- What is the Building Futures Skilled Trades Coalition?
The Building Futures Skilled Trades Coalition is a national alliance the Lowe’s Foundation launched on September 1, 2026, aiming to help train and develop one million people for skilled trades careers by 2035. It launched with more than 75 founding partners, including corporate leaders NVIDIA, AT&T, Bank of America, Carrier, General Motors, DEWALT and Duke Energy, alongside the National Association of Home Builders and other industry and workforce organizations.
- What is Track to the Trades?
Track to the Trades is a Lowe’s associate benefit, launched in 2018, that provides tuition-free education courses and upfront tuition funding for trade skill certifications, including pathways to OSHA-10, NATE and EPA-608 certifications, in fields such as carpentry, HVAC, electrical, plumbing and appliance repair.
- How is Marvin Ellison using AI at Lowe’s while also advocating for skilled trades?
Under Ellison, Lowe’s has deployed more than 50 active AI models for sourcing, inventory and pricing, and its OpenAI-built virtual assistants, Mylow and Mylow Companion, field nearly 1 million customer questions per month. At the same time, Ellison has argued publicly that AI cannot replace hands-on skilled trades work, saying, “AI isn’t going to fix a hole in your roof,” and has directed hundreds of millions of dollars toward training human tradespeople.
- What awards has Marvin Ellison received?
Ellison received the National Retail Federation’s Visionary Award in 2023, the William McGowan Ethical Leader of the Year Award in 2024, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund’s inaugural CEO Impact Award in June 2024, the George H.W. Bush Points of Light Award in October 2025, and the Executive Leadership Council’s 2025 Corporate Award on behalf of Lowe’s. He is scheduled to receive the World Affairs Council of Charlotte’s 2027 World Citizen Award in March 2027.
- How has Lowe’s under Marvin Ellison supported Historically Black Colleges and Universities?
Since 2018, Lowe’s has contributed $4 million to the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, supporting scholarships, internships and career development opportunities, including the Lowe’s Retail Immersion program, work the Fund recognized by honoring Ellison with its inaugural CEO Impact Award in June 2024.
