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David Green

Section	Details

Full Name

David Green

Born	November 13, 1941, Emporia, Kansas

Net Worth

$4.5 billion (as per Forbes)

Famous For

Founder of Hobby Lobby, a leading U.S. arts and crafts retail chain

Early Life

Grew up in poverty; started Greco Products in 1970 with a $600 loan assembling and selling miniature picture frames from his garage.

Hobby Lobby Origins

Opened the first 300 sq. ft. store in 1972; expanded it into a multi-billion-dollar empire offering arts, crafts, and home decor products.

Business Ethos

Based on biblical principles; prioritizes family values, employees’ well-being, and faith.

Notable Decision

Closed all stores on Sundays to honor family time, sacrificing millions in weekend sales.

Philanthropy

– Donates 50% of Hobby Lobby’s pre-tax income to evangelical ministries. – $500M+ in donations by 2012. – Significant contributions include:

– $10.5M to Liberty University – $70M to Oral Roberts University – Disseminated 1.4 billion gospel literature pieces in 100+ countries.

Giving Pledge

Signed the Giving Pledge, promising to donate most of his wealth to charitable causes.

Family

Wife: Barbara Green; Children: Mart, Steve, and Darsee

Family Roles

– Mart Green: CEO of Mardel Christian & Educational Supply; founder of Every Tribe Entertainment. – Steve Green: President of Hobby Lobby.

– Darsee Lett: Creative Director of Hobby Lobby stores.

Hobby Lobby Today

– Over $2 billion in annual sales. – A household name for arts, crafts, and DIY enthusiasts. – Popular for holiday decorations and supplies.

Philosophy

Believes in “people over profits” and views wealth as a tool to help others, reflecting his strong faith, hard work, and purpose-driven mindset.

David Green: The story of a billionaire who built Hobby Lobby from scratch

David Green is a name well-noted in the entrepreneurial world, especially for the U.S. arts and crafts industry. He is the man behind Hobby Lobby, one of the most popular arts and craft chains in the U.S. He has featured in the list of the richest people in the world with a net worth of $4.5 billion, according to Forbes. However, his road to success was not a walk in the park neither was it a ‘gift’; he made it one step at a time from a very poor background.

Early Years: Poverty and a $600 Loan

David was born on 13 November 1941, at Emporia, Kansas, into a rather poor family. Life would teach him to make something of nothing, an attitude that he could draw upon later in his business life. In 1970, he decided he wanted to start some sort of business venture, which meant taking a risk. With only $600 in borrowed money, he launched Greco Products, operating out of his garage. His first products? Miniature picture frames that he assembled and sold himself. By mid-1972, things started to really take off. Business was so strong that he was able to open a small retail store, a paltry 300 square feet in size. That was the humble beginnings of Hobby Lobby.

Fast forward to today, Hobby Lobby is a household name for anyone who loves arts, crafts, and DIY projects. The stores offer a wide range of products picture frames, beads, glitter, fabric, glue, baskets, clay, and more. If you’ve ever needed something to decorate your house, wrap gifts, or create something special for the holidays, chances are Hobby Lobby has it.
The chain attracts huge footfall, especially during holidays as people throng all places to purchase decorations and other festive supplies. Being one of the leading retail chains, David Green dared to shut the all stores on Sundays, which involved a loss of millions of dollars to the company as loss of weekend sales. Why? He feels family time is important-for both him as well as his employees.

Decades of Faith and Resilience

David Green’s life and business have strong faith-based roots. As one born into a family of preachers, Green made his business based on the Biblical principles reflected in family values, recurring to say time and again that faith in God was behind his success.
His faith isn’t only private. It’s public too. Green has donated half of Hobby Lobby’s pretax income to evangelical ministries. By 2012, his donations had reached $500 million. Some specific donations are:

• $10.5 million to Liberty University.
• $70 million to Oral Roberts University.
  Assisted disseminating over 1.4 billion pieces of gospel literature in more than 100 countries, especially in Asia and Africa.
  Green and his wife Barbara have also promised to spend their wealth by signing the Giving Pledge, promising to donate most of their assets in charitable causes.

Family and Leadership

He lives with Barbara in Oklahoma City. They have three children Mart, Steve, and Darsee who’ve all played pivotal roles in the family business.

• Mart Green: He is the CEO of Mardel Christian & Educational Supply and founder of Every Tribe Entertainment.
• Steve Green: He is the president of Hobby Lobby.
• Darsee Lett: She is the Creative Director of the stores.
  Ironically, Mart and Steve got started working with dad early on by gluing picture frames together in the garage when Hobby Lobby was still young. Today, they help take the company to even greater heights.

What puts David Green at an edge is his concentration on people over profits. This does not stop him from success, however, where his business grew from a $600 startup to a multi-billion-dollar empire. Hobby Lobby’s sales are now above $2 billion annually.
According to Green, not everything in life has something to do with earning money; it’s who the money can help. Indeed, his story is a testament to how faith, hard work, and a strong sense of purpose can really turn even the most miniature beginnings into truly wonderful feats.