Some professionals acquired their begin working in retail—however not practically as lots of those self same staff made all of it the best way to the highest of a Fortune 500 firm. However Marvin Ellison did.
Ellison acquired his begin making simply $4.35 per hour working part-time at Goal whereas he was in faculty on the College of Memphis. Now he’s president, CEO, and chairman of Lowe’s, a $161 billion home-improvement large and one among solely 10 Black Fortune 500 CEOs. That’s simply 2% of all the group.
Reflecting on the actual fact he’s just one of some Black CEOs on the Fortune 500, Ellison stated he has combined feelings.
“On one hand, I feel incredibly privileged and blessed to be in this role because it gives me a chance to hopefully be a positive role model and create a pathway for other people who look like me,” Ellison stated in a November 2022 interview with Daymond John, a Black entrepreneur most well-known for his hip-hop attire firm FUBU and serving as an angel investor on Shark Tank.
“I’m really disappointed that … we still have such a significant gap in the capability that exists out there and the opportunities of individuals that look like me to be in a role like this,” stated Ellison, who leads a Fortune 50 firm with greater than 1,700 shops and 300,000 associates within the U.S., in line with Lowe’s.
Marvin Ellison’s technique for defying the chances
Ellison acquired his begin as a part-time worker, however he was “fortunate to land in a company that believed in developing people.” So he “grinded it out for 15 years,” finally reaching a director-level place at Goal earlier than transferring into the home-improvement business.
However what earned Ellison high management roles at each retail and home-improvement corporations was his drive to distinguish himself from different candidates. He did this by taking over jobs and assignments that “nobody else wanted,” he stated.
“I didn’t have great pedigree, I didn’t have an Ivy League education. I didn’t have any stellar international opportunities or stints on my résumé,” Ellison stated. “I’m competing against all of these exceptionally talented people on paper; I had to find a way to differentiate myself.”
That technique drove Ellison up the ranks of Goal and on to House Depot, the place he spent 12 years in senior-level operations roles. He additionally served as govt vice chairman of U.S. shops for the corporate from 2008 to 2014, “dramatically improving customer service and efficiency across the organization,” in line with Lowe’s. The retail chain snagged Ellison after his middleman stint as chairman and CEO of J.C. Penney. Ellison additionally earned his MBA from Emory College and serves on the board of administrators for FedEx.
Lowe’s ranks No. 52 on the Fortune 500 and seems on Fortune’s lists of America’s Most Progressive Firms and the World’s Most Admired Firms. It shouldn’t come as a shock, then, Lowe’s is rubbing elbows with Nvidia to develop AI applied sciences to be used in its retail shops. Lowe’s now has greater than 50 energetic AI fashions used for sourcing logic, stock planning, and pricing—in addition to usually “creating an environment that’s easier to sell, shop, and work.”
“We’re preparing to be at our best when the cycle turns up, and we know that’s going to happen,” Ellison stated in a Could 2024 CNBC interview. “When it happens, we’re going to take meaningful market share based on the work and investments we’ve put into the business.”
How Ellison is paving a path for different Black executives
Ellison’s method to variety, fairness, and inclusion initiatives look totally different from different CEOs. Whereas many executives threw cash on the problem or made performative hires within the aftermath of George Floyd’s homicide in 2020, Ellison is getting extra hands-on.
“Talk less and do more,” Ellison stated. “I just wanted to fix it. We didn’t go out and make some big public announcement. I didn’t do a series of interviews. I didn’t put any white papers out. I just said, ‘We’re gonna fix this by making it a priority.’”
Lowe’s now has a provider variety program that helps underrepresented companies develop and create extra jobs, and the corporate can be a member of a number of regional provider variety councils. However Ellison’s firm itself can be prioritizing extra various hires {and professional} growth.
They “may not be the conventional candidate based on the background you look at,” however Lowe’s has recognized core management behaviors that staff practice individuals on, Ellison stated. “Now we’re creating this pipeline of talent throughout the organization, not based on what your résumé looks like, but based on your results and your leadership characteristics and what you do every day. That’s a transitional change for us.”
A model of this story appeared on Fortune.com on November 27, 2025.
Extra on Black CEOs:
- The highest Black CEO within the Fortune 500 is steering $83 billion in income
- The Fortune 500 misplaced two ladies of shade CEOs in a single week
- Meet the ten Black Fortune 500 CEOs main corporations with over $412 billion in mixed revenues
This story was initially featured on Fortune.com
