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Ken Langone's success story sounds very much like a Horatio Alger novel. Although Langone was never as impoverished in life as Alger's characters, in no way did he grow up a man of privilege and means.

Ken Langone was born in Roslyn Heights, New York (about 20 miles outside of Manhattan). His parents were a plumber and cafeteria worker, hardly matching the image of wealth and power their son was destined to cultivate. Nor was Ken Langone a superstar in school. His principal told the Langones that sending Ken to college would be "wasting their money."

The Langones nonetheless enrolled their son in Bucknell University (Pennsylvania), where Ken earned degrees in economics and political science. Ken Langone supported himself in several ways during those years including ditch digger, butcher's helper, and caddy. On top of majoring in two degrees and working, Ken Langone graduated in a remarkable three-and-a-half years.

After Bucknell, Ken Langone attended the prestigious New York University Graduate School of Business. He continued to work full-time during days at Equitable Life Assurance Company, attending evening classes four nights a week. With another two years' hard work Ken Langone left school fully prepared to enter the competitive world of high business.

Taking a position with Wall Street firm R.W. Pressprich & Co., Ken Langone drew upon his strong sense of integrity, high principles, and ethics for both business and personal decisions. Working his way up the corporate ladder, Ken Langone eventually took Ross Perot's Electronic Data Systems through an IPO, earning a significant profit and establishing a solid reputation for himself in the nation's financial industry.

In 1978 Ken Langone, with a group of fellow investors, purchased shares in the Handy Dan home improvement chain. Ken Langone personally inspected every single Handy Dan store, reaching the conclusion that the home improvement industry could itself be improved. Langone and his group sold the Handy Dan shares back to the company and Handy Dan subsequently fired their CEO, Bernard Marcus.

Marcus' departure from Handy Dan proved to be fortuitous for both him and Ken Langone. They joined together and founded the national home improvement chain Home Depot. Since its foundign Home Depot has maintained successful growth. Home Depot currently employs over 300,000 people, consistently ranks in the top twenty of Forbes' 500 list of top companies, and reports more than $70 billion in sales.

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