Home Depot Co-Founder Bernie Marcus Built Fortune from Near-Bankruptcy

Bernie Marcus, the billionaire entrepreneur behind Home Depot, had a different dream before becoming one of America's most recognizable business leaders. He wanted to become a doctor.

Marcus' family couldn't afford medical school, so he enrolled in pharmacy school at Rutgers University instead. After graduating, he moved into the business world, taking on leadership roles at manufacturing companies before joining the home improvement industry.

In 1978, Marcus was fired from his job at Handy Dan, a home improvement retailer that no longer exists. However, he used this setback as an opportunity to start again and eventually co-founded Home Depot with Arthur Blank.

Today, The Marcus Foundation, founded by Marcus and his wife Billi in 1989, has awarded over $2.7 billion through more than 3,500 grants, supporting areas ranging from medical research and children's welfare to veterans, Jewish causes and free enterprise.