Ted Decker

Ted Decker is the Chairman, President, and CEO of The Home Depot, the world's largest home improvement retailer and the fifth-largest retailer globally by revenue. Born in 1963, Decker holds an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh's Katz Graduate School of Business. He joined Home Depot in 2000 and rose through the merchandising organization, overseeing the company's massive product assortment across building materials, tools, appliances, and home decor before being named CEO in March 2022. Home Depot under Decker generates over $150 billion in annual revenue across 2,300+ stores in North America, making it the undisputed leader in home improvement retail. The company's competitive moat includes its massive scale (enabling favorable supplier terms), strategic store locations in suburban markets, a robust e-commerce platform, and — critically — its growing professional contractor business, which represents roughly half of total revenue and has higher margins than the consumer DIY segment. Decker's primary strategic initiative is the $18 billion acquisition of SRS Distribution, completed in 2024 — Home Depot's largest acquisition ever. SRS, a leading specialty distributor of roofing, pool supplies, and landscaping materials, adds a network of 760+ branches that serve professional contractors. This deal accelerates Home Depot's pivot toward the $950+ billion professional market, which is fragmented and less penetrated by big-box retail than the consumer segment. The housing market cycle significantly influences Home Depot's business — existing home sales drive renovation spending, and mortgage rate movements affect home improvement demand. Decker leads the company through a challenging period of elevated mortgage rates that have frozen existing home sales, suppressing discretionary renovation spending. However, the aging US housing stock (median home age over 40 years) and the pent-up demand for deferred maintenance create a structural tailwind that will eventually benefit Home Depot as rates normalize.