Marcus and Home Depot co-founder Arthur Blank met while they were both working at a California-based home improvement chain. After a decade of disagreements about that chain's future, Marcus and Blank went out on their own, determined to start a new chain with a family-like environment for employees that would revolutionize the home improvement market. As Home Depot grew, it surpassed competitors like Hechinger's and Lowe's, as well as forced the closing of Marcus and Blank's former employer. By the end of Marcus' tenure, Home Depot stores numbered 624 and sales reached a level of $24.2 billion.