Atlanta has become one of the fastest-growing startup scenes in the country. According to a report by the CBRE Group, the city has one of the most competitive tech markets in the country and is ranked in the Top 10 Tech cities list. Founders from around the country are bringing their ideas to the burgeoning technology scene for a chance to be the next Jeff Bezos or Steve Jobs. The city is also home to the $100 billion home improvement retailer, The Home Depot. The brand and its internal technology team are blazing a trail into the technology field one hire at a time.
In 2018, the company kicked off a three-year strategic plan with an $11.1 billion investment in the company. The plan includes seamlessly connecting the customer experience in-store and online, creating an industry-best supply chain, and speeding up the checkout process for customers. An internal and external upgrade in technology was needed for the company to meet these goals. As part of the initiative, the company hired 1,000 employees well-versed in the fields of software and system engineering, UX design, and product management.
Once hired, the company supports associates with a number of technology training programs. Innovation labs, hackathons, and in-house trainings have attracted some of Atlanta’s most skilled technologists to The Home Depot, deepening its commitment to tech. Atlanta saw a spike in tech opportunities from 2012 to 2017, according to CBRE, and the city’s tech jobs increased by nearly 35 percent in those five years.
The Home Depot’s in-house training program, named OrangeMethod, gives associates throughout the company a chance to discover and develop new skills in technology. The featured program, a 16-week immersive bootcamp, helps employees gain software engineering and user experience skills. OrangeMethod also trains associates with on-going learning online and onboards all technology associates new to The Home Depot.
Another development program at The Home Depot is OrangeWorks. An innovation lab, OrangeWorks gives engineers and developers from various Atlanta-area universities a chance to shine by identifying how emerging technologies can be applied to the business.
Additionally, developers and coders can test their skills throughout the year at some of The Home Depot-sponsored hackathons. These competitions, which vary in size, give technologists an opportunity to tackle some of the retailer’s biggest challenges. This year, the company has hosted some of these tech battles in Atlanta and Austin in partnership with local universities.
The Home Depot boasts more than 3,000 tech employees across hubs in Atlanta, Austin and Dallas, Tx. with additional offices in California, Washington, Florida, Detroit, New Jersey, and Texas. As the company focuses on the future of retail, it is bolstering its employee base in its tech hubs across the United States.
The drive to be an industry leader in innovation for the world’s largest home improvement retailer is never ending. The Home Depot is always looking for software engineers, data scientists, cybersecurity experts and other technologists to join its team of more than 400,000 associates in its fast-paced environments.
Visit The Home Depot’s career opportunities website to find more information and learn more about the values and culture of the company too.
This piece is brought to you in partnership with The Home Depot.
