Mart Green & Tyler Green
Mart Green, Chairman of the Board, Hobby Lobby, Inc, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
There are few better examples in the world of a Christian entrepreneurial family having a world-impacting influence through their business and in their respective communities than the Green Family of Oklahoma City, OK, USA.
With $600 in 1970 the Green Family started Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. (www.hobbylobby.com) in their living room. David Green turned Hobby Lobby into one of the biggest Christian companies in the U.S. with 555 locations across the country (all of which are closed on Sundays) and generating approximately $3.5 billion in revenue. Forbes ranks the Green family among US billionaires and has reported on the family’s staggering generousity. The Green Family has donated more than $500 million, primarily to various evangelical Christian causes and educational institutions. The Green Family has committed to giving away 50% of the profits generated from its business. The Green Family has put nearly 1.4 billion copies of gospel literature in homes in more than 100 countries, mostly in Africa and Asia.
David’s son, Mart, is Chairman of the Board. Mart grew up in the family business. In addition to his lifelong involvement in Hobby Lobby Stores, Mart has had additional entrepreneurial experiences. At 19, Mart established Mardel, a chain of Christian and educational supply stores. Headquartered in Oklahoma City, Mardel has 35 stores in seven states. In January 2005, Christian Retailing named Mart Green one of the Top Fifty People who have most impacted and shaped Christian retailing in the last half century. In 2008, he was also awarded the Jim Carlson Christian Bookstore of the Year Award by the Christian Book Association (CBA) for setting standards of excellence in the industry.
In June 2002, visionary Green founded and was Producer/CEO for Every Tribe Entertainment, a feature film production company. Their movie End of the Spear was released to theaters in January 2006. Millions in the U.S. viewed End of the Spear with great impact, and is now being shown in many countries around the world.
In January 2008, Mart became Board Chair of the Board of Trustees at Oral Roberts University (ORU). ORU was one of five institutions to be selected for the 2007 Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) Award for Institutional Progress in Student Learning Outcomes. CHEA is an association of 3000 degree granting colleges and universities.
In 2010, Mart started a journey to build a Digital Bible Library through an alliance called Every Tribe Every Nation. Its goal is to centralize, digitize, standardize and finalize the Bible texts of the world. This will make it easier for audio, video, mobile and print-on-demand ministries to get the Bible texts that they need. It is Mart’s belief that all 6,000+ languages can have a New Testament finalized and digitized in his lifetime.
A native Oklahoman and proud father to 4 adult children and 2 grandchildren, Mart resides in Oklahoma City, Okla. with his wife, Diana, and has enjoyed over 30 years of marriage.
Mart will deliver the evening keynote at the Entrepreneurial Leaders Conference, Toronto, on Thursday, October 23rd titled, “The Family Enterprise: How to Live, Work & Give Together.” He will talk about the development of Hobby Lobby and how the business has allowed his family to have a great impact. His presentation will surely be an inspiration to other Christian entrepreneurs and family business owners.
Tyler Green, Hobby Lobby
Follower of Jesus. Husband. Father.
Tyler attended Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU), where he received a degree in Business and International Community Development. It was at IWU where Tyler discovered his heart for living life in a community, and with great delight met Kristin, his wife.
Since returning to Oklahoma City in 2009, Tyler has worked alongside his family at Hobby Lobby. His current role as the Ministries Coordinator empowers him to connect with a number of Kingdom partnerships that the family/company resources. He also works to pass on the value of generosity within the culture of the company and family.
Tyler and Kristin are members of a missional community, currently living in a physically and spiritually broken neighborhood in downtown Oklahoma City. It is in the context of this neighborhood where his family lives and learns what it means to be the Body of Christ and desires to become more loving neighbors.
Tyler and Kristin have three kiddos: Asher (4), Isla (2), and another baby girl coming in July.
ABOUT HOBBY LOBBY (from www.hobbylobby.com): Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., located in Oklahoma City, OK, started as an extension of Greco Products, a miniature picture frames company founded in a garage by David Green in 1970. Hobby Lobby officially began operation on August 3, 1972 with a mere 300 square feet of retail space, and has been growing ever since. Today, Hobby Lobby is considered a leader in the arts and crafts industry. We have 565 stores across the nation that average 55,000 square feet and offer more than 67,000 crafting and home decor products. Hobby Lobby is listed as a major private corporation in Forbes and Fortunes list of America's largest private companies, and our company carries no long-term debt. At Hobby Lobby, we value our customers and employees and are committed to:
- Honoring the Lord in all we do by operating the company in a manner consistent with biblical principles.
- Offering our customers exceptional selection and value in the crafts and home decor market.
- Serving our employees and their families by establishing a work environment and company policies that build character, strengthen individuals and nurture families.
- Providing a return on the owner's investment, sharing the Lord's blessings with our employees, and investing in our community.
We believe that it is by God's grace and provision that Hobby Lobby has endured. He has been faithful in the past, and we trust Him for our future. All Hobby Lobby stores are closed on Sunday. Our other affiliated companies headquartered in Oklahoma City include Mardel and Hemispheres.