Scheller Goes Inside The Home Depot's OrangeWorks

The Home Depot's OrangeWorks Innovation Lab supports the company by driving innovation and developing talent through emerging technology, crafting prototypes, conducting research, and disseminating insights. It is a collaborative maker space where student interns at Georgia Tech collaborate with OrangeWorks staff to produce business solutions that improve the customer and associate experience.

In addition, their in-house engineering team consistently engages in cutting-edge research within emerging technologies, and they facilitate learning and development via innovative workshops, fostering intentional innovation practices within teams.

What

The OrangeWorks Innovation Lab was established by The Home Depot (THD) to engage with the Tech Square innovation ecosystem and develop innovative solutions to solve business problems for the company.

When

The OrangeWorks Innovation Lab opened in 2015.

Where

The OrangeWorks Innovation Lab is located in the Centergy Building at 75 5th Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30308.

How

The Lab fosters innovation through intern projects on emerging technology. Staff conduct research and workshops that empower associates to bring innovative practices into their work.

The Scheller x The Home Depot Connection

Size of Lab

6,500 square foot facility

Tech Square Presence

The Home Depot is one of the major companies to create a university-based research center at Tech Square.

Alumni

81 Scheller College of Business alumni and 1,000 Georgia Tech alumni work for The Home Depot.

The OrangeWorks lab is an open-concept space designed for team collaboration and innovation.

When entering the lab, The Home Depot brand is immediately recognizable with its striking orange color found in the furniture, carpet, walls, and kitchen area. Several long worktables are centrally located and perfect for student interns and staff sitting with laptops. Along a wall of windows, there is a small kitchen area to the right as one enters the door, and further down are intimate spaces with couches and chairs that provide a comfy place for group huddles or relaxation.

At the far end of the lab is a smaller, more secluded space with two high-top desks, one in front of a large wall monitor, which provides a place for presentations. On the left wall is the maker space where large monitors hang over familiar orange store shelving. An array of equipment for robotics, virtual reality, 3-D printing, Lidar scanning, eye-tracking, and other technologies are readily available should projects require such hardware and space to conduct experimentation and develop solutions.

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The workspace at OrangeWorks.

Another view of the workspace.

The kitchen at OrangeWorks.

The lounge.

The collaboration space.

A glimpse into an office.

The OrangeWorks robot greets visitors.

The People of Scheller x The OrangeWorks Innovation Lab

Amy Hayes

MBA '23
Project Manager, OrangeWorks Innovation Lab

"During my MBA, I was preparing to pivot from my career in higher education into a corporate role. The Home Depot was high on my list of target companies. I wanted to continue to build a career in Atlanta and to be part of an organization that valued some of the same things I do, like community impact, living a balanced life, and technology innovation. With the help of my Scheller career coach, I secured a position with OrangeWorks. In my role, I am challenged by the fast-paced emerging technology landscape while being deeply fulfilled by working with interns and helping associates and customers through the various services we offer through our innovation lab. Scheller equipped me to manage ambiguity, develop strategy, and lead with a solution-oriented mindset."

Chris Evans

MBA '23
Director, Business Operations, The Home Depot

“From day one, The Home Depot's core values took me from a concentration in Finance at the Scheller College of Business to working in the aisles of our stores and back to strategy within our Store Support Center. I knew I wanted to grow with this company, and I thought Georgia Tech's emphasis on advancing technology and the human condition could help me do that. Attending Scheller for my MBA exposed me to problems other Fortune 50 companies face. It expanded my thought horizons by learning with diverse business leaders who served as my peers in the program. I entered The Home Depot program in 2020 as a manager and finished in 2023 as a director of Process Innovation, and I know it largely due to what I learned from my professors and peers at Scheller.”

Kara Christopher

BSBA '21
SR HR Services Business Analyst, The Home Depot

“Growing up in Atlanta, I had a close connection to The Home Depot and Georgia Tech as they both have a strong presence in the Atlanta community. When I started looking for internships, I knew several Scheller Business alumni and current students that worked at The Home Depot and raved about the company culture. Scheller gave me the connections and tools needed to be successful in the internship program and ultimately helped land me a full-time position after graduation. Thanks to the wonderful relationship that The Home Depot has with Georgia Tech, I now have the privilege of staying closely connected to the Scheller community as an alumnus. I mentor Scheller-affiliated Home Depot interns, volunteer at the Georgia Tech career fair, and talk on panels to Scheller students about my experience working at Home Depot.”