of $32 million. Lowe's began trading on the New York Stock Exchange in 1979. By 1970s, Lowe's revenue reached more than $150 million and, in 1980, to nearly $900 million.

Under the leadership of Robert L. Tillman, who was CEO from 1996 to 2005, Lowe's expanded beyond its traditional Southern base into the Northeast, Midwest, and West, and completed the acquisition of Eagle Hardware & Garden to accelerate growth in the western United States.