IFDA Honors Richard Bennington

November 14, 2010  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Special Events on November 15, 2010

The Carolinas Chapter of the International Furnishings & Design Assn. saluted long-time member Dr. Richard Bennington with a tribute dinner last Tuesday evening.

The event was held in the Wilson Ballroom of the recently constructed Plato S. Wilson Hall on the campus of High Point University.

Bennington, the Paul Broyhill Professor of Home Furnishings Marketing at High Point University, was honored by a host of speakers from the university, the home furnishings industry and IFDA. They included Eric Gatton of La-Z-Boy; Scott Miles of Havertys; Joseph Carroll of McNeill Communications Group; Dr. Dennis Carroll, Dr. Elizabeth Dull, Dr. Richard Hargrove, and Dr. Jim Wehrley, all of High Point University; and Dawn Brinson and Susan Connor from the Carolinas Chapter IFDA.

Many former students who have gone on to successful furniture careers attended the dinner to pay homage to the professor whose mentoring, they said, proved invaluable as they transitioned from college to the working world.  More than a dozen current students also came out to honor Bennington, who founded the home furnishings programs at High Point University in the early 1980s.

The Carolinas Chapter IFDA conceived the tribute dinner as a way to recognize Dr. Bennington for years of dedicated service and support to that organization and to the furnishings and design communities.

"Dr. Bennington has helped the IFDA in countless ways," said Susan Connor, Carolinas Chapter president. "He is too modest to wave his own flag, so we thought we would do it for him."

Bennington has served as president, benefit sale chair, and as a member of the Chapter's executive board. The Chapter has raised more than $200,000 in scholarship money through the benefit sales.

Additionally, Bennington is author of the textbook, "Furniture Marketing, From Product Development to Distribution," and a research study, "Current Merchandising Practices by Furniture Manufacturers." He has been a speaker and panel member for the Furniture Market in Madrid, Spain and a Judge for the International Furniture Design Competition in the Peoples Republic of China.