Graham Bennett named new Piedmont Triad Airport Authority chair
The Piedmont Triad Airport Authority board sees a changing of the guard during a period of significant economic growth and development for the airport.
Story Highlights Graham Bennett replaces Paul Mengert as Piedmont Triad Airport Authority chairman.
PTI's economic impact reaches $9.3 billion, nearly 10% of Triad's economy.
Mengert oversaw major aerospace developments during his chairmanship since 2020.
The multi-jurisdiction board that oversees Piedmont Triad International Airport is getting new leadership, with Paul Mengert of Greensboro stepping down as chairman and Graham Bennett of Forsyth County becoming board chairman of the Piedmont Triad Airport Authority.
It's the second significant appointment this month for Bennett, the former president of Winston-Salem energy and hospitality company Quality Oil.
Bennett was appointed earlier this month by Gov. Josh Stein to represent the region on the North Carolina Board of Transportation. He is also a member of the board of the Piedmont Triad Partnership, a regional economic development organization. Bennett joined the PTAA board in 2017.
Mengert is ending his role as chairman voluntarily but staying on the board through the end of his term on April 20, 2027. Appointed by the city of Greensboro and chairman since early 2020, Mengert is CEO of Association Management Group.
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Paul Mengert, chairman of the board of the Triad Piedmont Airport Authority.
Lloyd Whittington
During his tenure as chairman, PTI has greatly expanded its role in aerospace and aviation economic development. In early 2022 it landed Boom Supersonic as the manufacturing site for its next-generation faster-than-sound commercial jetliner, with an expected 2,400 jobs and likely more. It also is the site picked by Britain's Marshall Aerospace for its North American base to service U.S. military aircraft, an expected $50 million investment.
In all some 9,000 people work on the PTI campus. A 2023 report by the North Carolina Department of Transportation put PTI's annual economic impact directly and through induced effects at $9.3 billion, nearly 10% of the Triad's economy.
Mengert is also credited with initiating a renovation of PTI's 40-year-old terminal. PTI has won acclaim as a very user-friendly airport and has experienced a steady recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic that devastated commercial aviation. He's also championed the annual Run on the Runway event, which has raised more than $1 million for local hunger relief.
Board members are appointed by Guilford County Board of Commissioners (three members), Forsyth County Board of Commissioners (one member), Greensboro City Council (one member), High Point City Council (one member), and the Winston Salem City Council (one member).
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