Bendabout general manager to speak at ABAC fall commencement

TIFTON – Matt Bentley, general manager at Bendabout Properties in McDonald, Tenn., will be the speaker at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s fall commencement ceremony at 10 a.m. Dec. 8 at Gressette Gym.

A total of 188 graduates are expected to receive their diplomas at the ceremony.

ABAC President David Bridges and ABAC Alumni Association President Chuck Scarborough will present the George P. Donaldson Award and the ABAC Alumni Association Award to the top associate degree graduate and the top bachelor’s degree graduate participating in the ceremony.

Bentley, a 1988 ABAC graduate, has served as the general manager at Bendabout Properties since 1994. He said Bendabout Properties is located on 4,600 acres of privately owned property that is utilized to improve and promote outdoor recreational opportunities, including hunting, fishing, birding, biking, equestrian activities and other social events.

“I wear many hats for the property that I manage and the family I represent,” Bentley said. “Our tract is located in the middle of a region that is constantly threatened by urban sprawl. As a natural resources manager and a citizen of a thriving community, I believe our biggest challenges are the compromises between progress and natural resource conservation.”

Bentley also oversees the Varnell Nursery and operations at Middle Tennessee Realty, which includes 35 rental houses and apartments. He is the community representative for the South Cleveland LIC and Industrial Park.

Bentley was employed by the Tall Timbers Research Station in Tallahassee, Fla., a nonprofit land research organization. He began his career as a natural resources management intern in 1988 and had several promotions, becoming resource manager in 1993 before leaving for Bendabout in 1994.

Bentley also managed 7,000 acres in the Tallahassee Red Hills, where he consulted with private land owners; local, state, and federal agencies, and educational institutions.

“Tall Timbers was a wonderful opportunity for me to gain valuable experience and meet many people who share my love for conservation,” Bentley said.