190 Millennium - A Marquis Who’s Who Magazine ENTREPRENEURS Terence D. Nichols is the owner of Bennie Smith Funeral Home, a local chain of funeral homes that has compassionately served families throughout Delaware for more than 40 years. A business and community leader with more than 35 years of expertise in management and corporate leadership, Mr. Nichols has been involved with Bennie Smith Funeral Home since 2009, when he was named chief operating officer of the company. He remained in the role until 2016 and returned to his post from 2020 until 2022, when he purchased five locations from the chain’s founder. Mr. Nichols’ interest in funeral care was borne out of his four decades in ministry and his deep understanding of how to cultivate interpersonal connections and support families and communities in times of need. When approached about the possibility of taking over the company, he recognized it as an opportunity to keep Bennie Smith Funeral Home’s legacy alive and cement the future of his work with a local church and community center. Mr. Nichols’ business acumen was developed over the course of a 35-year career in management for a major poultry producer, where he rose from plant manager to become director of operations. He credits his success to the work ethic instilled by him in his parents, former sharecroppers, and to the support of his many academic, professional, and spiritual mentors who helped him recognize the value of integrity, service to others, and cultivating a commitment to excellence. Mr. Nichols considers his faith to be a key part of his journey and a major motivator, and he emphasizes the need for empathy and passion for the work in order to succeed in the funeral industry. In the coming years, he hopes to begin to transition operations of Bennie Smith Funeral Home to his son to focus more on faith-based and community outreach. TERRENCE D. NICHOLS OWNER Bennie Smith Funeral Home Dover, DE
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