{{Short description|American businessman}} {{multiple issues|{{notability|Bio|date=July 2019}} {{BLP sources|date=November 2019}}}} {{Infobox person | name = Richard Dee Merillat | image = | alt = | caption = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1946|06|20}} | birth_place = Adrian, Michigan, United States | death_date = | death_place = | occupation = Entrepreneur, philanthropist | years_active = | known_for = President and CEO of Merillat Industries | notable_works = | spouse = Lynette S. Merillat | children = 3 (Wendy, Collette, and Tricia.) | father = Orville D. Merillat }}
'''Richard Merillat''' is an American entrepreneur, philanthropist and the retired President/CEO of Merillat Industries.
== Early life == Born in Adrian, Michigan, his parents were Ruth and Orville D. Merillat, founder of Merillat Industries, Inc., which was acquired by the Masco Corporation in 1985.
== Career == He worked in the family business from when he was 13 until retirement, eventually becoming vice president of manufacturing and president of Merillat Industries, and continuing as chairman of the board.<ref name=HC>[http://www.huntington.edu/news/0102/2002commencement.htm Hutington College Commencement]</ref>
== Other positions == He was a long-time Mackinac Center for Public Policy supporter and is the president of Christian Family Foundation in Naples, Florida. He has also been associated with the Lenawee Christian School, the Christian Family Centre, Huntington University, Bill Glass Prison Ministries, and the American Bible Society.<ref name=HC />
== Philanthropy == Richard Merillat and his wife Lynette are well-known philanthropists in both Florida and Michigan. They are both involved in society. They maintain homes in both states which were designed by the late Robert Denning of Denning & Fourcade of New York City and Paris. They have three daughters: Wendy, Collette and Tricia. The Merillat Quarter Horse Farm was widely renowned with AQHA World Champions at Stud. It was donated to Michigan State University in 1996, the largest gift-in-kind received by the university and by the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at Michigan State University. This included {{convert|80|acre|m2}}, two premier stallions, 43 quarterhorses, two houses (each {{convert|1500|sqft|m2}} in size), a 72-by-200 horse barn, a 72-by-100 breeding barn, an 80-by-200 arena, and storage building.<ref>[http://www.slate.com/id/2058438/ Slate]</ref>
The Merillats created the Merillat Scholars Program at Huntington University in Huntington, Indiana, a program providing financial assistance to students there who are members of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, student leaders of Youth for Christ, or children of Huntington alumni. He is also on the Board of Trustees of Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida. The college awarded him an honorary Doctor of Commercial Science degree. in 2002.<ref name=HC />
==References== {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Merillat, Richard}} Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people Category:American businesspeople in manufacturing Category:American philanthropists Category:American socialites Category:Businesspeople from Florida Category:People from Adrian, Michigan Category:Eckerd College trustees