MHI Presents Awards

At its recent Annual Conference in Tucson, Arizona, MHI celebrated five exceptional professionals who have shaped the supply chain. The honorees were recognized during a special awards night.

MHI’s Young Professional Network (YPN), a community devoted to developing and retaining the future leaders of the material handling industry, awarded Katie Hall the Outstanding Young Professional Award. Katie is Marketing Specialist for Fives Intralogistics. The YPN Young Mentor Award was presented to Mike Drolet, who is the Global Director of Industry Development for Murrelektronik.

The Marketing Professionals (Mpro) community issued its Outstanding Marketer award to Joe Pelej, the Director of Marketing for Matthews Automation. Mpro is a dynamic community within MHI dedicated to empowering marketing professionals in the supply chain.

Three awards were presented by the Material Handling Education Foundation, Inc. (MHEFI), an independent charitable organization that provides financial support to engage and retain talent in the material handling, logistics, and supply chain industry.

MHI provides educational, business development, networking and solution sourcing opportunities.

Sal Fateen, CEO of Seizmic, Inc., received the 2024 Norman L. Cahners Industry Award, while Gregg Goodner, board member of Hytrol, was honored with the 2025 award. This lifetime achievement honor recognizes individuals who have made extraordinary, long-term contributions to the material handling industry.

MHEFI also presented the MHEFI Exception Contribution Award to Jim Vandegrift, the retiring president of R&M Materials Handling. This award recognizes professionals who have made a significant impact on the material handling industry.

• The 2025 MHI Annual Conference featured keynotes, educational sessions, MHI Industry Group meetings, and networking events.