Trade shows are designed to be venues for companies to show off their wares to potential buyers. But they also can offer great educational opportunities for students. That's why the Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA) and its Material Handling Education Foundation Inc. (MHEFI) recently established the Allan Howie Fund.

The fund will provide grants to students from educational institutions supported by MHIA's Technical Career Education Program. The grants will pay travel expenses for selected students and teachers to attend MHIA's ProMat and Modex trade events. To get the fundraising ball rolling, MHIA has contributed $6,700 raised from admission fees from the group's Industry Night at Modex 2012 in Atlanta. Over 1,400 industry professionals attended the networking event.

MHEFI established the fund to honor Allan Howie, who recently retired as MHIA's director of continuing education and professional development. During his 30-year career, Howie has worked with public schools, community colleges, government agencies, and charitable institutions to educate individuals seeking to enter the warehousing, distribution, supply chain, and logistics industry at the entry level. Ray Niemeyer has been appointed to succeed Howie at MHIA.