Scholarship fund seeks "investors" in industry-specific education

Howard Bernstein wants your money. Not for himself, mind you; the founder and former chairman of Atlas Companies, a group of material handling equipment distributors, is seeking people or companies willing to invest in higher education for students of material handling, industrial engineering, logistics, and supply chain management. He's set a good example for potential donors to follow: In 2012, he put up $125,000 to establish the Howard Bernstein Material Handling Industrial Distribution Scholarship Fund.

The fund provides $5,000 scholarships to juniors and seniors at prequalified schools who have committed to studying and working in one of those fields. Bernstein is currently challenging companies to give anywhere from $500 to $5,000 before year's end (although donations are welcome at any time). In return for their contribution—or really, as Bernstein points out, their investment in the future of the industry—donors gain direct access to university programs, faculty, and students, including opportunities to meet with potential future employees. Donors will also be invited to meet with over 200 students at a reception on Classroom Day at ProMat 2015 and to lead a group of students on a tour of the show.

The nonprofit Material Handling Education Foundation Inc. (MHEFI) manages the fund in partnership with the material handling industry associations MHI and MHEDA. Want to help? Send your contribution, marked for the Howard Bernstein Scholarship Fund, to Donna Varner at MHEFI, 8720 Red Oak Blvd., Suite 201, Charlotte, NC 28217. Contact her at dvarner@mhi.org or (704) 714-8731 with any questions.

And if you know a deserving student who is majoring in an appropriate field, encourage him or her to apply for a scholarship. The online application is available at www.mhefi.net.