US materials handling professionals recognised with awards

News Story
- 23 Oct 2025 ( #1253 ) - Tuscon, AZ, United States
1 min read
Jim Vandegrift recognised with MHEFI award
Jim Vandegrift recognised with MHEFI award

Five US materials handling professionals have been recognised with awards at the MHI’s annual conference held in Tucson recently.

The Material Handling Education Foundation (MHEFI), MHI’s independent charitable organisation to support and retain talent in the materials handling sector, presented three awards.

Sal Fateen, CEO of Seizmic, Inc, received the 2024 Norman L Cahners Industry Award.

Gregg Goodner, board member of Hytrol, was honoured with the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award which recognizes individuals who have made extraordinary, long-term contributions to the materials handling industry.

The MHEFI Exceptional Contribution Award, which recognises professionals who have made significant impact on the materials handling industry, was bestowed on Jim Vandegrift, the retiring president of R&M Material Handling.

Katie Hall, a marketing specialist with Fives Intralogistics, received the Outstanding Young Professional Award from MHI’s Young Professional Network.

The Marketing Professionals (Mpro) community - a dedicated marketing professionals group within MHI - recognised Joe Pelej, the director of marketing for Matthews Automation, with its Outstanding Marketer award.

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

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In this week’s Forkliftaction News , we have two stories reminding us of the power of a generous spirit... Continue reading

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"Key words for success are change management, involvement of top management, and focus on people. Specific to the project, start not with full scope but begin and create momentum, and keep improving.
See this as a journey together with your employees..."

Read the rest of our exclusive in-depth interview with senior vice president market operations at Toyota Material Handling Europe, Ralph Cox, about lean manufacturing and automation.

→ Discover more big insights in the very first of our  Big Picture Interviews.