To attract more students to careers in supply chain, the members of the Rack Manufacturers Institute (RMI) sponsor academic scholarships. The funds are part of the Material Handling Education Foundation, Inc. (MHEFI), which annually awards more than 55 scholarships totaling $200,000. This spring five students received RMI scholarships in support of their supply chain educations.
The scholarship funds support undergraduates who represent the future of rack design, engineering, and use, said Paul Neal, President and CEO of RMI member UNARCO Material Handling. Neal also currently serves as RMI President.
“The increase in automation and artificial intelligence within supply chains has raised the profile of supply chain, material handling, and logistics careers,” he said. “Today’s jobs demand the ability to analyze and solve complex challenges, including the engineering and manufacturing of material handling structures like racks.”
As they face an ongoing workforce shortage at all levels of supply chain, RMI members and other industry leaders must make a concerted effort to attract rising talent. Raising awareness of material handling has therefore become a priority for MHI, noted Donna Varner, MHI Director of Events and Administration and MHEFI Executive Director.
“Material handling has truly gone high-tech in the last decade. It’s also a critical component of the global economy. RMI’s scholarships help MHEFI to meet its mission of providing financial support that engages and retains talent within the supply chain,” she said.
“Offering scholarships to students pursuing post-secondary education is one way to market our industry,” Neal continued. “Supply chain is a multi-faceted field with exciting careers. The RMI scholarships help raise awareness of those professional opportunities.”
RMI Scholarship Recipients Must Meet Specific Criteria
RMI scholarship applicants must meet several requirements in order to be eligible for the awards. Students must demonstrate full-time enrollment for a complete school year. Only undergraduate students can apply. Applicants must also intend to pursue supply chain, material handling, or logistics as a career. Other requirements include dedication to excellence, strong leadership skills, potential for growth, and persistence in pursuing their education. Each scholarship covers tuition, fees, books, and other costs associated with attending school full-time.
RMI awards two different scholarships, added Neal. “The first honors Dan Clapp, who served several terms as Chair of RMI’s Standards Advisory and Engineering Committees. The second is a group of Honor Scholarships underwritten by ASG Services, which produces load capacity plaques,” he said.
Memorial RMI Scholarship Honors Dan Clapp’s Memory
RMI members funded the $5,000 Daniel Clapp Memorial Scholarship shortly after his passing in July 2020. The award celebrates the legacy of one of RMI’s most dedicated volunteers.
“It would be impossible to overstate Dan’s importance to the rack and storage industry as a whole,” explained Neal. “Dan was passionate about supporting the development of various standards, publications, and the R-Mark® Certification program. Today’s standards for safety in the rack and storage industry owe a significant debt to his engineering expertise and committed leadership.”
Dan Clapp Memorial RMI Scholarship Winner: Daniela Elenes, California Polytechnic State University
RMI awarded the $5,000 Daniel Clapp Memorial Scholarship to Daniela Elenes for the 2024/2025 academic year. Elenes, a rising freshman, will study industrial engineering at California Polytechnic State University. She completed her high school career as captain of the robotics team, and this summer has an internship at an airplane parts manufacturer. Her goal is to graduate with bachelor’s degree in manufacturing engineering.
Load Capacity Plaque Sales Contribute Funds for RMI Honor Scholarships
In 2007, when ASG Services worked with RMI to create the load capacity plaque program, the company also committed to sponsoring the RMI Honor Scholarships. According to David Grundy, Director at ASG Services, load plaque sales provide the financial support for these scholarships.
“Our company founder met former MHI CEO John Nofsinger shortly after opening ASG Services here in the U.S.,” Grundy explained. “That connection helped our company build relationships within the material handling and supply chain industry. The load capacity plaques became part of the industry’s increased emphasis on improving warehouse safety practices.”
To order plaques, RMI members have access to a specific website created by ASG Services. The online tool builds a rack layout with specific system information, and automatically applies the manufacturer’s logo and R-Mark® if applicable. Each plaque produced for an RMI member is discounted, and ASG Services donates a portion of the total cost to the RMI Honor Scholarship fund. Further, the company donates a percentage of any other online store purchases made by RMI members to the fund.
Since the start of the program, Grundy estimated that his company has donated more than $180,000 in scholarship monies. Further, the company continues to see value both in educating the industry’s future talent, and in its MHI membership.
“The benefits we enjoy from MHI — connections, resources, and support — are tremendous. We appreciate MHI’s continued encouragement and assistance. Contributing funds to support the workforce of the future through scholarships is a small way to pay it forward,” he said.
Four students received RMI Honor Scholarships for the 2024/2025 academic year. They include:
RMI Scholarship Winner: Emma Grace Woolsey, Virginia Tech
Awarded a $5,000 RMI Honor Scholarship, Woolsey is a senior Industrial Engineering major with a minor in Spanish. She interned at Premier, Inc., a healthcare improvement company, where she worked in supply chain management. Currently working her third rotation with FedEx Ground in logistics, Woolsey will intern as a Quality Engineer at Appian, a software services company. After graduation, she plans to enter the workforce.
RMI Scholarship Winner: Rae Williamson, Oklahoma State University
Williamson received a $5,000 RMI Honor Scholarship. A senior Industrial Engineering student with a minor in Global Studies, she also participated in various study abroad programs during her college career. These experiences ignited her passion for global perspectives. Williamson currently serves as a Career Coach in the College of Engineering Architecture and Technology (CEAT). Additionally, she works at Tractor Supply in inventory, scheduling, logistics, and customer service.
RMI Scholarship Winner: Matthew Moore, University of Texas at Arlington
The recipient of a $5,000 RMI Honor Scholarship, Moore is a senior Industrial Engineering major with a Computer Science minor. Currently employed as a materials intern by Watts Water Technologies, a water heater manufacturing plant, Moore has already made significant impact. He designed and implemented a Kanban cell replenishment system that saved more than $120,000 in annual labor costs. He also created a slotting algorithm for stockroom inventory and participated in a Kaizen event. Having already earned a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Moore plans to continue his education after graduation.
RMI Scholarship Winner: Genevieve Rasmussen, Bradley University
Granted a $5,000 RMI Honor Scholarship, Rasmussen is a senior majoring in Industrial Engineering, with a minor in Management and Leadership. She currently works at Caterpillar, having initially interned in summer 2023 as a co-op engineer — a role that continued during the school year. Rasmussen recently accepted a summer internship with Caterpillar in their manufacture, supply chain, and order-to-delivery departments. Additionally, she works as a caregiver at Victory Home Care Services. After graduation, she intends to enter the workforce.
Learn More About RMI Scholarships
Looking for more information about RMI’s scholarship program and how students can apply? Visit MHEFI’s Student Eligibility information site. For details about contributing to MHEFI scholarships — including those offered by RMI — visit the donor page.
