MHEDA Welcomes The Next Generation
Two Convention attendees describe their experience.
As part of MHEDA's effort to engage the next generation of industry professionals, the association hosted university students in distribution, supply chain and related programs at the Annual Convention for the third consecutive year. Below, get up close and personal with two such attendees in this new feature of The MHEDA Journal.
JUSTIN VAUGHN
 |
Justin Vaughn |
|
Age: 22
Hometown: Dallas, Texas
Major: Industrial Distribution at Texas A&M University (graduated May 2008)
Career Plans: Outside sales at the Houston office for Brenntag, a worldwide chemical distributor.
Why I Like Material Handling: Material handling is an industry that will always be in demand. It is an industry that is not as widely known as others but has a lot to offer. The industry is full of great people and has vast opportunities for college graduates with backgrounds in distribution.
Convention Experience: The MHEDA Convention really opened my eyes to the industry and piqued my interest more than anything else. I learned all the different aspects of the industry and gained a much better understanding of the relationship between manufacturers and distributors.
KATHERINE (KATE) REARDON
 |
Kate Reardon |
|
Age: 20
Hometown: Little Falls, New York
Major: Interdisciplinary Engineering & Management at Clarkson University (graduates May 2009)
Minors: Pre-Law, Project Management
Career Plans: To work in the project management field or attend law school.
Why I Like Material Handling: I worked all year during my first year at Clarkson to “marinize” a typical warehouse storage and retrieval system for the U.S. Navy. As project manager for our class, I learned quickly the_demanding requirements_of the industry and how innovation and problem-solving in a collaborative environment is key to successful systems. The material handling industry has the kind of career opportunities that really appeal to me. So many MHEDA members I met had really unique stories on how they got into the industry and explained how there are many jobs that fit everyone's unique career goals.
Convention Experience: I never really considered a career in material handling until I attended Convention. It was amazing to see all of the different roles and experiences the industry offered and how successful and happy many of the attendees were in their career paths. |
