MHMS CHICAGOLAND

What MHMS CHICAGOLAND does

MHMS Chicagoland is the Chicagoland Chapter of the Materials Handling & Management Society, an independent 501(c)(6) non-profit professional association that was re-established in 2003 after a several-year pause. The organization serves material handling practitioners in the greater Chicagoland area, providing career development, professional networking, and scholarship support for students pursuing material handling, logistics, and supply chain fields. Its core programs include an annual Golf Outing fundraiser (with tiered participation packages from $65 to $850), facility tours of material handling operations, educational sessions and Lunch and Learns, and the MH Careers portal that links members with partner staffing firms (Associated and RHM Staffing Solutions). The association also administers a scholarship program awarding up to three $3,000 scholarships annually to Illinois-resident students.

The organization is governed by a volunteer board of directors led by President Brad Thomas (as of 2026), with officer roles including Secretary, Treasurer, VP of Communications, VP of Membership, VP of Education, and VP of Programs, plus multiple Directors at Large. Board members are drawn from material handling employers such as Material Flow Technologies, Associated, Industrial Battery Products, Cayuga Corporation, and First Logistics, lending industry credibility but also illustrating that the association is deeply embedded in the local material handling employer ecosystem. The Treasurer contact channel ([email protected]) and the use of a basic Wix-based website indicate a small-scale operational footprint.

MHMS Chicagoland generates revenue exclusively through event registrations, hole and event sponsorships, and member dues, with no commercial product or fee-for-service offering. The scholarship program is funded by the net proceeds of the annual golf outing. Geographic scope is strictly limited to the Chicagoland region of Illinois, and there is no indication of expansion beyond that footprint. The organization is not venture-backed and has no institutional investors; it is entirely member- and sponsor-supported.

Name

MHMS CHICAGOLAND

Legal name

MHMS Chicagoland

Website

https://mhmschicagoland.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

MHMS Chicagoland is a 501(c)(6) non-profit professional association serving material handling practitioners in the greater Chicagoland area through networking events, facility tours, educational sessions, a scholarship program for Illinois students, and an annual fundraising golf outing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services (Material Handling)

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sports & Active Incentives (Golf, Ski, Sailing, Adventure) (THAHADAJ)

Keywords

• Material handling association
• Professional networking events
• Industry scholarship program
• Supply chain careers
• Chicagoland industry chapter

Headquarters

HQ city

St. Petersburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

MHMS Chicagoland operates as a 501(c)(6) non-profit professional association that delivers networking, education, and scholarship services to the material handling community in greater Chicago. Its offerings include an annual $3,000 scholarship program for Illinois students pursuing material handling, supply chain, or logistics studies, a fundraising golf outing, facility tours, Lunch-and-Learn educational sessions, and a career resources portal partnered with material handling staffing firms.

Product overview

MHMS Chicagoland is a non-profit industry association (501(c)(6)) that provides services to material handling professionals rather than a commercial product portfolio. The organization offers a scholarship program for students in Supply Chain, Logistics, and Material Handling fields; annual golf outing events that fundraise for scholarships; facility tours for professional education; Lunch and Learn educational sessions; and career resources through partnerships with staffing firms. These services are designed to support career development, networking, and workforce pipeline development in the material handling industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MHMS 2026/2027 Scholarship Program Annual scholarship program awarding up to three $3,000 scholarships to college students who are Illinois residents and are pursuing studies in Supply Chain, Logistics, or Material Handling. Funded primarily by proceeds from the association's annual golf outing.
• Annual Golf Outing Event Annual fundraising golf event that generates money for the association's scholarship fund and serves as a primary networking venue for Chicagoland material handling professionals. Participation is sold in multiple tiers including Foursome Golf ($700), Individual Golf ($195), Foursome + Hole Sponsorship ($850), Hole Sponsorship ($150), and Lunch & Networking only ($65).
• Facility Tours Educational tours of various types of material handling facilities, providing networking and learning opportunities for industry professionals in the Chicagoland area.
• Educational Sessions / Lunch and Learns Educational sessions covering different functions of material handling, providing professional development and industry knowledge sharing for Chicagoland material handling practitioners.
• MH Careers Portal Career resources page on the MHMS Chicagoland website that links to partner staffing firms (Associated and RHM Staffing Solutions) specializing in material handling, manufacturing, and distribution positions.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• AIMM (Association of Independent Manufacturers' Representatives): Trade association for independent manufacturers' representatives serving industrial and material handling markets. Adjacent to MHMS Chicagoland because several of its member reps sell material handling equipment and services to the same Chicagoland employer audience.
• NAW (National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors): Trade association representing the wholesale distribution industry. Adjacent to MHMS Chicagoland because many of its members operate warehouses and use material handling equipment, though NAW focuses on distribution policy and advocacy rather than the practitioner community specifically.

Direct peers

• WERC (Warehousing Education and Research Council): Professional association for warehouse logistics and distribution management professionals. Directly comparable to MHMS Chicagoland in audience overlap (material handling and distribution practitioners) and programming model (networking, education, certification-adjacent content).
• IWLA (International Warehouse Logistics Association): Trade association for warehouse-based third-party logistics providers. Directly comparable to MHMS Chicagoland in audience (warehouse and material handling professionals), membership funding model, and event-driven programming.
• ISM (Institute for Supply Management): Non-profit professional association for supply management and procurement professionals. Comparable to MHMS Chicagoland as a membership-driven professional society delivering education, networking, and credentials to a practitioner audience in the supply chain ecosystem.
• CSCMP (Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals): Professional association serving supply chain management practitioners across logistics, transportation, and material handling. Comparable as a peer-association model with networking events, education, and roundtables, though at a national/international scale.
• NITL (National Industrial Transportation League): Trade association for industrial shippers and transportation professionals. Comparable to MHMS Chicagoland as a member-based organization serving professionals in the material flow and logistics industry, with education and networking programming.
• MHEDA (Material Handling Equipment Dealers Association): Industry association serving material handling equipment dealers, manufacturers, and distributors. Highly comparable to MHMS Chicagoland as a membership-based organization for material handling stakeholders, with networking events, scholarships, and educational programming.
• ASCM (Association for Supply Chain Management): Global professional association for supply chain management, formed through the merger of APICS and the Association for Supply Chain Management. Comparable to MHMS Chicagoland in serving supply chain and material handling professionals, though with global reach, certifications, and paid memberships.

Broad incumbents

• Material Handling Institute (MHI): The largest industry trade association for material handling, logistics, and supply chain professionals in North America. Comparable to MHMS Chicagoland as the dominant umbrella body serving overlapping practitioner and employer audiences, but with national scope, paid staff, and significantly broader programming.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MHMSChicago
• Facebookfacebook.com/mhmschicagoland

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MHMS CHICAGOLAND