Irving Korn NBVA Scholarship

With the success of the 2024 Irving Korn Scholarship Fundraiser, we are pleased to award $13,000 in scholarships for the 2024-2025 academic school year. Congratulations to the following students for receiving the Irving Korn NBVA Scholarship!

Brendan G., University of Utah
Sponsored by: Vendomatic Inc.


Caden B., Trine University
Sponsored by: Heritage Vending


Jaden G., University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Sponsored by: Customkade


Lexi F., University of California, Los Angeles
Sponsored by: BMI


Quinn G., University of Utah
Sponsored by: Vendomatic Inc.


Riley R., UNR – Reno
Sponsored by: A & A Global Industries


Taylor P., Texas Tech University
Sponsored by: D & L Vending

Application requirements are as follows:

  1. Students must be NBVA Members, employees of NBVA members, immediate family of NBVA members and/or their employees (children or grandchildren only).
  2. Meet all the requirements for enrollment or continuing enrollment to any of the following higher learning institutions: trade school, junior college, college or university. PLEASE NOTE: Graduate-level education is not eligible for this scholarship.
  3. Previous scholarship applicants may reapply.
  4. The scholarship may be awarded for a total of 4 years of education within a six year period.

Awards are made on a competitive basis with consideration being given to scholastic achievement, social/school involvement, character, and promise.  The intent of this award is not to dispense charity, but rather to make it possible to encourage students to secure a university, trade school, or college degree.  The scholarship will be granted to the successful applicants and announced just after the NBVA annual conference.  The recipient(s) will be given their monetary award upon notification of student’s enrollment by the institution they will be attending.  The award amount will depend on the funds generated at the NBVA conference in March 2024.  The number of scholarships, amount of scholarship, and recipient of scholarship(s) will be determined at the discretion of the NBVA scholarship committee.

Please note scholarship awards will be sent directly to the recipient and check will be made out to the learning institution.

Learn more about Irving Korn

The National Bulk Vendors Association (NBVA) is pleased to have CandyMachines.com as the sponsor of the “Irving Korn Memorial Scholarship” in honor of CandyMachines.com’s founder, who passed away in 2014.

Irving Korn was an extraordinary entrepreneur, creating many different businesses in his lifetime, with vending being one of his most well-liked. He started a small bulk vending route with a few hundred machines in the Los Angeles, CA, area in the early 1960s when candy sold for a penny and cashews were a luxury at 10 cents! One of his favorite stories to tell is that when local banks needed pennies, they would call him. Another story is how he and his son, Jerry Korn, would fill empty capsules with toys in front of the TV.

During the L.A. Watts riots in 1965 he lost about half of his machines, yet that did not curtail Irving, and he continued to rebuild the route to nearly 2,000 machines. Learning from his father, Jerry started his own route and followed in his father’s footsteps.

In the 1980s, Irving sold the business, took a year off, and traveled around the world. Upon returning home, his experiences gave him new business ideas, but once again he turned to vending, this time with a smaller route. Then in the mid-1990s, with the help of his son, they added a new direction with a brand new concept, the Internet. Together they created an online vending machine and refill supply e-commerce business, and today, CandyMachines.com is recognized as an industry leader.

Irving claimed his success was due to his philosophy of serving the customer. He treated every customer not as a one-time sale but as an ongoing, mutually beneficial relationship. Irving Korn was President of CandyMachines up to the day of his passing in 2014, at age 94.

This scholarship program enables the NBVA to grant financial awards to qualified students. “My father recognized the importance of education, and would be honored by this legacy,” said Jerry. “His belief in the power of knowledge and innovation spirited his entrepreneurial path. Through the scholarship, we will carry this forward with the next generation.”

Irving Korn