WIBN Philly To Host Virtual Career Fair

“It’s all about relationships.”

When Michael Nichter shares his thoughts on the meteoric growth of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Wrestlers in Business Network, you can sense the excitement in his voice. Nichter, a Strategic Account Manager for Avaya, is the local chapter Co-Chairman of the Membership Committee for this national networking group.

In less than six months, since Nichter and others have joined the Board of Directors, WIBN Philly has become the largest chapter in the country…by a large margin. When Nichter got involved, there were just seven active members. There are now over 230 active members and that number is climbing. In fact, WIBN Philly has over four times the number of members as the next largest chapter.

Why is this happening?

“It’s all about relationships,” says Nichter. “Our board members come from a variety of industries. We’ve all been deeply involved with wrestling. When you put in the work, get the word out, and tell your friends, ‘Hey, this is something that’s really good. It can help people,’ that’s when we start to grow.”

Evan Botwin, the other Co-Chairman of the Membership Committee agrees. “The Greater Philadelphia area has a lot of wrestling history,” says Botwin. “During the pandemic, I think people were looking for deeper connections in the community. WIBN Philly evolved as a way to bring the business community together.”

Botwin understands the importance of the local community. He started wrestling at five years old with the local Police Athletic League. Through PAL, Botwin developed relationships that have lasted his lifetime.

Currently a successful account manager for Red Hat, a world leader in software and data management, Botwin is a mentor with Beat The Streets and PAL. He routinely gives back to the wrestling community that has served him so well over the years. He grew up in Philadelphia and still lives in the city.

Botwin graduated from Duke University in 2016. In high school, he was a two-time National Prep All-American for Wyoming Seminary in Pennsylvania.

“I’m where they want to be,” says Botwin while referring to the recent college graduates with whom he has been connecting through WIBN. “It wasn’t long ago that I had just graduated college and I was looking for a job. At WIBN, I’m able to help student-athletes from Penn, Drexel, Ursinus, DelVal, Alvernia, and several other schools in the region.”

It’s no secret that the current state of affairs has made seeking employment a challenge, especially for recent grads. Botwin, Nichter and others on the local WIBN Board have a game plan to ease the struggle a bit.

WIBN Philly Event Committee Co-Chairman Michael Medrow has helped organize an upcoming Virtual Career Fair designed specifically to help those seeking career advice and possible job opportunities. Medrow, the Director of Business Development and Marketing for Energy Transfer Solutions, was instrumental in planning some previous events produced by WIBN Philly.

In the first quarter of 2021, WIBN Philly hosted Summit 1 and Summit 2 featuring world level athletes from the Pennsylvania Regional Training Center. The PRTC is led by Olympic Gold Medalist Brandon Slay and provides opportunities for elite level athletes to pursue their World and Olympic dreams.

“We’re thankful that WIBN Philly helped produce the Summit events,” says Slay. “The PRTC athletes benefitted from having these competitions.”

When the WIBN Philly chapter was revamped at the end of 2020, new Chapter Chairman Jake Hunter helped organize all the new committees for the Board. “When re-launching, we focused on demonstrating value by funding and producing Summit 1 and Summit 2,” Hunter said. “This has helped us reconnect with the local wrestling community.”

Medrow hopes the Virtual Career Fair will have a similar impact on the WIBN members and non-members alike who sign up for this free event. “We have secured several industry leaders who are experts in their fields,” says Medrow. “Google, Red Hat, Compass, Alston, and US Bank are among the companies being represented at the event. The insight from these leaders will be invaluable to those seeking to get their foot in the door of a particular industry.”

Medrow and Nichter have worked together in the past. They are both currently on the Board of the Inter-County Wrestling League. The ICWL represents several dozen K-8 wrestling programs throughout the region. There are over 300 coaches and over 3,000 kids involved with the ICWL.

Nichter has been the president of the ICWL for the last 16 years. He figures that close to 15,000 kids have gone through the program in that time, including his son, Josh, who went on to become a 100 match winner for West Chester Henderson High School.

When asked about what it took to build the ICWL to where it is today, Nichter says, again, “It’s all about relationships.” He has hopes that WIBN Philadelphia will grow as large as the ICWL. “It will take time,” he says. “But I think it can be done.”

The WIBN Philadelphia Virtual Career Fair will be held on May 19, 2021 from 6-8pm. This is a free event open to members and non-members alike. Registration and more information can be found here.