Connections through wrestling helps Pioneers’ Parker land internship in Michigan

Platteville, Wis.- When junior Brock Parker transferred to the University of Wisconsin-Platteville to finish his education and athletic career on the wrestling team, he found out that he would have to complete an internship to graduate. Parker, a business administration major with an emphasis in professional sales, reached out to his advisor Dr. George Krueger, associate professor of business administration, to ask for some advice or leads. 

Little did Parker know, the lead Krueger handed him was the father of a former teammate at UW-Platteville, but he didn't make the connection until the phone call.

"I went into my advisor asking for help. I didn't know anybody; I didn't have any contacts. I asked him if he had any contacts that are looking to hire for an internship, if he would send them my way," Parker said.

Kreuger passed along the contact of Steve Norman, vice president of sales and procurement at Universal Traffic Service and Parker's supervisor. Kreuger and Norman connected after Norman reached out to Head Wrestling Coach Trevor Kittleson.

UTS, located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is a nationwide company that provides technology, people and processes to manage transportation for manufacturing companies.

"I didn't even know UW-Platteville had a sales internship program," Norman said. "We have reached out to colleges locally, but with the connection I had with Coach Kittleson, I sent him information on the program asking if he knew anyone or might know anyone, and he passed the information on to Kreuger."

Kreuger would pass the information on to Parker, who then followed up with the lead and secured the internship he needed to graduate from UW-Platteville.

"I just decided to call him up out of the blue and see how it goes," Parker said. "On the call he said, 'Owen is my son.' I was just practicing with Owen in the wrestling room before I called him. It was pretty easy after that." 

Parker's father, a technology salesman, saw something in his son that made him feel he would be successful in sales.

"My dad always reminded me of my ability to speak to people and that I am a people person," Parker said. "He kept reminding me how valuable that is in sales. It was never forced on me, he always said 'you could do this with the special gift you have.' I chose business because I felt I could follow in his footsteps."

Parker's personality and demeanor his father saw in him was something that jumped out during the interview process.

"His overall demeanor jumped out right away," Norman said. "He was personable, and his personality was good." 

Though the personality jumped out, it was another thing that Parker did during the interview that proved he was the right person for the position.

"He was inquisitive; he was curious. It is a trait we look for," Norman said. "He had good questions; a lot of young individuals won't have questions. I think that is geared towards the program he is in at UW-Platteville. He had really good questions that he asked. That was what really stood out, his curiousness of who we are and what we did. He did his research ahead of time, he was on our website. I was quite impressed with that." 

The internship at UTS is part of the sales leadership development program that helps UTS identify young individuals that are interested in pursuing a sales career path. 

The first month of Parker's internship wasn't about making sales or phone calls, but rather introducing him to the basics. UTS' program takes interns through the whole process of research, developing a sales pipeline, qualifying leads and identifying an ideal client profile.

Parker wanted to be on the calls quickly – something Norman felt was his biggest struggle early in his internship, but said he adapted quickly to the grind of sales. 

"His curiosity extended from the interview process. He was asking a ton of questions and really eager to get on the phones right away," Norman said. "He was so eager to go sell. It is refreshing, but one of the things we talked about was gathering his understanding and research part. He spent the first month building a pipeline and researching, and he has adjusted to that."

Parker, a WIAC 149-pound champion, is no stranger to the grind and tedious work in the wrestling room and is carrying over those lessons as he grows in sales. 

"Looking back, what helped me win my conference title, was embracing the mundane techniques and doing all the workouts," Parker said. "The same thing applies to business. You need to take it one day at a time, recognize every day is a day to get better and accept that I will not be perfect, but I will try as hard as I can, and that definitely helps in this environment."

Parker will graduate following the spring semester in 2023. He knows his wrestling career is coming to an end, but if his dreams come true, his time in wrestling will continue.

"For as long as I can remember, I always wanted to work for WWE," Parker said. "I know I will never be a pro wrestler but would love to work in their corporate office. At this point, I am taking all the opportunities I can get, especially this job at UTS. I want to make the most of every opportunity I am given and take whatever job I do secure, as long as it is servicing people."