Jet-Setting Alum Punched His Ticket To A Great Career At SAU

Annual trips on a charter jet to the Super Bowl, Masters, and Kentucky Derby are on-the-job perks any sports-loving Fighting Bee alum would covet.

Ryan Holtmann '04 has found a career with precisely those rewards at Wheels Up, a private aviation company whose clients include famous athletes such as pro golfer Rickie Fowler and NASCAR driver Joey Logano.

Holtmann began his journey as a student volunteer in the St. Ambrose athletics department. Before he earned his SAU Bachelor of Arts degree in Sport Management, he assisted the Fighting Bees sports information department by keeping statistics for men's basketball and football games, and soon found a mentor in former Assistant Director of Athletics Bruce Billingsley.

"He allowed me to do stuff with a little bit of a leash on, and I just kept asking for more," Holtmann said. "I wasn't getting paid, but I was gaining experience that became incredibly valuable to me."

Holtmann put that experience to use even before he graduated when he answered the phone while working alone one evening in the athletics office. On the other end was the owner of the Quad City Steamwheelers, looking for someone to run media relations for the minor- league indoor football team.

In a matter of a few years, Holtmann advanced from the Steamwheelers to the big leagues, earning a job in player and media relations for the National Hockey League's Columbus (Ohio) Blue Jackets and the Arena Football League's Columbus Destroyers. That work, and some successful network building, ultimately led him to Wheels Up, where he currently serves as daily service manager for sports and special operations.

Holtmann isn't always at the epicenter of the sports world's biggest events, but he does keep in close contact with a group of high-profile clients, arranging private flights that get them where they're going, and then back home, in a discreet and efficient manner.

Many of those clients are among the best golfers on the PGA Tour as well as some of the better-known drivers on the NASCAR circuit.

"I'm basically the booking agent and point of contact for them, getting them flights to and from their golf tournament or their race," he said.

"A lot of times, they'll contact me and say, ‘Hey, I'm leaving the course or track now. Can you make sure the crew is ready?"

For really big events, he's on site to make certain client needs are met, while also entertaining Wheels Up clients who are there for the fun. Attending pre-event parties and the events themselves constitute Other Duties as Assigned.

"There are worse things to be doing," Holtmann said, with a knowing laugh.

He knows his opportunities to grow at St. Ambrose helped his career take flight.

That, and answering the office phone when opportunity rang.

"If I didn't take that phone call, if I didn't get to develop my interest in sports information or have the opportunities St. Ambrose gave me to build a résumé and portfolio, I wouldn't be here today," he said.