Kyle Kipke ran his own sign and advertising company.

Morgan Petriko helped open a multimillion-dollar equestrian facility at Walt Disney World.

Their unique experiences and paths both led them to the University of Michigan, where Kipke serves as facility manager for Michigan Stadium and Petriko as associate facility manager.

Kyle Kipke

Kipke grew up in Onsted, Michigan, a town of hundreds about 60 miles southwest of Ann Arbor. One of his childhood friends is Chris Onsted, who is the assistant director of facility operations and capital projects in the U-M Athletic Department.

In the early 2000s, Onsted hired Kipke Signs to update the record boards at the Donald B. Canham Natatorium and put up signs at the Wilpon Baseball and Softball Complex.

After the jobs were completed Kipke casually mentioned to Onsted that the slowing economy was adversely affecting his small business.

“He said, ‘We can always use grounds crew help for baseball and softball, so why don’t you come up for 20 hours a week and help on the grounds crew?’” Kipke said. “I’ve been a lifelong Michigan fan, so I started working for him, and then 20 (hours) goes into 30, and then I’m here 40 hours a week.”

While working as a temporary employee on the grounds crew, Kipke did his best to make connections throughout the Athletic Department. That paid off in 2010 when he was hired full-time as a facility worker for the stadium, which was fresh off a massive remodel that resulted in suites and job openings.

He spent about five years as a facility worker at the stadium doing much of the setup and cleanup work he now oversees. He then started working as the groundskeeper for Michigan Stadium, ensuring the playing field and surrounding grounds were safe, clean and prepped for games.

In 2021, he moved over to Schembechler Hall in a hybrid role, handling field maintenance inside and outside Schembechler Hall and then providing support at the stadium during the football season.

His predecessor moved to a position on Central Campus, and Kipke was hired as facility manager prior to the 2023 football season.

“I worked myself into a pretty good spot,” Kipke said. “I’ve met a lot of interesting people, great people. I love this job.”

Because he was on staff during the 2023 season when the football team won the national championship, he was offered a championship ring. He jumped at the opportunity to get one.

“I have it in my mancave at home and I really enjoy taking it out and showing the ring to people,” he said. “It has my name on it. Very, very cool to have that.”

Kipke has a familial connection to the football program — his great-uncle, Harry Kipke, played at Michigan from 1921-23 and coached the team from 1929-37, winning national championships in 1932 and 1933. Harry Kipke was the oldest of 10 children, with Kyle’s grandfather being the youngest.

Kyle Kipke said oftentimes people who learn what he does and his connection to Michigan football will randomly send him keepsakes. One of those is a copy of a framed letter from famed football coach Fielding H. Yost to the Board of Regents declining their offer to name Michigan Stadium after him.

“I get reached out by a lot of people who thank us for what good work we do and thank us for the experience,” Kipke said.

Morgan Petriko

Petriko is new to her position at U-M but not to the industry. A Chicago native and graduate of Adrian College where she was an equestrian student-athlete, Petriko initially studied to be an athletic trainer before changing her major to sports management.

She said she took a few jobs in minor league and college baseball and hockey that “gave me a lot of grit” before accepting a role at Purdue University as a development consultant where she helped raise funds for the athletic department.

She then took a position at U-M in the track and field and cross country programs, managing travel and recruiting, before working at Walt Disney World before the COVID-19 pandemic where she helped open an equestrian facility and obtained her master’s degree.

After serving as the assistant athletic director of administration and executive assistant to the athletic director at Central Michigan University, she moved to Chicago as operations manager for the Chicago Blackhawks. She handled daily management of the team’s practice center, Fifth Third Arena, which also serves as a community ice rink, and obtained her Juris Doctorate from Purdue University.

“I always told people, I never thought I’d leave Chicago, especially with Chicago being home, and everyone would ask what would it take you to leave,” she said. “‘If they ever opened up a job at Michigan, that would probably be it.’ That’s the only one, and sure enough it did.”

That was nine months ago when she became the associate facility manager at Michigan Stadium.

Petriko views herself as a trailblazer of sorts and embraces the role. By her count, she’s one of only a few women in a facilities and maintenance role in a Power 5 school.

“I think it’s impactful that U-M brought me here. I’ve felt included in the team, especially being the only female in the facilities and maintenance department,” she said of being a part of the five-member facilities crew — in addition to the couple hundred people that make up the Athletic Department and student temporary employees. “The five of us make up an incredible team and what we have is really special, especially with people not realizing there are only a handful of us on staff at the stadium.”

“I’m thankful for the opportunity Michigan has given me because I feel like it’s going to give others in the industry, women in sports, an opportunity to be in roles that I’m in because it’s typically a male-dominated field on the facilities and maintenance side.”