The Beta-Nu Chapter of
KAPPA SIGMA
The University of Kentucky
Brother Bowling graduated Bardstown High School in the spring on 1989 and pledged Beta-Nu of Kappa Sigma that fall, along wtih his cousin from Madisonville, Matt Bowling. They joined Matt’s brothers, Mike and Dan, and were soon joined by a fifth cousin, Rob. This motley crew soon became known as “the Five Friends & Bowlings”. Such was the love for the Bowlings that screams of “no more %$#%@# Bowlings” often rang through the halls of 460 Hilltop Avenue with affection. We showed our appreciation (and proved a point) by electing my sister, Kate, as the chapter sweetheart in 1992 and by recruiting Rob’s younger brother, Matthew, in 1999. Both sisters, Kate and Sarah, were Chi Omegas at UK with Mike’s future wife, Nicole Segneri. For Brother Bowling, Beta Nu is truly a family affair.
During his undergraduate years, Joe lived in the Lodge, room 204, with pledge brothers “Bourbon” Bill Erwin, Brian Masters, and Craig “Fred” Marcum, who remain dear friends today. He served as Grand Scribe and Social Chairman, hosting two epic Redneck Roundup parties with cousin, Rob, that featured the now famous outlaw country band, the Longnecks. Joe received an undergraduate degree in Computer Science in 1994 and a MBA in 1997, both from the University of Kentucky. Joe’s parents and his sisters also earned degrees from UK.
While an undergrad and after graduation, Joe spent 10 years as an IT Systems Administrator and Technical Account Manager for Lexmark and IBM Global Services. He spent much of 1998-99 with Lexmark in Sydney, Australia and Orleans, France. In 2000, he joined EMC as a technical sales engineer and became a member of Dell Technologies when EMC was acquired in 2016. Today Joe is a Senior Area Manager for Dell EMC, responsible for four sales districts and over $300 million in annual revenue across 14 states in the Ohio Valley, Midwest, and Great Plains.
When not busy helping customers address their technology and business challenges, he’s actively pursuing a second career in craft beer and helping build the Beta Nu Alumni Association. He started homebrewing in the late 1990s and cultivated a dream of someday owning a brewery. Joe and pledge brother, Brian Masters, along with several friends founded Ivanhoe Park Brewing Company in Orlando, FL during the summer of 2017. IPBC opened in June 2018 and started distribution in November 2018, quickly capturing high profile accounts such as Sea World and the Amway Center (Orlando Magic). He plans to continue a role as IPBC Brand Ambassador while working on a business plan to open his own brewery in Central Kentucky and eventually retire from Dell Technologies to make craft beer his full-time focus.
A few years prior to starting the IPBC project, Joe reconnected with several other Beta Nu alumni to discuss growing concern for the chapter’s housing situation and lack of structured alumni association.Since then, he has played an instrumental role in establishing recurring spring (Keeneland) and fall (HOF banquet/football tailgate) events in Lexington and driving fundraising efforts. In 2018, he established local summer events at minor league baseball parks in Louisville, Lexington, and Northern KY.
Joe currently resides in Goshen, KY with his two children, Caroline (12) and Philip (14). He enjoys hunting, fishing, hiking, kayaking, and scuba diving along with UK sports and travel.
When asked what Beta-Nu and Kappa Sigma mean to you, here is what Joe said: “Lifelong friends! Beta-Nu provided me so many benefits but the one I experience every day is lifelong friends that have become integrated into my circle of family and friends from other stages of life. And not just brothers from undergraduate. When I moved to Louisville in 2001, my cousin, Rob Bowling, and I started playing softball with other Beta-Nu alumni that were 10+ years younger than me. Over the past 5 years, the revitalized Beta-Nu alumni association has introduced me to dozens of brothers from other eras. Several of those brothers have become close friends.”
Joe’s advice to undergraduates is: “Leverage the broader Beta-Nu alumni network and stay involved after your time on campus. We have such a powerful network of brothers that, frankly, my era didn’t leverage well. Whether for an internship, professional or personal mentoring, future employment, etc. start networking now. It will pay off dramatically over a lifetime.”