EPCHS Alum In The Spotlight: Nico Amoroso, Class Of 2004

EVERGREEN PARK, IL — The head of IT for the Chicago Blackhawks and the entire Wirtz Corporation traces his success back to his years as a student at Evergreen Park Community High School.

“I can’t pinpoint just one part of my experience at EPCHS,” said Nico Amoroso, a 2004 alum. “It’s the full collection of memories and experiences that made my time at EPCHS the best.”

Coach Jim Clarke, head of the EPCHS boys swimming program in the early 2000s when Amoroso was a team captain, instilled in him a particular value in which the two reminisced about just weeks ago.

“Coach Clarke taught me a valuable lesson on the power of influence,” Amoroso said. “As the captain, I learned how important it was to use my influence for good and become a better leader on the team and in life.”

Also an EP football player for four years, Amoroso was a member of the first Mustangs team to play a home game at night.

“I remember they brought in some construction, temporary lights to allow us to have a home game on Friday night,” Amoroso said. “It was unheard of at the time, since all our home games were on Saturday afternoons. Nowadays at EP that might not seem like a big deal, but for us, that first night game was a really special and fun experience.”

His membership as a student in EPCHS’ American Field Service club also stands out.

“We went on trips to places like Boston and Albany, New York,” Amoroso said. “It was an awesome opportunity to be able to travel to another school and see how people in our own country have different backgrounds and do things differently. It was a great experience for me, and opened my eyes to life outside Evergreen Park.”

Amoroso had developed quite a resume in information technology even before he started working for the Wirtz Corporation - which owns the Blackhawks and many other companies - nearly a dozen years ago.

“The entrepreneur in me came out at EPCHS,” he said, remembering how Woods teacher Dave Ridenour taught him how to make custom-made wood pens and suggested he reach out to a number of doctors at Little Company of Mary Hospital in Evergreen Park to see if anyone would be willing to buy them.

“Sure enough, the doctors wanted them and I ended up making 10-15,” he said. “I made some money, but it was more about taking your passion, something you love doing, and making money from it.”

After his EPCHS graduation, Amoroso enrolled at Millikin University in Decatur and earned a degree from there in Management Information Systems. While still at Millikin, he landed an internship, and, eventually, a full-time job as a systems analyst at State Farm’s headquarters in nearby Bloomington-Normal.

“I liked being down there. It was a great opportunity and I learned a lot,” he said. “But my heart was in Chicago and I ultimately decided, due to a family member getting sick, that it was time to move back.”

After a few years of working for Chicago-based companies as a network administrator and overseeing infrastructure, Amoroso said it was one of his former EP classmates, Keith Kobelt, who convinced him to apply for a role with the Wirtz Corporation.

“Keith told me it is an amazing company to work for and for me to give it a shot,” Amoroso said. “I haven’t looked back since.”

Amoroso’s role with the Wirtz Corporation has increased steadily over the years.

“I went from being the personal IT guy for the Wirtz family to leading IT,” he said. “Every 18-24 months I was able to take on more and more for the organization.”

“I attribute that to my personality, and attribute my personality to the experiences I had at Millikin and Evergreen.”

While the Blackhawks may be the most nationally known entity, the Wirtz family owns a “plethora” of businesses, Amoroso said.

“I partner with the general managers and presidents of the various organizations,” he said. “I oversee IT for all of them, including banks, real estate, nurseries and a media company,” among others.

Amoroso’s time with the corporation has included the Blackhawks’ two most recent Stanley Cup championships in 2013 and 2015. The 2013 Cup win came just days after the birth of Amoroso’s oldest son, Michael, and he’ll forever cherish the photograph he has of the young boy inside the Stanley Cup at just a week old.

“The kid has been pretty spoiled when it comes to access to the Stanley Cup,” Amoroso joked.

More recently for the Blackhawks, Amoroso has been at the forefront of an effort to digitize the dasher boards along the edges of the ice rink during games.

“(The ads) you see there on TV now are different from what fans see at the arena,” he explained. “This allows us to market and sell those additional impressions to more sponsors and partners.”

Amoroso said he has “a great personal relationship” with the Wirtz family and “can see myself retiring from this company.”

“I’ve been very fortunate to work for such a great organization,” he said. “It’s a job I could have only dreamed of in high school and college.”

Outside of work, Amoroso enjoys spending time with his family and coaching his kids’ basketball, baseball and soccer teams. He’s also a member of the Delta Sigma Phi Board of Trustees at Millikin.