Peru's Nikki Nordman honored with Ivy Tech Distinguished Alumni Award

Nordman was among 19 winners of the award representing Ivy Tech campuses all over Indiana who were honored at the banquet.

Peru, Indiana, businesswoman Nikki Nordman has been honored with the 2024 Ivy Tech Community College Distinguished Alumni Award.

The award was presented September 27 at a gala celebration at the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown.

The Distinguished Alumni Awards are presented annually to graduates who exemplify an appreciation of lifelong learning, a dedication to work, and a commitment to community. Nordman was honored as an alumna of Ivy Tech’s Kokomo Service Area.

“Some ‘distinguished alumni’ are captains of industry or presidents of large organizations. Some are known as major philanthropists and some have reached heights in the political world,” said Dr. Ethan Heicher, chancellor of Ivy Tech Kokomo. “Some, like Nikki, demonstrate that people can make a difference for the world with small acts of kindness and mentoring that create a ripple effect across their community.

“And,” he added, “right now, she does it from the kitchen of a small-town pizzeria.”

Nordman was among 19 winners of the award representing Ivy Tech campuses all over Indiana who were honored at the banquet.

A native of Peru and a 2001 graduate of Maconaquah High School, Nordman earned an Associate of Applied Science degree in Business Administration from Ivy Tech in 2007. Nine years ago, she took over the ownership of the Pizza Quik where she had worked as a teen – and started really putting that business degree to work. For the last six years, she has also been serving the people of Miami County as a Realtor in Peru.

Nordman is described as someone who is quietly giving back to her community by mentoring the young people she employs and empowering them for success with life lessons in communication, customer service and old-fashioned work ethic.

“Nikki leads by example,” said Kelly Karickhoff, executive director of Resource Development for Ivy Tech Kokomo.

“For instance, Nikki is generous in supporting good causes in the Peru community and recently earmarked a percentage of Pizza Quik sales to help a local family whose young son had undergone surgery for brain cancer,” Karickhoff continued. “Her generosity was noticed. By the end of the evening, her young employees were following her example and giving their tips to the family too.”

As a realtor, Nordman takes pride in helping people through the stressful process of buying and selling their homes and in “being there” to guide them not just as their agent but as a person they can rely on. This year, the Carriger Oldfather Realty broker was honored as “Miami County’s Greatest Real Estate Agent” in the 2024 Readers’ Choice Awards presented by the Indiana Plain Dealer newspaper. She hopes to begin study for a managing broker license soon.

Norman made a commitment early on to balance work and family life and has served as a great example to her three children as well. She coached all three of them in various sports, sponsoring their teams and mentoring their teammates. The two oldest now work part-time at the Pizza Quik, moving into leadership roles that allow Nordman to travel weekends to support her youngest child in his baseball competitions.

As the first college graduate in her family, Nordman is proud of her Ivy Tech degree and has encouraged her children to follow in her footsteps. Her oldest daughter earned both her high school diploma and an Ivy Tech associate degree when she graduated from Peru High School last year and is now an Indiana University student. Her younger daughter plans to start Ivy Tech classes while a high school sophomore.

“I was entirely glad I chose Ivy Tech,” Nordman said. “I liked the one-on-one approach of the instructors who taught from the book but also from the heart. They made me feel at ease, helped me believe in myself.”

Now, more than 20 years after she made that choice, she has been recognized as Ivy Tech Kokomo’s Distinguished Alumni Award winner.

“Nikki has a small-town story telling us all that sometimes a short-term education journey can lead to long-term success,” the chancellor said. “We are proud of graduates like Nikki who are quietly contributing to the future of their communities throughout the Ivy Tech Kokomo Service Area.”