WEST LAFAYETTE - Purdue student-athletes met with 50 local businesses as part of the second-ever Hammer & Steel NIL Networking Event on Monday (April 10). The summit, presented by The Gold Standard, Purdue's home for all things Name, Image and Likeness (NIL), gave Boilermakers the opportunity to make connections for internships, future jobs and potential NIL opportunities.
Every student-athlete was provided with custom business cards with their sport, major, hometown, and social media handles to exchange with businesses. On the back of the business cards was a custom QR code for each student-athlete's marketplace profile for businesses to propose opportunities to them that were discussed at Hammer & Steel.
Focusing on the core tenants of the athletic department's EMPOWER program, the Hammer & Steel event aligns with EMPOWER's three elements of education, entrusting and entrepreneurship. Boilermakers continue to be given the resources necessary to succeed in all avenues of the current college athletics landscape. That includes the Boilermaker Marketplace, an NIL exchange that serves as a portal for local businesses and employers to connect with Purdue student-athletes. Businesses in attendance signed up for Purdue's INFLCR-powered exchange in advance of Monday's event.
Purdue's partnership with INFLCR also gives Boilermakers a tool that assists in the creation of business connections, streamlines payment and reporting processes, consolidates tax information and creates appropriate separation between the University and each student-athlete's pursuit of NIL opportunities.
Local businesses and other organizations interested in forging connections with Purdue student-athletes can click here to begin that process with the Boilermaker Marketplace. Please note that no transaction fees apply for student-athletes or businesses (applicable banking fees may apply).
"The event allowed me to gain a better understanding of what businesses want in this market, and how as a student-athlete you should know your strengths and weaknesses when approaching a company." - Ryan Brandt, Purdue Football
"I really enjoyed the Hammer & Steel event because it gave insight into the broad world of NIL. It emphasized the power of speaking up for yourself and building your brand as well as showing student-athletes that anyone can have an impact no matter how big or small." - Idris Muhammad, Purdue Men's Swimming
"I enjoyed the Hammer and Steel event. It was nice being able to connect and learn more about NIL while also learning more about other companies and how my major would fit in with their mission." - Cierra Williams, Purdue Women's Track & Field
"Opportunity – that sums up Hammer & Steel. It was the opportunity for student-athletes to engage with companies, test their entrepreneurial skills and build their network. The combination of education, the testimonies of success stories, and the individual growth in personal skills allowed for student-athletes and companies to think big picture yet compartmentalize ideas within the space of NIL." – Peyton Stovall, Purdue Associate Athletics Director for Student-Athlete Development
"Purdue Athletics continues to innovate by cultivating unique and impactful ways to create NIL opportunities for their student-athletes. Their Hammer & Steel event unlocks NIL opportunities and provides a platform for development. Empowering student-athletes with business cards linked to their INFLCR Profiles is an invaluable tool to create immediate connections and develop a future professional skill set." Sean Kelly, Associate General Manager at INFLCR
"Hammer & Steel is the perfect opportunity to bring the businesses in the Boilermaker Marketplace onto campus to meet in-person with our student-athletes to connect over NIL opportunities. It was incredibly exciting to watch the businesses in attendance get to know our student-athletes and see their personalities off the field/court. The networking night serves as a great platform for businesses and student-athletes to dip their toes into NIL for the first time, or build upon their existing NIL engagements, and it is always wonderful to see new relationships come together." – Jack Gallagher, Purdue Director of NIL Engagement
"The Hammer & Steel Networking Event was a fantastic activation. Coming together as local businesses and college athletes to connect and learn from each other in a quickly evolving NIL space is so important. For us at The NIL Store, working directly with the athletes to provide industry-leading royalties is our favorite part of what we do. We're incredibly grateful to Purdue and Hammer & Rails for the chance to meet face to face with so many of our athletes, meet new ones, and continue expanding what is possible with NIL at Purdue." - Adam Cook, NIL Director from the Purdue NIL Store
"The Hammer & Steel Event was an effective way for Boilermaker student-athletes to learn about NIL and networking strategies from industry leaders. The event focused on NIL branding strategies, educational information, and networking to create a learning experience on the unique value student-athletes can provide to local businesses." Paul Leaf, Purdue Assistant Director for Student-athlete Development
AWARDS
Female NIL Athlete of the Year: Jeanae Terry
Male NIL Athlete of the Year: Zach Edey
Female Hustle NIL Award: Jocelyn Bruch
Male Hustle NIL Award: Mason Gillis
Female Gold Standard Award: Maddie Schermerhorn
Male Gold Standard Award: Ethan Morton
Every student-athlete was provided with custom business cards with their sport, major, hometown, and social media handles to exchange with businesses. On the back of the business cards was a custom QR code for each student-athlete's marketplace profile for businesses to propose opportunities to them that were discussed at Hammer & Steel.
Focusing on the core tenants of the athletic department's EMPOWER program, the Hammer & Steel event aligns with EMPOWER's three elements of education, entrusting and entrepreneurship. Boilermakers continue to be given the resources necessary to succeed in all avenues of the current college athletics landscape. That includes the Boilermaker Marketplace, an NIL exchange that serves as a portal for local businesses and employers to connect with Purdue student-athletes. Businesses in attendance signed up for Purdue's INFLCR-powered exchange in advance of Monday's event.
Purdue's partnership with INFLCR also gives Boilermakers a tool that assists in the creation of business connections, streamlines payment and reporting processes, consolidates tax information and creates appropriate separation between the University and each student-athlete's pursuit of NIL opportunities.
Local businesses and other organizations interested in forging connections with Purdue student-athletes can click here to begin that process with the Boilermaker Marketplace. Please note that no transaction fees apply for student-athletes or businesses (applicable banking fees may apply).
⚒️ 50 local, regional and national businesses met with Purdue student-athletes to discuss future internship, job placement and NIL opportunities. The second-ever Hammer & Steel NIL Networking Event! @PurdueNIL | @BoilerEmpower pic.twitter.com/z3hsrsB7hY
— Purdue Athletics (@PurdueSports) April 11, 2023
HEAR FROM THE BOILERMAKERSBoilermakers took advantage of connecting with local businesses at last week's Hammer & Steel NIL Networking Event. pic.twitter.com/onAvU7C3rj
— Purdue Football (@BoilerFootball) April 18, 2023
"The event allowed me to gain a better understanding of what businesses want in this market, and how as a student-athlete you should know your strengths and weaknesses when approaching a company." - Ryan Brandt, Purdue Football
"I really enjoyed the Hammer & Steel event because it gave insight into the broad world of NIL. It emphasized the power of speaking up for yourself and building your brand as well as showing student-athletes that anyone can have an impact no matter how big or small." - Idris Muhammad, Purdue Men's Swimming
"I enjoyed the Hammer and Steel event. It was nice being able to connect and learn more about NIL while also learning more about other companies and how my major would fit in with their mission." - Cierra Williams, Purdue Women's Track & Field
"Opportunity – that sums up Hammer & Steel. It was the opportunity for student-athletes to engage with companies, test their entrepreneurial skills and build their network. The combination of education, the testimonies of success stories, and the individual growth in personal skills allowed for student-athletes and companies to think big picture yet compartmentalize ideas within the space of NIL." – Peyton Stovall, Purdue Associate Athletics Director for Student-Athlete Development
"Purdue Athletics continues to innovate by cultivating unique and impactful ways to create NIL opportunities for their student-athletes. Their Hammer & Steel event unlocks NIL opportunities and provides a platform for development. Empowering student-athletes with business cards linked to their INFLCR Profiles is an invaluable tool to create immediate connections and develop a future professional skill set." Sean Kelly, Associate General Manager at INFLCR
"Hammer & Steel is the perfect opportunity to bring the businesses in the Boilermaker Marketplace onto campus to meet in-person with our student-athletes to connect over NIL opportunities. It was incredibly exciting to watch the businesses in attendance get to know our student-athletes and see their personalities off the field/court. The networking night serves as a great platform for businesses and student-athletes to dip their toes into NIL for the first time, or build upon their existing NIL engagements, and it is always wonderful to see new relationships come together." – Jack Gallagher, Purdue Director of NIL Engagement
"The Hammer & Steel Networking Event was a fantastic activation. Coming together as local businesses and college athletes to connect and learn from each other in a quickly evolving NIL space is so important. For us at The NIL Store, working directly with the athletes to provide industry-leading royalties is our favorite part of what we do. We're incredibly grateful to Purdue and Hammer & Rails for the chance to meet face to face with so many of our athletes, meet new ones, and continue expanding what is possible with NIL at Purdue." - Adam Cook, NIL Director from the Purdue NIL Store
"The Hammer & Steel Event was an effective way for Boilermaker student-athletes to learn about NIL and networking strategies from industry leaders. The event focused on NIL branding strategies, educational information, and networking to create a learning experience on the unique value student-athletes can provide to local businesses." Paul Leaf, Purdue Assistant Director for Student-athlete Development
AWARDS
Female NIL Athlete of the Year: Jeanae Terry
Male NIL Athlete of the Year: Zach Edey
Female Hustle NIL Award: Jocelyn Bruch
Male Hustle NIL Award: Mason Gillis
Female Gold Standard Award: Maddie Schermerhorn
Male Gold Standard Award: Ethan Morton