New York City Alumni Club leader is building connections, community in a different Manhattan
By Tim Schrag '12
There’s a Powercat flag hanging year-round at The Storehouse in Chelsea. The Irish pub is the headquarters for K-State watch parties in New York City.
When Kyle Fleming ’18 picked The Storehouse to be the new home of the New York City K-State Alumni Club he thought it would be a cool spot for K-Staters to gather.
Just a few years later the space would be packed with purple and lavender as Wildcats from all over to cheer on the men’s basketball team during the 2023 NCAA Tournament rounds played at Madison Square Garden. So much so that an overflow bar across the street was needed.
“I think we had about 250 K-Staters the pregame,” he said. “Willie, the Classy Cats and the band came in to play, and it turned into one of those moments that reminded me how special the K-State community is. Most of us went to the game afterward, which made it even more memorable.”
A typical watch party during football season gathers anywhere from 15 to 80 K-Staters, so that moment in 2023 was special, Fleming said.
There are nearly 2,400 K-State alumni and friends living in the New York City area. The club, like the more than 100 other K-State clubs around the world, serves a way for Wildcats to connect with one another and find community.
“One of the best parts about New York is how many different paths K-Staters have taken to get here,” he said. “There are people in finance, fashion, law and so many other fields. Some are right out of college, and others have been here for 30 or 40 years. A lot of them arrive not realizing how many K-Staters are already here, so it’s fun to help bring that community together.”
What Fleming likes most about being involved with the club is the way it helps maintain relationships with other K-Staters.
“It gives me a reason to bring everyone together,” he said. “During football season, I can text people and say, ‘Let's go watch the K-State game’ and it keeps those connections alive.”
Fleming has been the club’s leader for the last five years. In that time the club has held several events, including K-State Day at Yankee Stadium. On Oct. 7, the club will host a K-State cocktail reception at the renowned New York Yacht Club.
“It's one of the most beautiful buildings in the city, and it’s a place many New Yorkers never get the chance to see inside,” Fleming said. “I wanted to create a K-State event that felt unique to New York – something people would be excited to attend and remember.”
To make this happen, Fleming connected with Andrea Oltjen ’07, the director of special events at the New York Yacht Club.
“I’ve had people from other cities tell me they want to fly in for it because it’s such a unique K-State event,” he said.
Fleming is originally from Mankato, Kansas. He moved to New York in 2018 to begin a career in finance, first with J.P. Morgan and now with Embank Capital, a real estate capital advisory firm he founded. He said support from K-State alumni helped him make the move to New York and land his first job, making his work with the alumni club feel especially full circle.
In his spare time Fleming has done some background acting for several movies and TV shows including The Gilded Age.
Fleming loves making connections with other K-Staters. His advice for those Wildcats visiting New York is to explore the Financial District, spend time in Central Park and walk along the West Side Highway.