EMBA Impact

Micah Niebauer, WG’19

Wharton Campus: Philadelphia and San Francisco

See how Micah’s career changed with an executive MBA from Wharton.

Previously

U.S. Army Special Forces, Company Commander

Currently

CEO and Cofounder of Southern Pines Brewing Company

Based In

Southern Pines, NC

Prior Education

Wheaton College, BS Political Science and Government

Before Wharton

After spending a decade in the U.S. Army, Micah decided to make a career pivot. As a former Green Beret, Micah was deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq before exiting the service to co-found a brewery with military friends in North Carolina.

“In the Army, I worked with incredible people, and Wharton provides that same experience with talented and high-caliber students.”

At Wharton 

Bi-coastal Network

Micah spent time on both of Wharton’s campuses: in Philadelphia and San Francisco.

Access to Faculty

He took Prof. Peter Fader’s “Applied Probability Models in Marketing” class where he was assigned a project to use data to create a counting model.

International Learning

Micah went on a Global Business Week trip to Finland and Sweden where he focused on customer centricity.

On the Water

The Wharton Crew and Rowing Club was another highlight of Micah’s student experience. When the program began, he contacted the crew team and joined. He also encouraged a few of his classmates to join too.

“On each campus, students are spending every other weekend together for two years in a very challenging program. This leads to instant bonding, which is deepened by the time we spend together outside of class. Students get together for weekend getaways, ski and beach weekends, birthdays, and more.”

After Wharton 

Looking back on what he learned at Wharton, Micah said, “I’ve learned about the different ways to grow a small business… I want to figure out the full potential of what we’ve built at our brewery because we’re about a year or two away from maximizing our existing space. It’s incredible to be able to discuss my business with professors. It’s opened up a whole new world of possibilities.”

EMBA Impact Stories

Read more stories from alumni and learn about the impact an executive MBA from Wharton can have on your career.