Scott M. Sipprelle
Encyclopedia
Scott Mills Sipprelle is a venture capitalist and was the 2010 Republican
candidate for Congress in . Sipprelle founded Westland Ventures, a Princeton
-based investment firm, which helps emerging companies by providing growth capital.
where his father was a high school teacher. Later, his parents joined the US Foreign Service and Scott spent much of his childhood living abroad, primarily in Latin America
, Europe
, and the Middle East
. Sipprelle’s parents spent three decades protecting the United States’ foreign policy interests abroad. Sipprelle is a lifelong baseball
fan and an avid athlete. He enjoys all forms of outdoor activities, and especially enjoys running, swimming, and biking.
Sipprelle graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Hamilton College in 1985 with a B.A.
in Economics along with a minor in government. He was the recipient of the Clark Prize in Public Speaking.
Previous to his 2007 founding of Westland Ventures, Sipprelle was a senior executive in the financial services industry. From 1985 to 1998 Sipprelle worked for Morgan Stanley
, where, at 32, he became a managing director and came to head the firm’s Equity Capital Markets Division. In this position Sipprelle was raising growth capital for U.S. corporations.
In 1998, Sipprelle left Morgan Stanley to found his first firm, Copper Arch Capital. Sipprelle's firm gained notoriety for instigating a shareholder revolt against cronyism and mismanagement at Morgan Stanley that eventually toppled the CEO, Phil Purcell. After a decade of managing capital for endowments and foundations, Sipprelle closed his fund in November 2007, a few months before the global stock markets collapsed.
(R
-CA
). Sipprelle has been active in the Republican Association of Princeton and the Mercer County Capital Republican Club. He currently serves as a Republican Committeeman for the 8th District in Princeton Borough. In 2009, Sipprelle and his wife hosted a Lincoln Day
Dinner for then-gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie.
Sipprelle was criticized later in January for his contribution to the congressional campaigns of Blue Dog Democrats Allen Boyd
of Florida, Charlie Melancon
of Louisiana, Heath Shuler
of North Carolina, Baron Hill
of Indiana, and Stephanie Herseth Sandlin of South Dakota.
On the night of June 8, Primary Election
Day, Sipprelle won the Republican Primary over challenger David Corsi by a margin of 54-46.
The Sipprelle for Congress campaign website introduced Sipprelle’s “Blueprint for Renewal” which reads:
On November 2, 2010, buoyed by overwhelming support in the City of Trenton, six-term incumbent Rush Holt defeated Scott Sipprelle 53%-46%, with independent Kenneth J. Cody receiving 1%. The narrow margin of victory was notable given Holt's previous two Congressional races in 2008 and 2006 had resulted in landslide winning margins of 28% and 32% respectively. Holt's victory was marred by controversy after he made a claim, later disproved, that Sipprelle had influenced a local revaluation committee in Princeton to lower his property tax assessment.
, New Jersey
.
In September 2009 Sipprelle self-published his first novel, The Golden Dog, a mystery set on Wall Street
.
Sipprelle has been a leader in the Princeton Little League
organization and has been President of the Princeton-Cranbury Babe Ruth League. Sipprelle is also a trustee of the Historical Society of Princeton. He has served on a citizen’s committee which examined property revaluation in the surrounding area. Sipprelle frequently hosts fundraisers in his historic home, which was once owned by President Grover Cleveland
.
Sipprelle is the founder of the Sipprelle Charitable Corporation, where he and his wife Tracy have remained steadfast supporters of local philanthropic endeavors—especially those focused on education and self-reliance programs with regards to combating poverty. The Sipprelle Foundation provided primary funding for the founding of Isles Community Enterprises, an organization centered on financial literacy and micro-lending in Trenton
.
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
candidate for Congress in . Sipprelle founded Westland Ventures, a Princeton
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
-based investment firm, which helps emerging companies by providing growth capital.
Early life and education
Scott Sipprelle, the third of Dudley and Linda Sipprelle's four boys, was born in Santa Barbara, CaliforniaSanta Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
where his father was a high school teacher. Later, his parents joined the US Foreign Service and Scott spent much of his childhood living abroad, primarily in Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. Sipprelle’s parents spent three decades protecting the United States’ foreign policy interests abroad. Sipprelle is a lifelong baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
fan and an avid athlete. He enjoys all forms of outdoor activities, and especially enjoys running, swimming, and biking.
Sipprelle graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Hamilton College in 1985 with a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Economics along with a minor in government. He was the recipient of the Clark Prize in Public Speaking.
Business career
In 2007 Sipprelle founded the investment firm, Westland Ventures. Westland Ventures provides growth capital for emerging companies. Westland Ventures has invested in many young companies, including BlogTalkRadio, Zhena's Gypsy Tea, Narragansett Brewing, and The Bank of Princeton. Sipprelle has served as Chairman of the Advisory Board for The Bank of Princeton.Previous to his 2007 founding of Westland Ventures, Sipprelle was a senior executive in the financial services industry. From 1985 to 1998 Sipprelle worked for Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley is a global financial services firm headquartered in New York City serving a diversified group of corporations, governments, financial institutions, and individuals. Morgan Stanley also operates in 36 countries around the world, with over 600 offices and a workforce of over 60,000....
, where, at 32, he became a managing director and came to head the firm’s Equity Capital Markets Division. In this position Sipprelle was raising growth capital for U.S. corporations.
In 1998, Sipprelle left Morgan Stanley to found his first firm, Copper Arch Capital. Sipprelle's firm gained notoriety for instigating a shareholder revolt against cronyism and mismanagement at Morgan Stanley that eventually toppled the CEO, Phil Purcell. After a decade of managing capital for endowments and foundations, Sipprelle closed his fund in November 2007, a few months before the global stock markets collapsed.
Early political career
Sipprelle first became active in politics when, as a college student, he served as an intern for Senator Pete WilsonPete Wilson
Peter Barton "Pete" Wilson is an American politician from California. Wilson, a Republican, served as the 36th Governor of California , the culmination of more than three decades in the public arena that included eight years as a United States Senator , eleven years as Mayor of San Diego and...
(R
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
-CA
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
). Sipprelle has been active in the Republican Association of Princeton and the Mercer County Capital Republican Club. He currently serves as a Republican Committeeman for the 8th District in Princeton Borough. In 2009, Sipprelle and his wife hosted a Lincoln Day
Lincoln Day
Lincoln Day is the primary annual celebration and fundraising event of many state and county organizations of the Republican Party in the United States...
Dinner for then-gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie.
2010 U.S. congressional campaign
On the night of January 13, 2010, Sipprelle announced his intention of running for the seat. Sipprelle promised to focus on “common-sense solutions” and to take back Washington from the career politicians. This was Sipprelle’s first run for political office, and in a statement he said, “I’m not running for Congress simply to be competitive or put up a good fight.” In a vow to be an independent voice on Capitol Hill Sipprelle said, “Frankly, any Congressman — of either party — who votes with his party boss 98 or 99 percent of the time is just a cog in the partisan machine that is tearing this country apart. He is not exercising wisdom, principle or good judgment, or putting his country first. You deserve better.”Sipprelle was criticized later in January for his contribution to the congressional campaigns of Blue Dog Democrats Allen Boyd
Allen Boyd
Fred Allen Boyd Jr. is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1997 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He currently works for a lobbying firm, the Twenty-First Century Group.-Early life, education and career:...
of Florida, Charlie Melancon
Charlie Melancon
Charles Joseph "Charlie" Melancon was the U.S. Representative for , serving from 2005 to 2011, and the unsuccessful 2010 Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Republican David Vitter.-Early life, education and career:...
of Louisiana, Heath Shuler
Heath Shuler
Joseph Heath Shuler is a businessman, a former NFL quarterback, and the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
of North Carolina, Baron Hill
Baron Hill
Baron Paul Hill is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1999 to 2005 and from 2007 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
of Indiana, and Stephanie Herseth Sandlin of South Dakota.
On the night of June 8, Primary Election
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
Day, Sipprelle won the Republican Primary over challenger David Corsi by a margin of 54-46.
The Sipprelle for Congress campaign website introduced Sipprelle’s “Blueprint for Renewal” which reads:
On November 2, 2010, buoyed by overwhelming support in the City of Trenton, six-term incumbent Rush Holt defeated Scott Sipprelle 53%-46%, with independent Kenneth J. Cody receiving 1%. The narrow margin of victory was notable given Holt's previous two Congressional races in 2008 and 2006 had resulted in landslide winning margins of 28% and 32% respectively. Holt's victory was marred by controversy after he made a claim, later disproved, that Sipprelle had influenced a local revaluation committee in Princeton to lower his property tax assessment.
Personal life
Sipprelle married his college sweetheart Tracy. They are the parents of three children Jessica, David, and Stephen. Sipprelle and his family currently live in PrincetonPrinceton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
.
In September 2009 Sipprelle self-published his first novel, The Golden Dog, a mystery set on Wall Street
Wall Street
Wall Street refers to the financial district of New York City, named after and centered on the eight-block-long street running from Broadway to South Street on the East River in Lower Manhattan. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, or...
.
Sipprelle has been a leader in the Princeton Little League
Little League
Little League Baseball and Softball is a non-profit organization in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, United States which organizes local youth baseball and softball leagues throughout the U.S...
organization and has been President of the Princeton-Cranbury Babe Ruth League. Sipprelle is also a trustee of the Historical Society of Princeton. He has served on a citizen’s committee which examined property revaluation in the surrounding area. Sipprelle frequently hosts fundraisers in his historic home, which was once owned by President Grover Cleveland
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms and therefore is the only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents...
.
Sipprelle is the founder of the Sipprelle Charitable Corporation, where he and his wife Tracy have remained steadfast supporters of local philanthropic endeavors—especially those focused on education and self-reliance programs with regards to combating poverty. The Sipprelle Foundation provided primary funding for the founding of Isles Community Enterprises, an organization centered on financial literacy and micro-lending in Trenton
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...
.
External links
- Business profile at ForbesForbesForbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
- Sipprelle for U.S. Congress official campaign site
- Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org