Harreld Newman "Kip" Kirkpatrick III (born September 20, 1971) is an American businessman, entrepreneur and former Northwestern Wildcats men's basketball player.
A three-year varsity player at Henry Clay, he helped lead the Blue Devils to the Sweet Sixteen and several district championships under legendary coach Al Prewitt.
[5] Kirkpatrick was nominated for the GTE Academic All-American team by his coach, Ricky Byrdsong, and finished his career with 686 points, 263 assists, and 297 rebounds.
[6] Kirkpatrick won The Billy McKinney Award in 1994 and helped lead his senior class to the second round of the NIT in 1994, including wins over Michigan and DePaul.
[11]In 2024, Kirkpatrick and his wife Sara announced a $5 million gift to Northwestern University athletics to build a new softball stadium and facilities.
[1] Under Kirkpatrick’s leadership, the firm grew rapidly, expanding its national presence, transforming the workplace culture, and growing the staff by more than 800 people.
[16][17] During Kirkpatrick’s tenure, USFS was recognized as one of the fastest-growing companies in Michigan, a “Best and Brightest Companies to Work for in Metropolitan Detroit,” and “One of the Top Workplaces.”[18] In 2013, Kip Kirkpatrick and Martin Nesbitt published their manifesto “A New Vision for Investing in America,” where they outlined a plan for a different kind of private investment firm whose commitment to the welfare of communities, businesses, and workers would play to the financial benefit of investors, because "running a business the right way leads to higher returns.
[21][22] They avoided calling The Vistria Group a private equity firm because "the label evokes images of Gordon Gekko-types from Wall Street.
We want to partner with middle-market businesses and help management teams attract talent, land new customers, develop new products, and navigate the changing landscape,” Kirkpatrick told Kellogg Connections magazine.