Mike Chipman

Mike Chipman is one of the general partners who possess the largest financial stake in the franchise and in that capacity, routinely provides business insight regarding the future of the D-backs. A graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy with a degree in Computer Science, Chipman spent five years in the basic research arm of the Air Force, attaining the rank of Captain before resigning his commission to pursue a career in civilian life. He spent the next few years as a research scientist working in the area of computational physics, principally at Science Application International in La Jolla, Calif. Chipman then made a huge impact in the computer software industry in the early 1980s when he and his wife, Evy, founded ChipSoft, Inc., the original owner and developer of TurboTax®, the leading income tax preparation software program for consumers and small businesses. Chipman served as President and Chief Executive Officer of ChipSoft until 1990 and Vice Chairman until 1993, when ChipSoft and TurboTax® were merged with Intuit, Inc. ChipSoft grew from a spare room operation in the Chipman's home to a 550-person public company by the time he retired from the business. Since retirement, Chipman has invested in various businesses principally through an Investment Angels group. Chipman has had a hand in the development of the highly successful Bank of Internet USA and has been involved as an investor with other banks in Northern Nevada. He has been an owner of commercial real estate in Arizona for more than a decade during which time he became one of the primary investors in the D-backs. He and Evy make their home near Lake Tahoe, Nev., where he has built a model railroad, complete with nearly 1,700 trees. The Chipmans spend a lot of "baseball time" locally in Paradise Valley after having wintered in Carefree for more than 10 years.