Stephen Cloobeck

Stephen J. Cloobeck
Born (1961-10-26) October 26, 1961
Alma mater Brandeis University
Occupation Businessman
Political party Democratic Party

Stephen J. Cloobeck (born October 26, 1961) is an American businessman and substantial donor to the Democratic Party. He is the founder and former chairman and chief executive officer of the timeshare company Diamond Resorts International.

Personal life

In 1983, he graduated from Brandeis University with a degree in Psychobiology.[1]

Business activity

In April 2007, Cloobeck acquired the publicly traded company Sunterra Corporation and converted it into Diamond Resorts International.[2][3] He is also the chairman of the board of the US Corporation for Travel Promotion.[4] Cloobeck stepped down as chairman and chief executive officer of Diamond Resorts International when the company was purchased by Apollo Global Management, LLC in June 2016.[5]

Charitable and political activity

Cloobeck was chairman of the board of the Nevada Cancer Institute.[6][7] In 2012, he endowed the "Stephen J. Cloobeck '83 Endowed Fellowship" at the Brandeis University International Business School.[2] He was a founder of the Brent Shapiro Foundation for Drug Awareness. He has also worked with a number of other charitable and educational groups.

In 2007, Cloobeck publicly considered running for governor of Nevada, but instead purchased Sunterra.[8]

In June 2011, donated $100,000 to Majority PAC, a PAC oriented to promoting Democratic candidates to the U.S. Senate. The donation was sent as a check from "JHJM Nevada I, LLC," which made the source not readily evident.[9]

On June 3, 2016, Cloobeck donated $1,000,000 to Priorities USA Action, a pro-Hillary Clinton PAC.

As of January 2017, he plans to run for governor in the state of Nevada and would seed his campaign with $5 million of his own money. He told the Las Vegas Review-Journal he has been conducting polling and is still exploring a bid. However, in April 2017, Cloobeck endorsed incumbent U.S. Senator Dean Heller (R) for re-election.[10]

On October 2, 2017, it was reported that Cloobeck donated $400,000 to the Las Vegas shooting GoFundMe campaign setup by law enforcement for benefit of victims.[11][12][13]

Media

Cloobeck has appeared two times on the US edition of Undercover Boss. Cloobeck first appeared in Season 3, Episode 1 (initially aired January 15, 2012), and again in Season 4, Episode 4 (initially aired November 30, 2012)[14][15] On November 7, 2017 Cloobeck appeared on MSNBC and said he told Democratic leaders he would "cut your money off" if they criticize the wealthy, saying: "I've talked to Schumer, I've talked to [Dem. Senator Ron] Wyden [Oregon], I've talked to [House minority leader] Pelosi and I've said if you use the term 'billionaire' again, I'm done. We should be a party of business".[16]

References

  1. ↑ "Executive Profile Stephen J. Cloobeck Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Diamond Resorts Holdings, LLC". Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  2. 1 2 "Executive Leadership & Staff". The Brand USA.
  3. ↑ "Undercover Boss Features Cloobeck of Diamond Resorts International and Brand USA". Discoveramerica.com. Archived from the original on October 12, 2012. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  4. ↑ "Chairman of the Corporation for Travel Promotion Introduced President Barack Obama at Bellagio Fundraiser". Retrieved October 4, 2012.
  5. ↑ "Apollo Global to Buy Diamond Resorts for $2.2 Billion". Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  6. ↑ Executive Profile Stephen J. Cloobeck
  7. ↑ Stephen J. Cloobeck Archived July 16, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Nevada Cancer Institute
  8. ↑ Stephen J. Cloobeck – Golden Nuggets For Diamond Resorts International, by Sharon B. Drechsler-Scott, RRP
  9. ↑ Readers: Help Us Discover a Secret Donor, by Michael Luo, New York Times, February 4, 2012
  10. ↑ "This potential Democratic gubernatorial candidate just endorsed Nevada's GOP senator for re-election". Daily Kos. April 26, 2017.
  11. ↑ WTHR Staff (October 2, 2017). "GoFundMe for Las Vegas victims surpasses $2.2M mark in donations". 13 WTHR Indianapolis. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  12. ↑ Levenson, Eric (October 3, 2017). "GoFundMe for Las Vegas victims passes $3 million". CNN. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  13. ↑ Martin, Ken (October 3, 2017). "Las Vegas businessman gives $400,000 to aid massacre victims". Fox Business. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  14. ↑ List of Undercover Boss (U.S. TV series) episodes
  15. ↑ "Undercover Boss - CBS.com".
  16. ↑ Levine, Jon (7 November 2017). "Wealthy Dem Stephen Cloobeck Blasts Party for Attack on Rich: 'Effing Wrong' (Video)". Yahoo!. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
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