Karl F. Lopker

Pamela Lopker
​
(m. 1981)​
Children2

Karl Francis Lopker (December 19, 1951 – August 25, 2018) was an American business executive who served as CEO of QAD Inc and was a co-founder of Deckers Outdoor Corporation.

Early life and education

Lopker was born in Los Angeles, California, and grew up in Downey, California.[1] He attended Don Bosco Technical Institute and matriculated at the University of California, Santa Barbara from which he graduated with a B.S. in electrical engineering in 1973.[1][2]

Deckers Outdoor Corporation

While a senior at UCSB, Lopker with fellow UCSB student Doug Otto created Deckers Outdoor Corporation in 1973.[3] Lopker oversaw manufacturing of the production while Otto was responsible for sales and distribution.[3] Despite a growing company, Lopker decided he wanted to work in software and was bought out by Otto in 1982.[3] He joined QAD Inc as CEO, a company his wife, Pamela Lopker, founded.[4]

QAD

Despite working at Deckers at the time, Lopker urged then-girlfriend Pamela to start QAD Inc.[5] The Lopkers made the decision to write one of their software programs to be able to run on multiple computers, launching their program, MFG/PRO, and the company to international success.[5] MFG/PRO was also the first manufacturing software program to use UNIX.[5] Lopker also made the decision to recruit PeopleSoft employees after their Oracle acquisition and subsequent layoffs.[6]

UC Santa Barbara affiliation

In addition to attending college at UCSB, Lopker and his wife were both honored by the UC Santa Barbara Alumni Association's "Distinguished Alumni Award" in 1998.[7] The Lopkers made a major donation to the university which resulted in the first endowed chair in computer science at the College of Engineering.[8]

Personal life and death

Lopker married business partner and UCSB alumnae, Pamela Meyer, in 1981 and would later have two children.[1][9] On August 25, 2018, Lopker died of prostate cancer, 13 years after diagnosis.[1][9]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Lopker, Pam (26 August 2018). "Karl Francis Lopker of Santa Barbara, 1951-2018". Noozhawk. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  2. ^ "Bloomberg Businessweek Executive Profile Background". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on July 7, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
  3. ^ a b c Stewart, Ethan (December 8, 2011). "Diamonds on the Soles of Their Shoes". The Independent. Archived from the original on October 21, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
  4. ^ Olsen, Patricia R. (January 23, 2010). "The Joy of a Family Shop". The New York Times. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
  5. ^ a b c Leff, Lisa (February 16, 1997). "Money, Fame And Family". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
  6. ^ Wehner, Ross (January 27, 2005). "California software maker may hire some laid-off Peoplesoft employees". The Denver Post. Denver, Colorado.
  7. ^ "Distinguished Alumni Award". UC Santa Barbara Alumni Association. Archived from the original on March 19, 2015. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
  8. ^ "Karl and Pamela Lopker Help Establish First Endowed Chair in Computer Science". UC Santa Barbara Engineering. Archived from the original on June 3, 2013. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
  9. ^ a b Yamamura, Jean (August 27, 2018). "Deckers and QAD Cofounder Dies". Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved August 30, 2018.

External links

  • QAD executive biography
  • Forbes biography