Karl F. Lopker

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.

Karl F. Lopker
Born
Karl Francis Lopker

(1951-12-19)December 19, 1951
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
DiedAugust 25, 2018(2018-08-25) (aged 66)
Santa Barbara, California, U.S.
EducationUniversity of California, Santa Barbara (B.S. 1973)
OccupationBusiness executive
Years active1981–2018
EmployerQAD Inc
TitleCEO
Spouse
​
(m. 1981)​
Children2

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, it was announced that Lopker had died of prostate cancer, 13 years after diagnosis.[1][9]

References
  1. 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. 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. 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. Yamamura, Jean (August 27, 2018). "Deckers and QAD Cofounder Dies". Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
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