Karl F. Lopker
| Karl F. Lopker | |
|---|---|
| Education | University of California, Santa Barbara (B.S. 1973) |
| Occupation | Business executive |
| Years active | 1981– |
| Employer | QAD Inc |
| Title | CEO |
| Religion | Catholic[1] |
| Spouse(s) | Pamela Lopker (1981– ) |
Karl F. Lopker is a business executive who is the current CEO of QAD Inc and is a co-founder of Deckers Outdoor Corporation.
Early life and education
Lopker attended the University of California, Santa Barbara and graduated with a B.S. in electrical engineering in 1973.[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 Inc
Despite working at Deckers at the time, Lopker urged then-girlfriend Pamela to start QAD Inc.[1] 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.[1] MFG/PRO was also the first manufacturing software program to use UNIX.[1] Lopker also made the decision to recruit PeopleSoft employees after their Oracle acquisition and subsequent layoffs.[5]
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.[6] The Lopkers made a major donation to the university which resulted in the first endowed chair in computer science at the College of Engineering.[7]
References
- 1 2 3 4 Leff, Lisa (February 16, 1997). "Money, Fame And Family". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
- ↑ "Bloomberg Businessweek Executive Profile Background". Bloomberg. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
- 1 2 3 Stewart, Ethan (December 8, 2011). "Diamonds on the Soles of Their Shoes". The Independent. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
- ↑ Olsen, Patricia R. (January 23, 2010). "The Joy of a Family Shop". The New York Times. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
- ↑ Wehner, Ross (January 27, 2005). "California software maker may hire some laid-off Peoplesoft employees". The Denver Post. Denver, Colorado.
- ↑ "Distinguished Alumni Award". UC Santa Barbara Alumni Association. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
- ↑ "Karl and Pamela Lopker Help Establish First Endowed Chair in Computer Science". UC Santa Barbara Engineering. Retrieved October 14, 2014.