Ask Chris Macaulay what separates a good company from a great one, and he won’t talk about product specs or marketing tactics. He’ll talk about people.

In an era where private equity rollups and hypergrowth ventures often sacrifice values for velocity, Chris Macaulay, CEO of Killara Outdoors, is proving that long-term success starts with culture — not capital.

“Culture builds companies,” Macaulay says. “You can fake a product for a while. You can’t fake values.”

Since stepping into his executive role at Killara Outdoors in 2023, Macaulay has been quietly building a platform that now spans offices in Texas, Colorado, and Hong Kong — all anchored by a shared operating system of purpose, standards, and people-first leadership. While many view company culture as a soft metric, Macaulay has operationalized it into one of Killara’s most powerful strategic levers.

“If you don’t define culture, it defines itself — and usually not in a good way,” he explains.

From Concept to Codified Framework

Under Macaulay’s direction, Killara has implemented a robust cultural framework that influences everything from hiring and team development to post-acquisition integration. This system, focused on high standards, clear accountability, and shared outcomes, ensures each brand Killara acquires retains its identity — while benefiting from scalable support.

“We don’t install a one-size-fits-all approach,” Macaulay says. “We elevate what makes each brand special and align it with a shared cadence across the platform. That starts with culture.”

Across portfolio companies, leaders cite Killara’s operating rhythm — from monthly ‘Culture Builds’ to distributed decision-making — as a key reason for the group’s rapid but stable growth.

Culture as a Growth Engine

Macaulay often refers to culture as the “multiplier” — the X-factor that separates teams that execute from those that excel.

“You can give two groups the same capital and tech stack. The one with rhythm, trust, and clarity will outperform every time,” he says.

By embedding culture into daily operations, Macaulay has created an ecosystem where teams scale faster, founders integrate more smoothly, and brand values are not only protected — but strengthened. In industries where founder burnout and post-acquisition drop-off are common, Killara stands out for its commitment to empathy, autonomy, and long-term alignment.

Scaling People, Not Just Products

As Killara expands its footprint across fishing, hunting, tactical, and outdoor lifestyle categories, Macaulay continues to lead with a conviction that people — not processes — are the true engine of scale.

“When we acquire a company, we know we’re inheriting more than assets,” Macaulay says. “We’re inheriting responsibility. And that starts by taking care of the people who built it.”

About Killara Outdoors

Killara Outdoors is a multi-brand platform company scaling purpose-driven outdoor brands across North America. With centralized infrastructure in logistics, manufacturing, sales, and media, Killara empowers founder-led businesses to scale without sacrificing their values. Learn more at killara.com.