When Chris Macaulay took the helm as CEO of Killara Outdoors in 2023, he didn’t choose the easy path. He stepped into an outdoor industry valued at over $1 trillion in output — and found a sector fractured by outdated systems, undercapitalized companies, and exhausted founders struggling to scale.

“The industry is massive, but it’s held back by fragmentation and legacy infrastructure,” Macaulay explains. “You’ve got incredible brand equity — but very few companies with the tools or teams to turn that into long-term value.”

Rather than back away, Macaulay leaned in — applying his operational discipline and brand leadership to turn Killara into one of the most compelling platform companies in the space.

Fixing What’s Broken: Operational Modernization as Strategy

Under Macaulay’s leadership, Killara Outdoors has tackled the invisible challenges that plague many outdoor brands: aging fulfillment models, poor supply chain visibility, and back-end inefficiencies that limit scale.

“It’s shocking how many companies still don’t know what it costs them to ship a product,” he says. “We’ve seen legacy businesses with strong brand awareness but no operational backbone.”

Killara’s response? A centralized growth engine that handles logistics, retail systems, digital, and finance — allowing brand leaders to focus on what they do best, without losing control of what makes them unique.

Removing Complexity, Restoring Confidence

Macaulay points to founder overload as one of the most common growth blockers in the industry.

“Most of these entrepreneurs are running on fumes — they’re doing purchasing, payroll, sales, and social media,” he says. “The complexity is crushing them.”

At Killara, he’s built a model that alleviates that pressure: integrating systems and support while preserving each brand’s DNA.

“We’re not here to gut brands. We’re here to amplify what’s working — and give founders the space to lead again.”

A Platform Built on Trust, Not Control

One of Macaulay’s most consistent principles is alignment before acquisition.

“We’ve walked away from deals where the cultural fit wasn’t there,” he says. “If we’re not aligned on values and vision, we don’t move forward.”

That mindset has earned Killara a reputation for being founder-friendly in an ecosystem where trust is often the first casualty of scale.

“Founders don’t want to be stripped for parts. They want to grow with a partner who understands their brand — and protects it.”

What the Industry Needs Now

Macaulay is clear about what’s missing in the outdoor sector: not just capital, but stewardship.

“This space doesn’t need another roll-up machine,” he says. “It needs operational leadership. It needs a platform that scales with purpose.”

And that’s exactly what Killara is becoming — one acquisition at a time.

About Killara Outdoors

Killara Outdoors is a U.S.-based holding company transforming outdoor brands through operational excellence, cultural alignment, and long-term value creation. With offices in Texas, Colorado, and Hong Kong, Killara provides centralized infrastructure and strategic leadership to a growing portfolio of founder-led businesses. Learn more at killara.com.

Media Contact:

press@killara.com

+1 (214) 555-8912