It’s gone 7am, and for millions in The Golden Gate City, the day is only just beginning.
Hap Klopp, however, has already been up for hours.
At 78 years of age, he’s still got that ‘seize the moment’ attitude – the kind that pulses through the veins of every hungry entrepreneur constantly trying to find more hours in the average day.
Since establishing The North Face in 1968, Hap has lived the globetrotting lifestyle of the international businessman – carrying his briefcase across time zones for more than fifty years.
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Even in 2019, he spent the best part of 180 days a year on the move.
The pandemic has meant Hap – who spent his childhood in the outdoors and later launched a clothing company committed to exploring the wild – has moved around significantly less than he might have liked.
“I’ve always prided myself as someone who’s travelled the world all the time,” Hap tells The Manc.
“I’m looking forward to a time when we get back to some degree of normalcy.
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“But I’m keeping busy.”
And indeed he is.
When Hap’s not periodically returning to The North Face – a company worth £3 billion – to offer guidance and insight about the business he ran for two decades, he’s writing books, mentoring young workers, and taking seats on company boards.
His work takes him to several continents, but one of the projects Hap’s currently most excited about is happening right in Manchester: REVIV.
Run by Denton-raised Sarah Lomas – who starred in BBC documentary Manctopia – REVIV is one of the world’s fastest-growing health and wellness businesses, operating from an HQ in St Ann’s Square.
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Their latest concept is HELIIX – COVID management software that enables companies to keep staff safe in the workplace like no other system before.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlsZzYISd-Y
“As someone who’s been in business for a long time, the thing that’s key is having some certainty,” Hap explains.
“Uncertainty is the hardest thing to deal with. And COVID is probably the most uncertain thing that’s popped up in quite some time.
“Being able to forecast costs and constantly changing regulations… it’s impossible to keep up with that manually.
“But a tool that can manage employees’ health, tell you when it’s safe to bring people back, and calculate COVID costs – all on a dashboard you can have on your phone? That’s really exciting.”
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After more than half a century as an entrepreneur, Hap’s seen just about everything. So, when you’ve got the business guru “really excited” about something, you’re likely onto a winner.
In his role as REVIV’s non-executive director, Hap provides insight based on his own experiences.
And there’re few better people in business to have on your side.
Hap was already running his first business aged 22, taking the reins of the family firm when his father passed away.
The young entrepreneur spent his first year at Stanford University flying back and forth between California and Washington – managing the business in between his exams.
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“I negotiated the sale of the company whilst I was getting my MBA,” Hap tells us.
“I was able to sell it at the end of my first year.”
Hap graduated from Stanford in 1966 with two diplomas and a proven track record of running a business. But he still found opportunities somewhat hard to come by.
“I kinda believed someone would wanna hire me to run a company – I mean, I’d already run a company and had a Stanford MBA… but nobody really did that,” he laughs.
“I looked around and thought what I might do is what a lot of entrepreneurs do; go to a big company, learn a little bit, and keep my eyes open for opportunities.
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“I had a lot of ideas about how a company should be run, but they didn’t fit with the times. I didn’t believe in planned obsolescence which was the nature of the day. I believed in sustainability.”
One interview Hap attended was with multinational Procter & Gamble.
During the meeting, the HR department told Hap he wasn’t allowed to use his nickname (he must go by his real name Kenneth instead) and warned him he’d have to wear a white shirt and tie (despite the fact he was dressed in exactly that way for the interview).
It wasn’t his scene.
“I knew I was outta there,” Hap says.
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“That [interview] taught me what big business was all about then. Companies were hiring very selectively, and what I decided is if you can’t work for anybody else and have all these ideas that don’t fit – you need to start a company of your own.
“You have no idea how big it’s going to be, but at least it’s going to be one that you love and be proud of.”
Hap, having been raised in the great wide outdoors in Spokane, soon stumbled across a concept that struck a chord: The North Face.
The climbing equipment store had been set up by husband and wife Douglas and Susie Tomkins – two would-be entrepreneurs who found love whilst hitchhiking (and later went on to launch Esprit).
Hap knew he could flesh out the idea and turn it into something bigger.
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“When you’re raised in Spokane, you spend most of your time in the outdoors. You go hiking, climbing, scrambling, skiing… I felt I knew what a good product was. I studied for six months about the outdoor industry and founded The North Face.
“Back then, people were only going a few hundred feet rather than deep into the wilderness, because climbing equipment was so heavy.
“My idea was to disrupt. We took materials that the U.S. military used in the Vietnam War and applied them to camping. We lightened the load by 50% and created a new backpacking industry.
“In ‘68, people were marching in the streets for a variety of reasons; people were just about to go on the moon. I had dreams of changing the world and making it better with a company that did some good.”
After spending twenty years at the helm and turning The North Face into an internationally renowned hiking brand, Hap continued to get involved with people, ideas or companies who were ‘disrupting’.
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These included businesses specialising in digitisation and nanotechnology. But also health and wellness; which is particularly pertinent in the current climate.
“Finding solutions to one’s health and intervening early – that’s the future,” Hap says.
“That’s why REVIV interested me. What really got me excited was some of the initiatives they had – including DNA analysis.
“They were working on this system that showed how different food affected different people.
“If the cost for an app like that was tolerable – then that’s a real step towards being active in preserving health and wellness.”
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With a new, more infectious strain of COVID accelerating in the UK, workplaces are under immense pressure to get it right when it comes to social distancing and taking care of their staff.
And REVIV’s latest innovation – HELIIX – is designed to do exactly that.
“REVIV immediately pivoted when COVID hit,” Hap says.
“That’s what I liked and similar to what we had in mind at The North Face; this idea of being socially responsible.
“They started offering not-for-profit COVID testing in the UK and US, and started providing information during a time when everyone was starved of it.”
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As much as Hap enjoys REVIV’s repeated attempts to disrupt, there’s this other attribute that’s keeping him so actively involved in business – long past the point many of his contemporaries might have retired.
“They’re doing good for the world,” Hap says serenely.
“And that’s what’s important.”
Business
MediaCity launches brand new state-of-the-art creative content space
Danny Jones
Exciting times for Greater Manchester and young talent as a brand-new state-of-the-art content creation space has just launched over in Salford.
Over the past decade, MediaCity has become a highly celebrated creative and cultural hub, home to the likes of the BBC, ITV, Lowry and more.
It’s become more than just an outpost accessible via a short tram ride but a true heavyweight of the media and creative industries here in the UK, always looking to expand and push the boundaries.
Now, following the completion of its latest project, MediaCity looking to provide a space for future generations of content creators and aspiring media makers.
Credit: MediaCity (supplied)
This brand new £600,000 state-of-the-art content creation space marks a huge milestone in MediaCity’s continuing journey as not just a Northern hub for digital and creative innovation, but a go-to national destination for future media.
Designed to cater to the growing climate of cutting-edge content creation and offer a professional workspace at an accessible rate, Content Studio provides a range of versatile creative spaces, including light, dark and podcast studios – perfect for video and stills production, castings, photoshoots and more.
Curated by University of Salford alumni Ashley Salmon the studio has been designed to meet the needs of modern content creators, influencers, social media stars, brands and businesses of all kinds.
Promising to offer both a dynamic and inspiring space where people can produce high-quality and innovative content while fostering a supportive creative community, this place aims to live up to Greater Manchester’s media reputation: industry-leading.
The Content Studio will also be made accessible to students and creatives spending time over at the MediaCity campus, with a good chunk of the core production team including recent graduates from the University, giving them a valuable platform to showcase their skills and kickstart their careers.
Credit: Supplied
For the first time, creators will have access to a range of industry-quality facilities at an affordable rate, with spaces starting from just £10 per hour – a super reasonable price point, especially these days.
To further enhance the creative process, MediaCity has partnered with experienced on-site production companies to ensure every booking is fully equipped with all the facilities for seamless content creation.
Boasting everything from infinity walls and green screens to cameras, audio gear, props and pretty much everything you’d ever need.
To make things even sweeter, hiring the content creation space also comes with the option of one-on-one consultations, so creators can focus on creating rather than coordinating.
Even those who require significantly more space and tech requirements will be able to make use of the neighbouring dock10 studios.
Through a partnership with local creative community group Heads, creators will also have plenty of access to exclusive workshops and upskilling opportunities, ensuring they stay ahead in the ever-evolving digital landscape.
Credit: Supplied
The MediaCity Content Studio isn’t just another content creation/production space – Greater Manchester has tonnes of those – it’s also an exciting new outlet for new talent, collaboration, innovation and inspiration, not to mention an investment in the future.
Anyone working out of the space will have the tools to carve their own path and help shape the future of entertainment and digital media in the North and beyond.
To mark the launch of the new content creation space, MediaCity is even introducing a new podcast, This is MediaCity in partnership with University of Salford and produced by Stephen Chapman, Founder and Creative Director of 39 Pictures.
The podcast is set to spotlight the people and stories that make this particular corner of 0161 the creative powerhouse we know, love and remain immensely proud of.
Director of Marketing and Place at MediaCity, Caroline Aikman, said of the exciting project: “Content Studio represents our commitment to nurturing the next generation of digital creators and innovators.
“By providing the tools, spaces, and inspiration, we’re not just supporting the future of content—we’re empowering it. This marks an exciting chapter in MediaCity’s journey, cementing our reputation as the go-to destination for digital creativity.”
Salford Red Devils confirm new owners after completing takeover
Danny Jones
The takeover of Salford Red Devils has officially been completed with the club revealing their new owners this week.
Confirming a full change of ownership on Friday, 7 February, the Greater Manchester rugby league side has handed over 100% control to an investment bank.
Pending full ratification from the Rugby Football League (RFL), news of the buyout couldn’t have come at a better time as the Red Devils prepare to get their season underway in just a week’s time.
Sharing a lengthy statement on the club site, they informed supporters of the decision “that secures the future of the club.”
The update explains that following extensive talks with stakeholders, the Community Benefit Society (CBS) and Salford City Council, the purchase of the Super League rugby club has been approved.
It has now been revealed that Salford has been taken over by a group of investors led by businessman Dario Berta, a Swiss banking insider, former director of the global UBS financial group and now CEO of Matanel, which specialises in real estate.
The update goes on to detail that Chris Irwin, the former Chief Commercial Officer at Salford Red Devils and more recently Exeter City Football Club, has rejoined the club as the new Chief Executive Officer.
Most importantly for Salford Red Devils, Berta and co.’s first act following the takeover was to clear all of the club’s debts and put forward “additional significant investment for future growth.”
This will be music to fans’ ears, no doubt, especially given the less-than-ideal order handed down by the RFL given the state of Salford’s books and recently enacted financial regulations.
The process of recruiting a new internal management structure is already said to be underway ahead of the final green light to the new owners, though it is understood to be merely a formality at this stage.
CEO Irwin is said to have met with Paul Rowley, Kurt Haggerty and the current men’s first-team squad at the Salford Community Stadium in Eccles on Friday morning ahead of training.
Although squad reinforcement is inevitable as part of the investment, the statement goes on to clarify that “there will be a selection restriction for this weekend’s Challenge Cup Third Round fixture against the Midlands Hurricanes” but will be lifted ahead of their 2025 season opener.
Significant funds will also be allocated towards stadium redevelopment and the wider club infrastructure. New owner Berta went on to state: “This is the start of a very bright and successful future for Salford…
“I’m very proud to be involved, and with Chris at the helm, I feel like we have the perfect opportunity to build something special. Our focus and dedication now is to work together with stakeholders and fans to build sustainable success on and off the pitch for the long term.”
Salford City Mayor, Paul Dennett, added: “I’m very happy to welcome Dario Berta to Salford and look forward to working closely together to see an exciting future for Salford Red Devils, building on the successes of the last five years.”
The Red Devils are set to get their new domestic campaign underway against St Helens in their Super League opener on Saturday, 15 February.
Meanwhile, international rugby has returned to our screens and Manchester city centre has plenty of places to watch every second of the action.