company in Australia,” he recalls. Hopper’s project work was initially
Australia-based, with landmark projects including work on the APIN (Army Presence In North) facility in Darwin (1990-1993), Brisbane Casino (1991- 1994), Cairns Casino (1992-1994), Wesley Hospital (1990-1992), and Cairns Hospital (1992-1994). In 2004, however, in a move that would impact the rest of his career, he began a project in the Middle East, as work commenced on the prestigious Palazzo Versace Hotel in Dubai, UAE (2004-2016). “I was consulting on the redevelopment of the Palazzo Versace Hotel on the Gold Coast in Surfers Paradise in 2004 and the client advised me they were planning to develop a Palazzo Versace Hotel in Dubai. I was invited to a kick-off meeting with the Dubai project team in January 2005,” says Hopper. “Working in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) area is a like a box of M&Ms – there are many different varieties of the good, the bad and –sometimes – the ugly, but it is never boring. It is full of interesting challenges.” MTD (Qld) traded until 2013 when
Hopper formed a new company, KHI International Pty. Ltd., In 2018 he founded KHI Technical Services LLC, specifically for the GCC market. KHI International continues to actively work globally in regions other than the GCC.
Moving for opportunities “From 2004-17 I was operating on a fly in/fly out approach with our projects, but in 2018 I was in a meeting with a Dubai- based architect who mentioned that if KHI had a permanent presence in Dubai there would be more opportunities to be engaged on projects. Later that year I was introduced to my local Emirati partner and together we formulated KHI technical services LLC. We established the office in Dubai and the local presence has really increased our project opportunities,” says Hopper. For Hopper, whatever the location,
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the business model “has never changed”, dating back to when he first joined Harley Little. “It is to carry out totally independent service to ensure our clients are provided with the best outcomes for their projects,” he says. He credits the most important business lesson he has learned as simply, “Be ethical. Know beyond doubt that you have done the best that you can to ensure that your client’s interests and requirements are achieved.” The prestige and respect Hopper has built up in the industry, globally, saw him announced as Worldwide President for FCSI in 2010 (see box on opposite page). While he greatly treasures that honor, for Hopper, the act of receiving thanks from a client “for the effort and time that my company and I have invested in their project to achieve the outcome that they were requiring,” ranks just as highly. “I acknowledge that I am learning on every project, but I try to be considerate to my staff and know my success is due to their assistance in my business.”
The ‘Australian Cattle Dog’ approach Hopper puts his longevity down to his “genuine enjoyment” of the foodservice industry. “It is never boring. I still love what I do and would not want to be in another industry. I have always had the ‘Australian Cattle Dog’ approach. Those dogs nip at the cattle’s hooves to keep them moving. Sometimes the dog gets kicked in the mouth and may lose a tooth or two, but they shake their head and start nipping at the hooves again. I never give up,” he says. Hopper also likens his role of that of
a conductor, considering his brother-in- law as senior lecturer at the University of Queensland’s School of Music conducted the orchestra for more than 25 years and was also principal cello in the Tasmanian and Canberra Symphony Orchestras. “You have to be in the center of the orchestra, working together to produce a successful outcome,” he says. For Hopper, the sheer joy of seeing a project take shape – from conception
“I still love what I do and would not want to be in another industry. I have always had the ‘Australian Cattle Dog’ approach”
to completion, is what continues to drive him. “There is an amazing feeling when you take a vision in your mind, then produce that as a free-hand sketch on a piece of yellow trace paper. The drawing is passed over to the AutoCAD or Revit technician and then, when you walk into kitchen, bar, laundry or waste management area, you see the completed installation, you feel a sense of pride in what has been completed,” he says. Despite Hopper having undergone two heart operations five years ago, retirement plans are not on the cards, not when he’s having this much fun. “Consulting is in a fantastically vibrant period here in the GCC,” he says. That said, he is conscious of not
letting his professional life take over his personal life. “I have a wife and two beautiful daughters, and I look forward to sharing in their lives in the future. I enjoy playing sports that do not have a major impact on my knees,” he laughs. “I'd like to take scuba diving and painting up again. I enjoy cooking and watching a good movie. When our dogs were alive, I used to enjoy taking them for long walks.” Finding the balance between business and pleasure is never easy though, and Hopper admits he remains in love with his work. “I like the relentless chase of it all – the fact that there's always another project to go and win. I enjoy that.” Hopper might not have realized his childhood dream of becoming a vet but adopting the Australian Cattle Dog approach in his consultancy life has served him well over the years.
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