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Yvon Chouinard
Patagonia · Ventura, USA
Climber-blacksmith who built a billion-dollar company and then gave it to Earth.
Principle over profitQuality fanaticismAnti-growth growth
P
Company
Patagonia
Journey
Moves that mattered.
- 1957Forged climbing pitons in his car's trunk.
- 1973Founded Patagonia; clothing funded the climbing gear.
- 1985Began donating 1% of sales to the environment.
- 2022Transferred ownership to a planet-saving trust.
Struggles
Pitons were destroying rock faces — he abandoned his most profitable product on principle.
Family
Married Malinda; family lives modestly despite billionaire status.
Related on Empire
Keep reading inside Empire.
Around the web
External references & backlinks.
- ↗wikipedia.orgYvon Chouinard on Wikipedia
- ↗google.comPatagonia — official site
- ↗news.google.comYvon Chouinard in the news
- ↗crunchbase.comPatagonia on Crunchbase
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The full story
Yvon Chouinard, in 1 chapters.
- Ch 01
The story
Climber-blacksmith who built a billion-dollar company and then gave it to Earth.
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