Patagonia founder gives away the company: ‘Earth is now our only shareholder’

WASHINGTON POST • September 14, 2022

Patagonia founder and Lewiston native Yvon Chouinard announced Wednesday that he is giving away the outdoor-apparel company — an unorthodox move intended to help combat climate change and the environmental crisis. In a letter shared to the company’s website, Chouinard wrote that ownership of the company, which was founded in 1973 and reportedly valued at about $3 billion, has been transferred to a trust that was created to protect the company’s values and mission as well as a nonprofit organization.