Patagonia founder to speak at Executive Speaker Series

Yvon Chouinard, author of “Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman,” and founder and CEO of Patagonia, Inc., will be the guest speaker at a business event Oct. 18 in Seattle.

Co-sponsors of the event are the Washington State University College of Business and Economics (CBE) as part of its Executive Speaker Series, and Fisher Communications as part of the Fisher Business Author Series.

Chouinard will discuss his book about his life and work during a continental breakfast from 8 – 9:30 a.m. at the Seattle Marriott Waterfront, 2100 Alaskan Way. Tickets are $12, and can be ordered by phoning the business college at (509) 335-1386 or by e-mailing supportexcellence@cbe.wsu.edu. Books will be available for purchase at the event.

“Yvon Chouinard is a legendary outdoorsman and entrepreneur, and we are honored that he will be featured at our CBE Executive Speaker Series,” said CBE Dean Eric R. Spangenberg.

The series is a new extension of the CBE’s popular Power Breakfast events that feature prominent executives’ fresh views on leadership and innovation. The morning series has drawn large audiences in Seattle for the past year with speakers such as Washington Mutual CEO Kerry Killinger, Nordstrom President Blake Nordstrom, and Boeing Commercial Airplanes’ Scott Carson. Wells Fargo CEO Richard Kovacevich is scheduled as the next Power Breakfast speaker on April 13, 2006.

Chouinard became a businessperson by taking his passion for mountain climbing and creating Patagonia in the 1950s. His purpose was to design, manufacture, and distribute rock climbing equipment that was of higher quality and less environmentally damaging than what the marketplace offered at the time. In 1964, he produced his first mail-order catalog, a one-page mimeographed sheet containing advice to not expect fast delivery during climbing season.

Patagonia’s worldwide sales today top $260 million annually. In 2001, Chouinard co-created One Percent for the Planet, an alliance of businesses that contributes at least one percent of their net annual sales to groups on a list of researched and approved environmental organizations.

For more information on the CBE Executive Speaker Series, the Fisher Business Author Series, and Power Breakfasts, go to the CBE web site at www.cbe.wsu.edu.