Leadership at Patagonia
Leadership at Patagonia
Evan was an accomplished mountain climber in the 1960’s, successfully ascending peaks throughout the world. To support his climbing activities, he began selling mountaineering equipment out of the back of his car. This endeavour evolved into Evan Equipment, a full service climbing gear manufacturing and sales operation located in California.
Soon, the focus turned to manufacturing clothing, and in 1973 the Patagonia clothing company was born. The business struggled at first, but by the mid‐1980s sales began to increase, growing from $20 million to over $100 million by 1990. Today, sales volume at Patagonia is around $250 million per year, and the company makes a wide range of products from outdoor clothing and travel gear to fishing equipment.
Evan never aspired to be an executive, but he soon found himself facing business challenges as the founder and owner of an expanding company. Despite the growth, he held fast to the values of teamwork and camaraderie he had enjoyed as a mountaineer. Employees at Patagonia dress as they please (often in t‐shirts and shorts, sitting barefoot at their desks); surf when the conditions at nearby beaches are good (the daily surf report is prominently displayed in the lobby of the corporate headquarters, and employees can take advantage of the liberal flextime policies); and enjoy company‐sponsored ski and climbing trips; a cafeteria serving high quality, healthy food (including a wide range of vegetarian options); a subsidized on‐site day care center; and the option to take leave of absence from work for up to two months at a non‐profit of their choice, while still receiving their full pay from Patagonia. These benefits make the company a highly desirable place of employment—on average some 900 people apply for every open position.
The company is highly committed to environmental causes and a corporate philosophy to “do no harm.” Evan and each of Patagonia’s 1,200 employees try to make
Evan was an accomplished mountain climber in the 1960’s, successfully ascending peaks throughout the world. To support his climbing activities, he began selling mountaineering equipment out of the back of his car. This endeavour evolved into Evan Equipment, a full service climbing gear manufacturing and sales operation located in California.
Soon, the focus turned to manufacturing clothing, and in 1973 the Patagonia clothing company was born. The business struggled at first, but by the mid‐1980s sales began to increase, growing from $20 million to over $100 million by 1990. Today, sales volume at Patagonia is around $250 million per year, and the company makes a wide range of products from outdoor clothing and travel gear to fishing equipment.
Evan never aspired to be an executive, but he soon found himself facing business challenges as the founder and owner of an expanding company. Despite the growth, he held fast to the values of teamwork and camaraderie he had enjoyed as a mountaineer. Employees at Patagonia dress as they please (often in t‐shirts and shorts, sitting barefoot at their desks); surf when the conditions at nearby beaches are good (the daily surf report is prominently displayed in the lobby of the corporate headquarters, and employees can take advantage of the liberal flextime policies); and enjoy company‐sponsored ski and climbing trips; a cafeteria serving high quality, healthy food (including a wide range of vegetarian options); a subsidized on‐site day care center; and the option to take leave of absence from work for up to two months at a non‐profit of their choice, while still receiving their full pay from Patagonia. These benefits make the company a highly desirable place of employment—on average some 900 people apply for every open position.
The company is highly committed to environmental causes and a corporate philosophy to “do no harm.” Evan and each of Patagonia’s 1,200 employees try to make