Patagonia CEO advises businesses on how to adapt to this political moment

WBUR | By Here & Now Newsroom

Published January 23, 2026 at 11:48 AM EST

A sign for Patagonia is seen outside a store location on Tuesday, May 14, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (Jenny Kane/AP)

Before he was the CEO of the outdoor gear company Patagonia, Ryan Gellert was just a kid who liked going outside. He grew up watching his older brother rappel off the chimney of his family’s house in Florida and became inspired to pick up rock climbing as a hobby. Fast forward to today: He heads up a company whose mission is to protect the natural world.

Gellert joined award-winning journalist Ari Shapiro, former host of NPR’s All Things Considered, at WBUR’s CitySpace on Thursday to talk about how other companies can adapt their business model to do the same.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

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