Malinda Pennoyer Chouinard is a long-time resident of Ventura County. She and her husband, Yvon Chouinard, co-founded Patagonia, the outdoor clothing company. The first Patagonia store was established in Ventura in 1972 in the old Hobson meat packing plant on West Santa Clara Street. In 1983, Malinda established the Great Pacific Child Development Center, one of the first onsite preschool programs for employees in the United States. She co-authored a book about the establishment of the center with Jennifer Ridgeway called Family Business: Innovative On-Site Child Care Since 1983. In 2022, she and Yvon transferred their ownership of Patagonia to a trust and a nonprofit organization.This transfer ensured that all its profits, an estimated $100 million a year, are used to combat climate change and protect undeveloped land around the globe. The two also co-founded the California Water Impact Network, a nonprofit dedicated to equitable and sustainable use of California’s freshwater resources for all Californians.