League Recognizes 34 New and Renewing Bicycle Friendly Businesses

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the League of American Bicyclists is proud to honor 34 organizations in its Summer 2023 round of Bicycle Friendly Business (BFB) awards, with three additional businesses earning an Honorable Mention.  

The businesses represent over 32,000 employees and a dozen public and private industry sectors, and they join 1,451 total BFBs across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. in our movement to build a Bicycle Friendly America for everyone! 

“We are excited to announce these new and renewing Bicycle Friendly Businesses, employers at the forefront of a growing movement for healthier, stronger, and better-connected communities across the nation,” said Bill Nesper, executive director of the League of American Bicyclists. “Ensuring more people – whether employees, customers, or members of the community – can safely choose to bike is part of the solution to many challenges we face both locally and globally, and we’re proud to see businesses investing in opportunities that make a difference.”

Bicycle Friendly Businesses recognize bicycling as a critical aspect of taking action for climate justice in their communities, as evidenced by the growing number of Bicycle Friendly Businesses who are in the energy, utility, and construction industries. In this round, OnSite Energy, Inc. in Bozeman, Montana moved up to a Silver-level, while new BFB Grid United in Houston, Texas achieved Silver-level. 

“As a clean energy company, Grid United aspires to keep its carbon footprint as low as possible. Grid United’s support for bicycling helps us to do our part to keep Houston’s air clean,” the new Silver-level company Grid United wrote in its application.

Lowering environmental impact is also one of many motivations for some of the larger companies in this round as well, such as The Travelers Companies, Inc., which employs 6,800 people at their Hartford, Connecticut campus, and moved up from Bronze to Silver in this round.

On their renewal application, they reported that cycling to work is part of the company’s sustainability and wellness initiatives, and a point of pride for the Fortune 500 company. Among other efforts to earn the higher award level, Travelers shared that “in 2023, the Travelers Employee Cycling Network restarted bimonthly ‘Lunch and Learns.’ To date, the sessions have included bicycle commuting basics, Q&A with regular bike commuters, and a tour of Travelers bicycle commuting facilities/amenities.”

Other employers, like the new Gold-level City of Fitchburg Civic Campus, in Fitchburg, Wisconsin, support biking in their local community by enacting educational programs more broadly for the public and providing access to resources that build support for bicycling throughout the region. As they described in their application, “The City has hosted educational bike tours around Fitchburg over the years, familiarizing residents with initiatives being taken by the City to support local agriculture and protect environmental resources while simultaneously teaching cycling safety and introducing more riders to the local bike network and facilities.” Efforts like these can create change at a grassroots level, and generate long-term growth by empowering citizens to get invested in their own community.  

At the regional level, we’ve seen an increase in planning commissions becoming Bicycle Friendly Businesses. One such agency is the new Silver-level Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission, who has engaged in state-wide advocacy to build a coalition for better bicycling.

Partnerships have been particularly important in their work, as evidenced in their application: “SNHPC staff recently collaborated with NHDOT, the Bike-Walk Alliance of New Hampshire, and other Regional Planning Commissions to celebrate Bike Month on a statewide level. SNHPC created artwork for posters and other materials that were used to promote cycling and cycling activities throughout the state. We were even able to get May 2023 declared as Bike Month in New Hampshire!”

Bicycling also benefits companies by boosting health and wellness for employees. “One of our employees shared that he feels mentally and physically ready to take on the day when he commutes to work,” Bronze-level Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas wrote. “He also likes the community aspect of riding with a group. Our goal is to offer support for this form of physical activity and to reduce as many barriers as possible for employees to start bicycling.”

See the list of 34 new and renewing Bicycle Friendly Businesses and 3 Honorable Mentions // See the full list of 1,451 Bicycle Friendly Businesses 

If your business would like to be recognized for its efforts or receive guidance for being an attraction for people who bike, submissions for the next round of the Bicycle Friendly Business program are due on November 2, 2023, at 11:59 PM PT. 

Apply for BFB Status 

About the Bicycle Friendly Business Program

Bicycle Friendly Business awards reflect local leaders’ ongoing work to build better places to bike and evaluate those efforts as part of a national movement. Each of the five levels of the Bicycle Friendly Business award – diamond, platinum, gold, silver, and bronze, plus an honorable mention category – provide a clear path for businesses to continuously improve. Visit bikeleague.org/business to learn more about the BFB program.

About the League Of American Bicyclists

Since 1880, the League of American Bicyclists has been people-powered, with a goal to make bicycling safer and easier as a means of transportation and recreation. Today, the League continues to improve lives and strengthen communities through bicycling. We are more than 200,000 members and supporters strong with more than 1,000 state and local advocacy groups and bike clubs, as well as thousands of businesses, universities, and communities together leading the movement to create a Bicycle Friendly America for everyone.