BFB Spotlight: The Coloradoan

The Coloradoan, a Fort Collins, Colorado, based newspaper, is one of the newest Silver-level Bicycle Friendly Businesses. The Coloradoan is one of now more than 1,000 BFBs across the country. We caught up with Lauren Gustus, Executive Editor, and Emily Schillmoller, an advertising sales representative for the newspaper, about how they achieved Silver status.

What does this award mean to the Coloradoan?

As a Platinum Bicycle Friendly Community, bikes are a critical and celebrated part of Fort Collins’ culture. We are home to the first-ever Tour de Fat, an annual bike parade hosted by New Belgium Brewery that now takes place across the country. In Fort Collins, tens of thousands ride. More than 15,000 bikes are parked on the Fort Collins campus of Colorado State University each day.

The Coloradoan is honored to be recognized as a BFB in Fort Collins! Being recognized not only positions the Coloradoan as a business that encourages our employees to live a happier and healthier life, it also shows our commitment to creating a safe and supportive cycling community. 

We loved reading about your bike share program, The Bike Archive. How does that work?

The Bike Archive is new to the Coloradoan this year. It includes 14 bikes, locks, lights, and helmets available to employees to check out – for a ride to lunch or for the weekend. We also have a car rack, as well as informational material such a trail maps, tip sheets and biking information from the city. Big thanks to Recycled Cycles, a local business that helped us get off the ground. By offering bikes to employees, we are promoting a healthy and active work culture, which makes for a happier team.

Has a bike culture within the company changed the Coloradoan’s approach toward stories related to bicycling in the community? 

As a news organization, we have always been committed to reporting on bicycle safety, accidents, news and information. Earlier this year we published a series called “Ironman Down,” about a local cyclist training for the Ironman who was hit by a car that left the scene. We’ve also hosted bike safety forums. Also this year we added a transportation reporter, who covers how we get around our city – including by bike. Our Editorial Board has also advocated for additional bike lanes and greater awareness of people who ride.

Where does the Coloradoan go from here? 

Platinum designation! We will continue to encourage our employees to utilize The Bike Archive by offering safety courses, motivation from our leadership team, and new incentives to ride. As a news source, we are committed to educating the community about local biking issues and information.