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Bicycle Friendly Businesses: Fresh Energy and New Relationships
Last week, the League of American Bicyclists announced 114 businesses, agencies and organizations that have joined the growing list of Bicycle Friendly Businesses (BFBs) around the country. The review process for BFB recognition includes a comprehensive online application, as well as surveys distributed to employees and local bike advocates, and concludes with a feedback report for each applicant.
In addition to covering important topics like bike parking, bicycle commuter incentives, and employee bike clubs, we ask every BFB applicant to “briefly describe the most positive outcome of your company’s support for bicycling.”
In honor of National Bike to Work Week this week, we’ll be sharing some of our favorite responses to this question from Spring 2018 BFB applicants. Read on to find out why your company should support bicycling, too!
“The biking community at AIR has been able to connect, to find support with each other, to share resources and information, and to advocate for additional resources for our peers. We have normalized alternative commuting, where before there were barriers to commuting by bike for many people. The entire city of Boston has made bike safety and access a priority and we have a healthier, happier employee population because of it.”
— AIR, Bronze BFB, 440 employees, Boston, MA
“Connecting our mission with cycling has brought fresh energy and countless new relationships into our work, including several employees who started through our connection with cycling. Cycling also helps to connect the national office to our local chapters through the rides, and has raised over $2 million towards helping families have a decent place to call home.”
— The Fuller Center for Housing, Silver BFB, 13 employees, Americus, GA
Fuller Center Bike Adventure riders at the U.S. Capitol
“As more people choose to bike to work, we see a positive culture among the different bikers in the office. Those same individuals tend to be a resource when another employee is looking to buy a bike, or find a good route for a ride. It’s a positive social impact.”
— Damon Farber Landscape Architects, Silver BFB, 16 employees, Minneapolis, MN
“We’ve seen the cycling scene grow in Pittsburgh since we have opened and we feel we have been a part of the engine of that growth.”
— OTB Bicycle Cafe, Gold BFB, 20 employees, Pittsburgh, PA
“1. Reduced health care costs from the health benefits of cycling. 3M is a self insured company meaning that reduced health care costs flow directly to our bottom line.
2. Increased employee engagement for participants of the Bicycle User Group. The Bicycle Users Group at 3M has become one of the largest employee-driven communities at 3M with over 3,200 members in 27 countries. Engaged employees are more productive, more committed to their organisation’s success and have an enhanced sense of their own well-being.
3. Enhanced employment brand helping make 3M a preferred employer, especially among millennials.”
— 3M Company, Gold BFB, 10,000 employees, Saint Paul, MN
3M employees at Bike to Work Day
Learn how the Bicycle Friendly Business program can help your business or organization to become more bicycle-friendly at https://bikeleague.org/business. For #BiketoWorkWeek, we’re offering 20% off the BFB application fee. Submissions must be finalized by Sunday night (5/20 at midnight ET). Use the discount code BTWW2018. Apply at apply.bikeleague.org.