Bicycle Friendly Businesses: Great Recruiting Tool

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 mental and physical health of Team Members improves when commuting by bicycle is made easy and accessible. Overall impact to the environment is improved by taking cars off the road for commuters. Our partnership with Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota gives us connections to our city, community and other bicycle-friendly businesses in the Twin Cities. Being a bicycle friendly business is also a positive recruitment tool, as studies show more and more people are trading automobile ownership for public transportation and bicycle transportation.” 

— Target Corporation, Platinum BFB, 10,000 employees, Minneapolis, MN

Target Cycling Club at Wellbeing Expo

“Our support of cycling initiatives demonstrates our willingness and eagerness to make employee interests our interests. This is great for morale and makes our employees feel that we’re always listening to them. Plus, it’s just a fun bonding experience for us all! Aside from the obvious fun-ness of it all, we have seen employee health improve across the board. One of our employees even lost 100+ pounds! Our support of cycling initiatives is also a great recruiting tool.”

— InterWorks, Silver BFB, 80 employees, Stillwater, OK

“The most positive outcome is simply to see our customers commute to the store by bike using the bike lanes outside our business and our conveniently located bike racks. Being a grocery store that is focused on the health and wealth of the community it is great to see our customers doing good for themselves and the environment by biking.”

— PFC (Peoples Food Coop), Bronze, 17 employees, Kalamazoo, MI

“We focus on helping employees balance work and home life. Riding a bike to work is an efficient way to exercise. The company-wide focus on bicycling create a fun and positive atmosphere where employee health and wellness is promoted.”

— Cargas Systems, Bronze BFB, 100 employees, Lancaster, PA

Cargas custom bike rack with company name.

“The most positive outcome of our company’s support for bicycling is getting to watch our customers enjoy riding bicycles. Everyday we are rewarded when customers visit to tell us how much they love their bicycles and how much they love riding in our community.”

— Race Pace Bicycles, Gold BFB, 10 employees, Baltimore, MD

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. 

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