With 153 Bicycle Friendly Business Awards, Program Nears 1,400 Business Partners in Bike Movement

With the latest round of Bicycle Friendly Business awards, a family could fly from their home in Tampa to visit the Grand Canyon and patronize hundreds of bike-minded businesses along the way. Today, the League of American Bicyclists honored 103 organizations with new Bicycle Friendly Business awards and renewed or upgraded 50 others. Notably, five first-time applicants earned the highest Platinum award and the League welcomed the first major airport to the program, Tampa International Airport (Bronze). 

From a transportation hub like Tampa International Airport, which hosts nearly 60,000 employees and visitors each day, to a business known for its bicycle hubs like Industry Nine (moved up to Gold), companies and organizations are transforming the status quo at the local level when they welcome people who bike. The League of American Bicyclists celebrates the communities, businesses, and universities joining the movement to make biking better each year through its Bicycle Friendly America awards.  

“There are few better grassroots ways to make bicycling an easy transportation choice for people than by destinations–the places we want and need to go–becoming Bicycle Friendly Businesses,” said Bill Nesper, executive director of the League of American Bicyclists. “We’re thrilled that these 153 businesses are part of this movement to make our communities stronger, safer, and more connected through bicycling.”

Whether it’s vacation lodging like Delaware North at the Grand Canyon or a Tampa-based shuffleboard bar aptly named Shuffle or a city hall in Arcata, California, there are easy steps every place can take to make it easier for people to get there by bike. The League of American Bicyclists’ Bicycle Friendly Business application offers organizations a blueprint for what it takes to earn an award and move up to higher tiers, like offering employee perks for bike commuting or providing secure bike parking. 

“It shows how much thought an organization has put into welcoming people who bike when it earns a Platinum award on its first application, like Walton Enterprises,” said Amelia Neptune, director of the Bicycle Friendly America program. “But it’s also really impressive to see businesses taking progressive steps to upgrade their award over the years, like Phoenix Bikes, a youth development non-profit in Arlington, Va., that moved up to Platinum this round.”

This round of Bicycle Friendly Businesses also shows how communities are rallying around bicycling being good for businesses. Places like Arlington, Va., Asheville, N.C., Lincoln, Neb., Northwest Arkansas, and Tampa, Fla., are home to multiple businesses earning awards in 2020. Some other facts to note from this round of Bicycle Friendly Business awards:

• Eight organizations were given an Honorable Mention for their efforts to welcome bicyclists 
• 17 bike shops were recognized this round in addition to five companies in the bike industry 
• Awarded businesses in this round employ a total of 36,529 people

The Bicycle Friendly Business program recognizes organizations for the role they play in the ecosystem of building a more Bicycle Friendly America for everyone. The League also awards Bicycle Friendly Universities and Bicycle Friendly Communities throughout the year. Explore this round’s list of 153 Bicycle Friendly Business awards on our website or dive into the full list of 1,366 current Bicycle Friendly Businesses. To learn more about the program or to apply for the next round of awards (deadline is February 20) please visit bikeleague.org/business.