Bicycle Friendly Business
Our Bicycle Friendly Business, Community and University programs are all guided by what we call the 4 E’s. These principles guide how each entity is evaluated and eventually awarded an honor. The latest 161 Bicycle Friendly Businesses, which we announced just last week, excelled in many of these areas. Because there were so many great examples and innovative ideas in each application, we decided to share! Today’s post includes some of the best Education initiatives we learned about in this latest round of applications. Stay tuned this week for posts on the rest of the E’s!
Our Bicycle Friendly Business, Community and University programs are all guided by what we call the 4 E’s. These principles guide how each entity is evaluated and eventually awarded an honor. The latest 161 Bicycle Friendly Businesses, which we announced just last week, excelled in many of these areas. Because there were so many great examples and innovative ideas in each application, we decided to share! Today’s post includes some of the best Encouragement initiatives we learned about in this latest round of applications. Stay tuned this week for posts on the rest of the E’s!
PayPal has plenty of accolades: It’s one of the largest internet money transfer services, it’s got hundreds of millions of registered users and operations in many countries throughout the world. The latest? It’s a Gold Bicycle Friendly Business! (Read more about our latest round of Bicycle Friendly Business awardees here.) It’s La Vista, Nebraska, operations center — one of two main operations facilities in the United States — has earned the title, leading by example in a state that has not had the best record with regard to supporting and encouraging bicycling. PayPal’s La Vista office is a shining example: They have a bike share system on campus, they financially support bike-centered non-profit organizations and their programs and encourage employees to ride to work.
During this week’s #BikeChat, we chatted with Amelia Neptune, @Neptuna, the Bicycle Friendly Business program manager, about this latest round of awardees and what’s ahead for the program. Read on to learn more about how to convince your company’s leadership of the benefits of bicycling, how to encourage others to apply, and more! And mark your calendars for next week’s #BikeChat as we celebrate the first day of National Bike Month!
Following our announcement yesterday, Walmart’s Home Office in Bentonville, Arkansas, is one of the newest Gold-level Bicycle Friendly Businesses. The 23,000+ employee headquarters has an 80-bike bike share system on the campus, a 12-month educational program to encourage employees and their families to ride more, and has partnered with the city of Bentonville on events in the community.
Today, the League of American Bicyclists has awarded 161 new and renewing Bicycle Friendly Businesses in 31 states and Washington, D.C. With this Earth Day announcement, the program has grown to include more than 950 visionary local businesses, government agencies and Fortune 500 companies from across the country that are changing the script on what it means to provide a top-notch experience and atmosphere for employees and customers alike. “On this Earth Day, the League recognizes and applauds the efforts of these business leaders across the country,” said Andy Clarke, President of the League of American Bicyclists. “Their leadership is setting a precedent in their communities, states and the nation for what it means to practice what you preach. They are forging a better future for us all by investing in a more sustainable future for the country and a healthier future for their employees.”
You might find it odd for a reflective gear company to leave the safety talking points out of its marketing to consumers. But for Nick Drombosky, that’s what makes his Pittsburgh-based company, Fiks:Reflective, work. His company’s tagline says it all: “Stay safe without looking like a traffic cone.” “Safety doesn’t sell to a big market–safety sells to mothers and then safety sits in the bottom of a drawer,” Drombosky said. “We make cool products that people want to use, want to brag about, and post pictures of. Look at our Instagram or Facebook: we have 15-year-old kids all over the world wanting to get their hands on our products. Find a safety products company that has that.”
We released our latest round of Bicycle Friendly Business awardees — this biggest round ever for the program — this week. Over the next week, we’re highlighting some of the best stories we heard from the new and renewing honorees. For Phelps, a marketing and communications firm in Santa Monica, Calif., biking to work starts with biking to lunch. This post comes to us from Wesley High, an IT specialist with Phelps, which is a new Silver-level Bicycle Friendly Business.
Today, the League of American Bicyclists announced 150 new and renewing Bicycle Friendly Businesses (BFB) in 39 states and the District of Columbia. The largest group of awardees in the program’s history, this latest round grows the ranks of BFBs to more than 800 businesses, government agencies and Fortune 500 companies in 46 states and the District of Columbia.
Boise, Idaho, and Pittsburgh, Pa., had to laugh last spring: They were both tied for the most Bicycle Friendly Business awardees all-time in their cities. Both sides were then determined to reach the top spot come this Fall. Well, they both did a great job recruiting businesses to recognize the benefits of bicycling in the workplace, encouraging several businesses to apply. Boise and Pittsburgh, as of today’s Fall announcement, are tied again, with four new businesses each! Today, we hear from Boise’s Dave Fotsch, the director of Boise Bike Share, about this cities efforts this round. It’s going to be an exciting Spring for the Bicycle Friendly Business program…