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Celebrating 45 New and Renewing Bicycle Friendly Businesses
WASHINGTON, DC — Today, the League of American Bicyclists proudly recognizes 45 new and renewing Bicycle Friendly Businesses (BFBs) for their commitment to encouraging a more welcoming atmosphere for bicycling.
“We’re thrilled to recognize this round of new and renewing Bicycle Friendly Businesses that are not just supporting cycling but are actively weaving it into the fabric of their communities,” said Bill Nesper, executive director of the League of American Bicyclists. “When businesses invest in better biking, they invest in people—employees, customers, and community members alike.”
These 45 organizations join more than 1,300 BFBs across the country that are contributing to the League’s mission of building a more Bicycle Friendly America for everyone. Each Bicycle Friendly Business represents a step forward, bringing us closer to a future where everyone can experience the joy of bicycling and recognize its many benefits from improving personal well-being to building more connected communities.
List of all Summer 2024 Awards + Honorable Mentions | List of all Current BFBs
This round saw a wave of renewals, with many organizations moving up in rank to reflect their strengthened commitment to better biking. Among the notable Platinum renewals were New Belgium Brewing Company in Fort Collins, Colorado, BikeLNK, Memphis Hightailers Bicycle Club, and Seattle Children’s Hospital. Trailblazers, a non-profit based in Bentonville, AR, reached a significant milestone by moving up from Gold to Platinum in a demonstration of their continued leadership in making biking more accessible to both employees and community members across Northwest Arkansas.
Many factors set Platinum awardees apart from their peers, but one we love to see is the impact on the larger community as demonstrated by Seattle Children’s Hospital: “Children’s has helped create a virtuous cycle with our surrounding community where we help normalize and build bicycle commuting while advocating for the safety improvements needed to help more people ride. This continues to benefit thousands of daily bike commuters who use improvements on surrounding streets and trails that Children’s helped pay for or advocate for. As the city gets safer and more comfortable to bike in, we can help more people try riding. As new routes become available, we see more employees feeling capable of biking to work and partaking in our programs.”
We’re also seeing government agencies work to create this change on a regional scale, with a growing number of state transportation departments, city halls, and local planning agencies applying for Bicycle Friendly Business recognition. This round saw two state departments of transportation—New Hampshire and California—renew their BFB status, demonstrating their commitment to incorporating cycling into state-level transportation planning. Additionally, two new city halls, College Station, Texas, and Cheyenne, Wyoming, joined the ranks of Bicycle Friendly Businesses, further illustrating the influence of local governments in promoting biking. We find this trend particularly exciting and hope to encourage even more public agencies to achieve Bicycle Friendly Business awards in the future.
This round also stood out for the significant recognition of trails-based organizations dedicated to expanding recreational biking opportunities. Along with Trailblazers in Bentonville, Arkansas, this round of BFB awardees includes Tri-State Trails (Cincinnati, Ohio), Ozark Greenways, Inc. (Springfield, Missouri), and three trails-focused groups in New Hampshire: Bethlehem Trails Association, Franconia Area NEMBA Trails, and Friends of the Concord-Lake Sunapee Rail Trail. These groups are not only enhancing recreational spaces but also fostering healthier, more active communities and workplaces, as attested by Trailblazers: “By providing resources such as bike parking facilities, showers, and incentives for bike commuting, we’ve significantly increased employee engagement in active transportation, reducing carbon emissions and promoting a healthier lifestyle among our workforce.”
As we celebrate these 45 new and renewing Bicycle Friendly Businesses, it’s clear that the commitment to fostering a culture for better biking is not just growing, but thriving. These businesses, organizations, and government agencies are setting an inspiring example for others to follow, demonstrating that investing in biking pays off in countless ways—from improving employee health and well-being to creating stronger, more connected communities. If your business would like to join the movement, submissions for the next round of the Bicycle Friendly Business program are due on October 30th, 2024.
About the League Of American Bicyclists
Since 1880, the League of American Bicyclists has been people-powered, with a goal to make bicycling safer and easier as a means of transportation and recreation. Today, the League continues to improve lives and strengthen communities through bicycling. We are more than 200,000 members and supporters strong with more than 1,000 state and local advocacy groups and bike clubs as well as thousands of businesses, universities, and communities together leading the movement to create a Bicycle Friendly America for everyone.
About the Bicycle Friendly Business Program
Bicycle Friendly Business awards reflect local leaders’ ongoing work to build better places to bike and evaluate those efforts as part of a national movement. Each of the five levels of the Bicycle Friendly Business award – diamond, platinum, gold, silver, and bronze, plus an honorable mention category – provides a clear path for businesses to continuously improve. Visit bikeleague.org/business to learn more about the BFB program.