Wells Fargo sponsors free bike rentals in Colorado • Kinetic Koffee featured in entrepreneurship book • Ohio students bike 52,000 miles for Bike To School Challenge • Tim Jackson to 'enhance ride experience' at DealerCamp • Rolf Prima hires Thomas Kern
BOULDER, CO (BRAIN) Friday June 1 2012 11:26 AM MT—Wells Fargo is sponsoring free bike rentals at community bike sharing facilities in Boulder and Denver, Colorado, during Wednesdays in June.
The bank is sponsoring Wells Fargo Wednesdays at Boulder B-cycle and Denver B-cycle. The promotion gives free 24-hour access (normally $5 in Boulder and $8 in Denver) that allows them to take unlimited rides during their membership period (60 minutes in Boulder and 30 minutes in Denver). Longer rides incur the standard usage fees in both cities. Those who take advantage of the promotion will also be able to purchase annual memberships in either city at a discounted rate.
"Bike sharing is a concept that's quickly becoming a fixture in cities across the country," said Elizabeth Train, Boulder B-cycle's executive director. "Support from corporate sponsors and partners like Wells Fargo is critical, and we hope the free Wednesdays this June will encourage new users to try our bike-share systems."
Due to the increased demand anticipated, Bike to Work Day (June 27th) will not be included in the promotion.
Kinetic Koffee featured in entrepreneurship book
ARCATA, CA (BRAIN) Friday June 1 2012 11:46 AM MT—Kinetic Koffee, a gourmet organic coffee roaster that targets the cycling market, is featured in a new book, “The $100 Startup - Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future,” by Chris Guillebeau.
Guillebeau interviewed 1,500 entrepreneurs from all over the world. The most intriguing 50 made the final cut and were considered for inclusion in the book.
The owners of Kinetic Koffee, Mark Ritz and Charlie Jordan, are featured in a chapter focusing on demographics. Kinetic Koffee was used as an example of how traditional demographics no longer apply in modern business. The book also mentions that Kinetic Koffee donates 10 percent of its net profits annually to outdoor and cycling non-profits.
Ohio students bike 52,000 miles for Bike To School Challenge
ROCKY RIVER, Ohio (BRAIN) Friday June 1 2012 11:51 AM MT—More than 4,000 students at middle schools in Northeast Ohio participated in the 2012 Bike To School Challenge, May 7-25. Organizers said the students took 15,868 roundtrip bicycle rides to school during the three-week program, logging 52,084 miles on their bikes.
“Bike To School Challenge is unique and is the best of its kind in the nation,” said Chris Speyer, executive vice president of Raleigh Bicycles and president of the Bicycle Products Suppliers Association, who travelled to Northeast Ohio to attend the challenge’s closing ceremonies at each school.
“I have never seen a bike-to-school program that generates the level of participation and excitement that this one does.”
The event has a lasting effect, too, said Tracey Bradnan, the marketing and events manager for Century Cycles, a regional retailer that sponsors the challenge.
"Today— five days after BTSC ended and with no prizes at stake — 270 bikes were counted at Bay Middle School (34 percent of the school biked) and 187 were counted at Rocky River Middle School (30 percent)," Bradnan said.
Tim Jackson to 'enhance ride experience' at DealerCamp
LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA (BRAIN) Friday June 1 2012 11:59 AM MT—Industry mainstay Tim Jackson, who recently left BH Bikes/Pivot Cycles, will be a brand ambassador at this year's DealerCamp. Jackson will join road rides and other activities to assist guests.
"After attending the event as an exhibitor for the first time last year, I was in love with Dealer Camp," Jackson said. "From the riding, to the scenery, to the way the event was organized, I was hooked. It's such a great event and LBE has done such a great job of creating a place for dealers and brands to have quality conversations, and the timing is perfect for making actual buying decisions before the avalanche begins ... And, let's be honest, getting to ride all day and enjoy the scenery and spend time with my many friends in the industry feels a whole lot more like a vacation than 'work.' I'm gonna stuff my jersey pockets with gel packs, spare tubes, and CO2 cartridges and play the role of ultimate domestique for the week... and I couldn't be happier," he continued.
Rolf Prima hires Thomas Kern
EUGENE, OR (BRAIN) Friday June 1 2012 12:10 PM MT—Rolf Prima has hired Thomas Kern of TKRep Group to manage Northern California, Reno and Hawaii.
“As the marketplace gets more and more competitive, we want to be sure our dealers have all the support we can give them,” said Pete Moe, sales and customer service at Rolf Prima. “We want to be sure to support those who support us, and Tom has the experience and background we were looking for.”
Kern has more than 10 years of experience in the outdoor industry and is an active cycling and outrigger racer. Competing mostly in track, he holds multiple Oregon state medals and was fourth in the team sprint at the State Track Championships in 2009.
Related: Previous News Briefs
