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Entries tagged: Bicycle Friendly Employer

Blog contributed by Alliance intern, Camie Rodan

It’s no secret that Pittsburgh is transforming into a great place to be on a bicycle. At their annual membership meeting last week, Bike Pittsburgh (BikePGH) recognized 11 Pittsburgh-area companies that have aided in this transformation, presenting the organizations with inaugural Bike Friendly Employer (BFE) awards.

Backed by the Sprout Fund and the Benter Foundation, BikePGH established the BFE program with goals of facilitating the creation of bike-friendly workplaces, helping bike enthusiasts inform employers of the importance of installing bike amenities, and promoting Pittsburgh as a great place to bike commute.

The inaugural class of Bike Friendly Employers is a diverse group of organizations including: Sprout Fund, Mullen, Whole Foods Market, REI, Google, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, East End Food Co-op, Springboard Design, Urban Design Associates, Chatham University, and OTB Bicycle Cafe.

By participating in the program and rallying employees to support bicycling, each recognized company has lent a strong hand in helping transform Pittsburgh into a bike-friendly city. “A bike-friendly workplace not only serves in attracting talented employees, it also represents a key element in an organization’s sustainability practices,” Lou Fineberg, of BikePGH, says. “In a city still steeped in its smoky heritage by the outside world, bicycling represents a fundamental and highly visible shift of our city’s culture and livability.”

To nationally recognize the city’s shift in culture and livability and further advertise Pittsburgh as a bike-friendly locale, Bike Friendly Employers are urged to apply for national recognition as a “Bicycle Friendly Business” from the League of American Bicyclists.

To get a sense of the creative ways these employers supported biking in Pittsburgh, check out BikePGH’s blog.