Outstanding Business Members of 2016

Businesses that support BikePGH play the roles of educators, advocates, community builders and change makers.

Each year BikePGH uses our annual Business Member Appreciation Night to celebrate these businesses and thank them for stepping up into these roles. We are so fortunate that in 2016 our Business Member network grew to 90 businesses. This network continues to grow year after year and allows BikePGH to accomplish all that we do.

Through their support, and the support of our individual membership, 2016 was filled with big wins in all of BikePGH’s program areas: advocacy, education, and community. Here is just a brief look at the progress we made this year:

Advocacy

  • New bike lanes installed on East Ohio St. and new lanes announced for East Liberty, Oakland, Northside and South Side
  • New Citywide Bike Plan developed, first since 1999
  • $800,000 approved to expand the Downtown and Northside bike lane network

Education

  • 1,387 people educated through our programs
  • 53 classes in 29 neighborhoods
  • Programs at 8 Pittsburgh Public and Charter Schools
  • Released 6th Edition of Pittsburgh Bike Map distributed 20,000 copies.

Community

  • Record Attendance for 2016 OpenStreetsPGH – 55,000 over 3 events
  • UPMC Health Plan PedalPGH raised over $80,000 for BikePGH
  • Spinnsters program launches creating a monthly space for women that bike

BikePGH’s Business Member Appreciation Night also allows us the opportunity to give special thanks to those business champions that have gone above and beyond during the year. For 2016, we gave the following awards to the following supporters:


Business Member of the Year

This year UPMC Health Plan stepped up in a big way for healthy, vibrant streets by signing on as BikePGH’s first title sponsor of PedalPGH. With 3,000 participants, PedalPGH is the region’s largest organized bike ride, getting people outside and active, and connects them to Pittsburgh in a new way. The company also hosted a lunch and learn for employees on the basics of bike education, and encouraged employee participation in PedalPGH by giving free and subsidized registrations.


New Business Member of the Year

In an unprecedented first-year partnership, EQT stood as the champion that allowed BikePGH to publish the 6th Edition of the Pittsburgh Bike Map and distribute nearly 20,000 copies. EQT is also invested in employee health, leading a successful bike education lunch and learn for employees, and added an indoor bike parking facility.


Industry Member of the Year

This award is long overdue. For years, Aero Tech Designs has been an unwavering supporter of BikePGH’s mission. They have gone above and beyond; custom manufacturing and donating much of the apparel that we have used for community programs like PedalPGH, Bike To Work Day, and BikeFest.


Small Business Champion

At bikepgh.org, you can see the incredible work of Agency 1903 who through 2015 and 2016 led a complete overhaul of our website into a cutting edge resource. The resource puts all of BikePGH’s educational information, event schedules and advocacy at the fingers of our audience and enables our organization to tell or story and activate grassroots community support.


Organization of the Year

Have you noticed the new transit shelters downtown? What about the bright yellow dumpster transformed into a beautiful mobile parklet? These efforts are the work of Envision Downtown, a public/private partnership between the City of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership.



Looking ahead

We are not exaggerating when we say that 2017 has the potential to be our city’s most progressive year yet for investments in better biking and walking.  With a brand new Complete Streets Policy on the city’s books, a bicycle plan that is about to be released, and a brand new City Department to focus on PGH’s transportation infrastructure, BikePGH needs your support now more then ever. The time is now for you to sign your business up as a BikePGH Business Member.

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