Summary
On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell is joined by Jenn Dice, president and CEO of PeopleForBikes, and John Paul Shaffer, the Northwest Arkansas Bike Business Innovation Director for PeopleForBikes. PeopleForBikes is a non-profit organization focused on uniting individuals and businesses to make bike riding better for everyone. They accomplish this by helping communities quickly build better places to ride. Throughout the episode, James, Jenn, and John Paul discuss PeopleForBikes’ current lobbying efforts, what they’re working on in the NWA region, and the upcoming Shift ‘22 conference.
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Show Notes:
(1:17) Introduction to Jenn and John Paul
(3:49) PeopleForBikes’ Mission
(4:38) Current Lobbying Efforts
(7:09) Making the Cycling Industry More Inclusive
(9:29) Why PeopleForBikes Chose NWA
(11:20) The Biking Scene in Bentonville
(14:37) PeopleForBikes Work in the Region
(20:15) About the Shift ‘22 Conference
(27:33) Closing Questions
Links
JAMES BELL
JENN DICE
JOHN PAUL SHAFFER
PEOPLEFORBIKES
SHIFT ‘22 CONFERENCE
Quotes
“We really believe the bike makes life great and believe in the profound effect the bicycle can have on lives in communities. So we’ve been centering on this mission of making America a place where bike passes and trails are ubiquitous.” – Jenn Dice, (4:02)
“We do a lot of work in the equity mobility space, making sure all people have a chance to move around their communities freely. There’s not a one-size-fits-all aspect, so we’re lobbying for different purchase incentives or tax credits.” – Jenn Dice, (6:29)
“It’s the same mindset of if we want people to make a behavior change, we need to equip them with the knowledge and the gear. But also on the other side, let’s program things that make them want to get out and ride a bike.” – John Paul Shaffer, (14:53)
“Our three tracks are diversity, equity and inclusion; climate change or sustainability; and fostering assembly manufacturing in the United States and growing jobs.” – Jenn Dice, (21:19)
Improving Communities One Bike Trail at a Time
On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell is joined by Jenn Dice, president and CEO of PeopleForBikes, and John Paul Shaffer, the Northwest Arkansas Bike Business Innovation Director for PeopleForBikes. PeopleForBikes is a non-profit organization focused on uniting individuals and businesses to make bike riding better for everyone. They accomplish this by helping communities quickly build better places to ride. Throughout the episode, James, Jenn, and John Paul discuss PeopleForBikes’ current lobbying efforts, what they’re working on in the NWA region, and the upcoming Shift ‘22 conference.
The Aspirations behind PeopleForBikes
“We really believe the bike makes life great and believe in the profound effect the bicycle can have on lives in communities. So we’ve been centering on this mission of making America a place where bike passes and trails are ubiquitous.” – Jenn Dice, (4:02)
PeopleForBikes’ mission is to make America the best place to ride a bicycle in the world. They achieve this by improving community infrastructures, implementing public policy, and increasing participation. Last year, PeopleForBikes’ successfully secured seventy percent more funding from Congress for bike-related structures such as trails, single tracks, bike parks, etc. Therefore, their main job right now is to get states, cities, and communities to build those projects.
Furthermore, another big initiative of PeopleForBikes is electric bicycles. E-bikes are currently in high demand and are becoming more popular as a mode of transportation and for recreational fun. As a result, PeopleForBikes is highly focused on making sure the appropriate infrastructure, such as paved paths, is in place so people can enjoy their e-bikes. The next thing on PeopleForBikes’ agenda is lobbying for purchase incentives to be passed at the state and local levels due to e-bikes being more climate-friendly.
“We do a lot of work in the equity mobility space, making sure all people have a chance to move around their communities freely. There’s not a one-size-fits-all aspect, so we’re lobbying for different purchase incentives or tax credits.” – Jenn Dice, (6:29)
Breaking Down the Upcoming Shift ‘22 Conference
Shift ‘22 is a conference hosted by PeopleForBikes with a variety of events, including UCI World Cup cyclo-cross races, Outerbike Bentonville, and the Life Time Big Sugar gravel race. The purpose of this conference is to cultivate, grow, and empower current and future leaders in the biking industry. Over the course of the three-day conference, participants will attend educational sessions, network with industry peers, and ride world-class mountain and gravel trails that will expose them to the beauty of the NWA scenery.
The Shift ‘22 Conference aims to bring the bike industry to this part of the world so PeopleForBikes can amplify Bentonville’s success stories. Bentonville is quickly turning into an epicenter for bike supplier businesses and bike shops. This furthers PeopleForBikes objective of developing the bike industry workforce in America. During the educational sessions of the Shift ‘22 conference, PeopleForBikes will be sharing the experiences of companies like Allied that have set up shop in the NWA region.
“Our three tracks are diversity, equity and inclusion, climate change or sustainability, and fostering assembly manufacturing in the United States and growing jobs.” – Jenn Dice, (21:19)
Get Connected!
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