Want to know what it feels like to win the scholarship of your dreams? Just ask a member of the BikeDenver staff! We received word in December that one of Denver’s top employers, Gates Corporation, wanted to help support our local advocacy efforts in their hometown headquarters. Today, we are pleased to announce that Gates will be BikeDenver’s Advocacy Trainings Sponsor in 2013! Even better, support from Gates came from the highest levels of the company.
When Gates Corporation’s Denver-based Bicycle Division leadership recommended support for BikeDenver, Tribby Warfield, Gates President of North America Commercial, didn’t hesitate. She chose to support BikeDenver’s 2013 ‘dream list’ of advocacy and professional development training opportunities with a $5,000 sponsorship, making it possible for staff to attend the Colorado Bicycle Summit, the New Belgium Brewing Regional Advocacy Conference and the highly regarded European Cyclist Union’s Velo-City Conference in Vienna, Austria. These opportunities will help BikeDenver learn the best practices, standards and techniques that have improved urban cycling in different regions and countries, and lead the effort to create a safer and more welcoming environment for bicycling in Denver.
According to Todd Sellden, Director of Gates Corporation Carbon Drive Systems, making the choice to support BikeDenver was a natural fit: “Gates supported some of the earliest bicycle trails in Denver, and we continue to support the practical and recreational benefits of riding bikes and are proud to support BikeDenver. They have done a great job in moving Denver to a benchmark city for bicycle access and right of way.” BikeDenver Board President Dave Cowan believes that Gates support will pay big dividends in the future: “We will be able to create important new allies and partnerships with other bicycle advocates, planners and decision-makers. As BikeDenver has grown, we have also recognized that our knowledge and experience may be useful to other organizations, and that we have much to learn from other organizations.” Executive Director Piep van Heuven and Policy and Outreach Manager Ryan McCann will attend all trainings, and the entire staff will attend the Colorado Bicycle Summit in Denver this February. Look out for our Vienna Velo-City live tweets and blog this June!
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About Gates Corporation
Gates Corporation is a global, diversified industrial company committed to advancing the science of motion performance by developing safe, forward-thinking products, services, systems, and solutions. Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, Gates employs over 14,000 people across 106 locations in 30 countries. Gates Carbon Drive is a group of bicycle evangelists within Gates Corporation focused on spreading the vision and passion of belt driven bicycles to the world.
