Congratulations to Nathan Soccorsy, Josh Jensen and the rest of Anchor QEA's Seattle office on certifying BizCycle Silver!

Congratulations to Anchor QEA, LLC for achieving BizCycle Certification and scoring at silver level, earning an impressive 27 out of 50 possible credits.

An environmental science and engineering firm with a focus on shoreline and river projects, Anchor QEA believes strongly in responsible environmental practices in both their external work and internal functions. Promoting bicycle commuting is an integral part of the company’s sustainable business ethic, and is even discussed in the firm’s sustainability plan. Ten percent of employees at the Seattle office commute to work year-round by bike. The firm has set a goal to increase their bicycle commuting rates to 13 percent in the next three years.

Anchor QEA has an impressive bike room to offer secure bicycle parking in their building's garage. The bike hooks even have a loop for a U-lock for added security.

“Anchor QEA’s core values aligned with the goals of the BizCycle program.  As is demonstrated by our mode split, Anchor QEA already had a strong bicycling culture. Applying for BizCycle enhances and formalizes our internal bike culture and provides opportunity to share that enthusiasm with the community,” explained Josh Jensen, an Environmental Planner at Anchor who spearheaded the certification.

But it took some infrastructure and programmatic investments to foster that culture. The office, located at Olive Street and 7^th Avenue in downtown Seattle, has long-term bicycle parking for employees in a bike room in the parking garage. Although accessible to other tenants in the building, the installation of secure bicycle parking was a term of the firm’s lease agreement. Anchor QEA also requested that lockers be installed in the basement for employees to store gear, clothing and toiletries. The firm also participates in the Commute Challenge in May and provides resources on bicycling at health and safety fairs.

Many of the best practices in place at Anchor QEA are a result of company-wide support for bicycling, even at the highest levels of leadership. According to Jensen, “Anchor QEA has a strong lead by example mentality. Bike commuting occurs at all levels of the company including the most senior staff.  Also, the firm has made longstanding strategic decisions and commitment to make bike commuting easy.”

BizCycle aims to award organizations for the existing support they have for bicycle commuting while also providing the motivation—and a little friendly competition—for workplaces to identify what steps they could take to increase the number of employees commuting to work by bike and push them to implement those best practices. Did it work for Anchor QEA? Jensen tells the BizCycle team that Anchor’s internal bicycle committee is using their certification report to identify opportunities for enhancement. On the to-do list: track year-long ridership and begin a bike-buddy system to pair regular bicyclists with potential bike commuters.  Well done, Anchor QEA and congratulations!

How does your organization measure up? Check out our BizCycle certified workplaces, and apply today! To be considered in the first round of BizCycle applicants, applications are due March 15. Contact bizcycle@cascadebicycleclub.org to learn more.

Cascade Bicycle Club  is thrilled to announce that  Washington Bike Law has been certified as a silver level bicycle-friendly business.

Lawyer Bob Anderton was first in the door to apply his business for BizCycle certification, and he has set the bar high.

Advertised as “experienced and effective bicycle attorneys who bike to work and work for bicyclists”, at Washington Bike Law, bikes literally mean business. Anderton and his three-person firm represent injured bicyclists, and they’re also all bicycle commuters themselves.

Washington Bike Law fosters a culture conducive to bicycling. Employees are encouraged to ride whenever possible, and their general needs are supported both formally through financial incentives, secure bicycle parking and lockers; and informally through general organizational camaraderie toward bicycle commuting. When a new member to the firm was riding in on a folding bicycle, Anderton provided funding for a bicycle more suitable for the six-foot-tall lawyer. Anderton’s application even described helping an employee juggle kids and commuting. “Dave, the lawyer with three kids, is getting a three-seated electric assist bike so he will have far fewer reasons not to ride every day,” he said.

Washington Bike Law’s support for bicycling doesn’t stop within the office.  Anderton swept the leadership category with the organization’s avid participation in the current Bicycle Master Plan Update, Anderton’s advocacy work for West Seattle Bike Connections and the West Seattle Water Taxi, and proposed legislation for strict liability in the event of car collisions with bicyclists or pedestrians. Additionally, Washington Bike Law sponsors Spokeswoman Racing and Bike Works.

Washington Bike Law’s application snatched up a total of three innovation credits across three of five categories. In leadership, they are the primary funder of Bike Works’ upcoming Bikes for All program that will provide bikes, gear and safety training to low-income individuals. The firm earned a Programming and Messaging innovation for its new campaign to distribute waterproof spoke cards with relevant bike laws on one side and a “Don’t Door Me!” graphic on the other. Additionally, Anderton served as a personal injury attorney representing six cyclists injured on the South Lake Union street car tracks. Although the suit was thrown out, the effort to improve the safety of streetcar infrastructure was worthy of an Infrastructure innovation credit.

Washington Bike Law’s website states, “Our commitment to these types of cases does more than compensate individual injured bicyclists; it helps make our roadways safer for everyone,” and it is that philosophy that makes the firm a business leader for bicycling. Congratulations to Washington Bike Law and Bob Anderton on Silver Level certification. Keep up the good work!

The BizCycle certification system rates workplaces on a 50-point scale, with award levels at Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum. Certified businesses are featured on our website. The deadline for our first round of applications is March 15, 2013. Our first round of BizCycle awardees will be honored at our annual Bike to Work Breakfast, and the top ten certified businesses will receive special recognition in the Puget Sound Business Journal. 

Contact bizcycle@cascadebicycleclub.org for more information.