With some Americans increasingly living a more active lifestyle less dependent on cars, a Long Beach company that develops commuter bike stations is pedaling to fast growth.
Bikestation, owned by alternative transportation company Mobis Transportation Alternatives Inc., opened its 12th and largest location yet this month – a $4 million, 1,600-square-ffot facility next to Union Station, across from the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
The facilities are designed to facilitate bike commutes by giving owners a secure spot to store their bicycle. The locations also offer bike rentals, repairs and accessories, along with lockers and showers.
“I think it’s only fitting now to have one of these stations in Washington, D.C., right near the Capitol,” said Andrea White-Kjoss, the company’s chief executive, citing the Obama administration’s commitment to alternative transportation. “We could end up seeing Bikestations all over the country at every major transit hub, and we’d like that.”
The first facility opened in 1996 in Long Beach near the Metro Rail’s Blue Line terminus, with Bikestation operating as a non-profit that partnered mainly with cities or transit agencies to build stations.
But 10 years later, Bikestation couldn’t handle all the demands on its $300,000 budget, so its board formed a new for-profit company called Mobis Transportation Alternatives. Mobis raised $500,000 from angel investors, including Irvine-based Tech Coast Angels, late last year. Mobis said that it has been profitable since it was formed.
Bikestation “is so hot and their solution is so vital to the new green economy, they just couldn’t answer demand for Bikestations fast enough without investors,” said Raulee Marcus, lead investor from Tech Coast for the Bikestation funding. “And their model is proven.”
Most facilities require a membership, which annually costs $100 and allows access to the station’s secured bike parking lot and shower facilities. But those using the station less frequently can purchase 10-day passes for $10 each.
Three more stations are in the works, including one in Covina, and another in Claremont opening next year, White-Kjoss said.
Adding Chile
The Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Chilean American Chamber of Commerce in Santiago, Chile.
The agreement, intended to build more international trade alliances for the local business community, was signed at the three-day Americas Competitiveness Forum in Santiago, Chile, last month. The two chambers vowed to promote and organize trade missions and networking opportunities for businesses based in Los Angeles and Chile, as well as share foreign trade, investment and economic information.
The L.A. chamber has also formed strategic alliances with the Nagoya Chamber of Commerce in Japan; Consejo Empresarial Mexicano in Mexico City; and the Korean International Trade Association in Seoul, South Korea.
Revolutionizing Cargo
The inefficient and polluting goods movement system in Southern California is in dire need of new leadership if it is going to change.
That was the conclusion of a panel last month at California State University, Long Beach, that included university President F. King Alexander, state Air Resources Board Chairwoman Mary Nichols and transportation analysts.
The panel noted how the L.A. and Long Beach ports drafted a plan to reduce pollution, but did so largely without input from others in the transportation system.
“It may be better to have some uniform plan that would bring all stakeholders into drafting a plan like the Interstate Highway System or recently the Alameda Corridor,” said Phil Borden, a professor and cargo analyst on the panel.
Other recommendations include establishing better dialogue among environmentalists and businesses that could avoid lawsuits and appeals that delay projects, which have especially plagued the ports in recent years.
News & Notes
Long Beach-based UTi Worldwide Inc., which provides air and ocean freight-forwarding services, has named Donald W. Slager to its board. Slager, 47, has been president and chief operating officer of Republic Services, a waste collection company based in Phoenix. … The third Metrans National Urban Freight Conference, which focuses on the impact of goods movement in metropolitan areas, will be held Oct. 21-23 at Hotel Maya in Long Beach. More information is at www.metransorg.
Staff reporter Francisco Vara-Orta can be reached at [email protected] or (323) 549-5225, ext. 241.
