Bicycle Friendly Business

Mary Black Foundation | Bronze Level

Business Highlights: The Mary Black Foundation offers employees free and secure bike parking, flexible hours to accommodate commuting, and host weekly bike rides for employees. The business promotes Bike To Work Day, as well as Pedal With Your Politician Day. They are also a proud sponsor of community bike events and help promote Hub Cycle bike sharing.

Most Compelling Bike Related Statistic: The Foundation funds, in the amount of approximately $100,000 per year through 2012, a local advocacy group called Partners for Active Living (PAL). PAL's mission is to make Spartanburg County, SC a healthy, more livable community by promoting walking, bicycling and physical activity as a part of everyday life. PAL was instrumental in the city of Spartanburg gaining its Bronze Bicycle-Friendly Community designation in 2007. PAL also runs the Hub Cycle Program, providing free bicycles to anyone living in the community. PAL runs numerous other programs to encourage and promote cycling in the Spartanburg area, including Walk/Bike to School Day, Community Bike Rides, Neighborhood Bike Lane projects, and a Junior Cycling Team.

Most Compelling Bike Related Accomplishment: The Foundation has contributed $70,000 to the Spartanburg County Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan, which aims to create and improve bicycle and pedestrian connectivity (through sidewalks, crosswalks, bicycle lanes, multi-use paths, etc.) by removing gaps and connecting neighborhoods, parks, shopping centers, schools, employment centers, bus stops, greenways and regional destinations throughout the Spartanburg area; to improve safety for cyclists; to fill the gaps in the existing sidewalk and bicycle network; and to create a more walkable and bikable Spartanburg area to help connect people and build community.

Benefits from Being a Bike Friendly Business: Employees using our time off for work policy have been cycling to accrue their time off. Bicycling also boosts morale, and employee health.  Two employees, including the President, have completed the Assault on Mt. Mitchell, which is the highest peak east of the Mississippi. One employee has embraced cycling so much, that he has created a non-profit to support the purchase of bicycles in Africa for HIV/AIDS workers. This non-profit also has a cycling team component.