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IMBA Recognizes Local Bike Shops During Interbike Industry Breakfast |
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Wednesday, 21 October 2009 |
 Dan Thornton, Tom Hughes, and Mike Nix show off their IMBA awards as Mike Van Able, IMBA’s Executive Director, looks on.
Tom, Dan, and Mike are long-time supporters of IMBA-SORBA, and they richly deserve this recognition for their efforts to further mountain biking advocacy in their local areas. Tom has been active throughout the development of the Gainesville State College and Chicopee Woods Mountain Bike Trail systems, and Dan has supported a multitude of projects in the Atlanta area, most recently the creation of the Van Michael Trail at Blankets Creek in Woodstock and the A. L. Burruss Family Mountain Bike Park in Marietta. Mike has long been involved in advocacy and was instrumental is establishing the Western North Carolina Bicycle Dealer’s Association Biker Bucks program, which offers discounts to those who join IMBA-SORBA and perform trail work. These shop owners understand the importance of vibrant, local trail systems and the chapters that make them happen, and they will continue to support IMBA-SORBA’s mission.
"I'm very proud that Free-Flite Bicycles was recognized as one of IMBA's Platinum supporters." said Dan Thornton, Free-Flite Bicycles owner. "Our goal is to help make bicycling one of Atlanta's primary outdoor activities. We take pride in our community and are striving to make our state a better place for cycling," he added.
Tom Hughes says, “Bike Town USA is behind IMBA-SORBA in every way. It’s been exciting to see mountain biking grow in our area, and rewarding to be a part of that. I challenge all retailers who are not involved in local advocacy to take a more active role. It’s one of the best things you can do for your community.”
“Dan, Tom and Mike had the vision to see how their support to local SORBA chapters and our national organization (IMBA) would make a real difference in getting quality mountain bike trails in their communities,” Tom Sauret, IMBA’s SORBA director. “Partnerships like these between the local businesses community and volunteers are key to creating mountain bike recreation opportunities.
Rodd Judd, IMBA Membership Manager, host of the awards ceremony, also outlined an invigorated IMBA retailer membership program designed to help retailers promote their stores as stewards of mountain biking in their respective markets. "IMBA is stepping up its efforts to help you, the retailers, the core of local mountain biking, be linchpins in your markets," he said.
The program features listings in IMBA's media, placement on an interactive map on imba.com, merchandising materials and discounts to help retailers promote their stores as mountain biking centers to IMBA constituents.
"These are tangible marketing tools and we encourage retailers to partner with their local IMBA clubs to maximize their impact."
An outline of the entire retailer program is here: http://imba.com/membership/retailer_membership.html
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 21 October 2009 )
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