Season’s Greetings from B-Line!
I have always looked forward to the dawning of a new year and the opportunity to reflect on the accomplishments of the year behind. This year is no exception. In 2010, while the local and national economy stumbled, B-Line continued to grow and to positively impact our community. Now with several trikes on the road morning to night, B-Line is grateful for the opportunity to employee a staff of ten hard-working, passionate people who are committed to our mission. Of course this wouldn’t be possible without the sixteen wonderful clients and the 100-plus accounts B-Line now services. From our very first client, Organically Grown Company, to our brand new Office Depot routes, our clients share in our vision to create a more livable community one pedal stroke at a time. With the support of the City of Portland and all of its residents, whose shouts of support we hear out on the streets every day, B-Line is fast approaching 10,000 deliveries that would have otherwise been made by carbon-based vehicles. That represents nearly 12,000 miles, 1600 gallons of fuel, and close to 50,000 pounds of CO2 saved from adversely impacting our community. Just imagine what we will be able to do as we continue to grow our fleet with more new trikes in January!
Not only have we grown our core business, but we developed an innovative new solution to leverage this model to address hunger in our community. Our B-Share program demonstrates the power of business to be a catalyst for social and environmental change without losing sight of financial sustainability as well. Under the guidance and vision of my partner Randy Koch, the dedication of Carolyn Holland, and the impassioned advocacy of Roberto Casanueva, the B-Share program has taken off! B-Line is proud of rescuing 17,462 pounds of surplus food from donating partners like Whole Foods Market and delivering it to our partnering agencies Sisters Of The Road, Portland Rescue Mission, Blanchet House, and St. Francis Dining Hall. This equates to over 13,129 meals provided at a mere cost of $.50 per meal. Sisters Of The Road recently shared that much of the cafe’s food budget had been virtually eliminated by B-Shares and that their menu has never been so varied or healthy. Made possible by the generosity of companies who share our vision and crowdsourced donations, the B-Share business model demonstrates how investing in local, creative initiatives has a tremendous return on one’s investment. If you, or your company, haven’t yet participated, I encourage you to do so by visiting www.b-shares.com.
Finally, I hope you will join me in putting out a holiday shout out to our B-Line riders who have been out in the elements charting a new course to prosperity. Alissa, Zak, Roberto, Steve, Jocelyn, Bill Hewitt, and Bill Murdock you all are awesome-- keep up the good work!
Wishing everyone a happy holiday and joyous New Year,
Franklin Jones
