We Like to Bike: Search Influence Teams Up with Bike Easy
May 11th, 2016 by
Whether they’re biking to work, the Fly, or Bayou Saint John, Influencers are big supporters of the city’s growing number of bike lanes. In our recent blog about ways to de-stress, Kiersten talked about her favorite biking destinations around the city. Bike commuters at Search Influence come to New Orleans from cities across the country and commute from neighborhoods all around town.
“I lived in Portland before and NOLA is definitely not as bike friendly, but it is flat and doesn’t rain as much. Biking in NOLA is getting better every week—bike lanes are being added and drivers are becoming more aware.” — Kristin
When the Search Influence headquarters moved downtown in July 2014, our CEO, Will Scott, began riding his bike to work. “It only takes a few minutes more at rush hour and it makes my day go much smoother,” he said. “Granted, in the heat of summer I have to add 20 minutes to shower, but it’s worth it.” Will is definitely energized by what he sees of the cycling culture in New Orleans, “From the Lafitte Greenway, to new types of businesses like the one opening soon at 601 Baronne — ‘Rouler‘ — a bike destination offering coffee, adult beverages, bike repairs, and accessories. It’s an integration of New Orleans and biking in a really new way, and it’s just one instance.”
Community Involvement
Pictured from left to right are Dan Favre, Executive Director of Bike Easy, Angie Scott, COO of Search Influence and Will Scott, CEO of Search Influence.
Search Influence is also a Silver sponsor of the semi-annual Bicycle Second Line, hosted by the non-profit Bike Easy. Scheduled for Sunday, May 22, the next Bicycle Second Line appropriately falls near the end of Bike to Work Month. The team members at Search Influence, however, have found plenty of their own reasons for biking to work year-round.
“I started riding my bike because I was frustrated with the inconsistency and slowness of the streetcar line. I kept riding my bike because of the feeling of satisfaction I got zooming past all of the cars stuck in 5 o’clock traffic.” — Laird
Bike to Work Week
Search Influence has been a consistent participant (and runner-up for companies with less than 100 employees) in Bike to Work Week. We also made a strong showing last year. Partially because the week in April seems to coincide with the start of NOLA’s rainy season, Bike to Work Week brings special challenges, even for the more seasoned bike commuters.
“On the last day of Bike to Work week, I got stuck behind a train at the Bywater tracks for 20 minutes and then blew a tire half a mile from the office. If I was in a car, these two incidents would have tarnished the rest of my day. Instead, I was fortunate enough to spend some time talking to other bike commuters waiting at the tracks. Then, quickly replacing my tire and getting up and running again led to a modest sense of accomplishment. ” — Ray
Our Bike Rack is Famous!
Ultimately, our bike commuters enjoy a number of added perks besides the free parking that make Search Influence a great place to work. Our office building has a gym where we can clean up before work, and the secure bike rack area was even featured in a movie! That’s right—around the 38 minute mark of the movie Parallels, the characters emerge into the futuristic cityscape of the CBD.
Image 1 and 2 by Mary Silva.
