Before you know it, it will be August and you know what that means? UPMC Health Plan PedalPGH will be here!  If you’re interested in participating but wondering how to get your employees or co-workers involved, create a corporate team to ride the city as a group. Check out what these two workplaces are doing to get their employee teams riding in PedalPGH:

 

McKnight Realty

“Those who chose not to participate definitely felt like they missed out on a fantastic experience.”

Last year McKnight Realty set up a corporate team and their team members loved the experience. Gabe Perlow, Associate General Counsel at McKnight Realty, said that it wasn’t hard to get employees involved. He remembers after the first email went out “responses came back almost instantaneously.” This year, they’re expecting even more to participate. Everyone is excited to get the chance to see Pittsburgh from a different perspective that Gabe admits even normal bike rides don’t allow for. He’s said “the route is fantastic, and the fear of cars is alleviated when there are hundreds of fellow cyclists who have your back.”

McKnight Realty saw the benefits of getting their employees involved in PedalPGH before the ride. Gabe noticed that “it helped foster a sense of community and unity that we strive for in our office.” During the event they were able to bond and have a good time. By having the chance to get people together outside of the office, they were able to interact in ways that they wouldn’t normally do. They realized this was the greatest benefit to their company.

 

The Walsh Group

Mark Ulmer with family and friends at PedalPGH 2015.

The Walsh Group is another local business creating a 2016 PedalPGH corporate team. Mark Ulmer, Regional Safety Manager at The Walsh Group, has been their resident bike advocate since his start in 2014. He finds that biking is a great way to promote health in the workplace. Last year, Mark helped create their PedalPGH corporate team and those who participated loved it. This year they have already doubled the employees interested in being part of their team.

One way they are promoting PedalPGH is through their focus on safety. Safety is an important topic for The Walsh Group and they not only promote safety in the workplace but also in their employees’ everyday lives. That’s why they hosted a Bike Education Lunch and Learn in May. Mark understands that “getting a professional helps them learn more about safety and biking.” To him, information is knowledge and knowledge is power. Employees who have more knowledge about biking and bike safety will feel more comfortable during the ride.

The Walsh Group sees employee wellbeing and happiness as the benefits of getting involved with PedalPGH. Employees are most productive when they are happy and healthy, and workplaces that promote safety and health are helping their bottom line. Mark himself believes that “you’re nothing without your health,” and hopes to continue promoting biking and PedalPGH at work.

. . .

Creating a PedalPGH corporate team is not only an easy thing for your company to do, but also gets employees involved in a fun, team-building experience.  Hosting a Lunch and Learn can help you prepare for PedalPGH and provides employees with the chance to learn more about biking and bike safety.  So what are you waiting for, sign up today and host a Lunch and Learn office event!

Quick tips for PedalPGH:

• Understand it is impossible to stay together the entire ride — make sure your team is aware of the route’s rest stops and where the group can meet back up along the ride.
• Plan a meeting spot for the finish line.  If you can, send someone ahead to get a table.
• Organize weekend or lunchtime (#lunchloop) group rides so that participants can physically prepare themselves.
• Register your team today on Eventbrite 

---