Page 14 - ISI_162_JuneJuly

PAGE 14 SPOTLIGHTS IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT • JUNE / JULY 2020

CARGO BIKES
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13
“When I discovered that
the pedicabs I was buying were
not the caliber that I needed.
I decided to form a company
and start building pedicabs
with sturdier features,” said
Morris. The same company
in Madison, Wis., that put out
the face shield design, created
the original pedicab style for
Morris.
After he designed the
cycles, Morris found a busi-
ness in Darby, Mont., that
was making recumbent bikes
and was willing to help build
the prototype. For a year they
tried to make the two products
simultaneously, but the floor
space was simply not large
enough, and the Darby loca-
tion provided some logistical
challenges.
One of the first drivers
Morris hired was still with
him at the time. Justin Bruce
moved to Montana, became
the COO, and started looking
around for another place to
build pedicabs.
In 2015, after using a
less-than-satisfactory loca-
tion near the Missoula airport,
Bruce met Mike Boehme and Individuals at the Senior Connection in Hailey, Idaho, often ride the pedicab on nearby bike trails or in the community’s
parades. Photo courtesy Senior Connection.
Steve Nelson, who were the
new owners of the former Stimson Lumber Montana purchased one for dining services After dark on the evening of the festi-
Mill site. to transport catered food across campus. val, the pedicab drivers put on a moving
Morris arrived from the Bay area, and the The library in Hayden, Idaho, purchased performance to display the numerous lit
two Coaster Cycles men met with Boehme two cargo bikes to do wellness and mind- lanterns that bobbed in the air above the
and Nelson. They struck a deal to lease fulness activities with teens and tweens in pedicabs. Spectators also signed up to ride
7,600 square feet of the 1880 vintage stone open settings. in the pedicabs after the parade.
building and received financing from a local The Senior Connection in Hailey, Idaho, When the economy reopens, Coaster
bank to expand their business. purchased a pedicab to give seniors recre- Cycles will make pedicabs and cargo-car-
As the company increased its fabrica- ational rides on nearby bike paths. rying cycles again. In the meantime, the
tion, assembly, and shipping capabilities Some cities are now choosing to make company demonstrates adaptability by
during the next four years, it grew into streets motorized-vehicle free, which makes making the face shields.
almost 25,000 square feet of the stone Coaster Cycles in even higher demand. As “I estimate that we will be making face
building’s space. part of production, the company also details shields for some months, because emer-
About the time the company began to the cycle, especially the cargo box, to mar- gency stockpiles have to be restored. Also,
build pedicabs, businesses like the United ket the customer’s product. it’s likely that a lesson has been learned not
Parcel Service started telling Morris they Every customer has a different rea- to depend completely on other countries for
wanted freighters to use in large cities for son for buying one or a fleet. A delightful manufacturing,” said Morris.
last-mile delivery. example was in 2017 when the Philadelphia “Whatever our product, our company is
Cargo cycles are easier to maneuver Association for Public Art commissioned in Montana to stay. We can ship from here
around a city than a truck, and custom- Cai-Guo-Qiang, a Chinese artist, to create all over the world,” said Morris.“The people
ers salute these cycles because they are a the special effects for the Fireflies Festival, from the governor’s office, to the banks, and
zero-emission method of transportation. celebrating public art. on to the neighbors we have at our business
Coffee, ice cream, and beer vendors, as Cai-Guo-Qiang designed many- have been extremely supportive.” ISI
well as marketing agencies, purchased cargo shaped, colored paper lanterns lit by LED
box-style cycles to sell their products along lights. He purchased 27 pedicabs from To find out more about Coaster Cycles check online: www.
streets, on sidewalks, and in parking lots. Coaster Cycles and had them delivered to coastercycles.com.
Customers have many different reasons his warehouse where he retrofitted the
for buying the cargo cycles. The University of pedicabs with the lanterns.

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