S eptem ber 2I, 2 0 II
Minority & Small Business Week
Changing the Face of Biking
continued
from page 15
“Working or volunteering at the
Bike Station allows people to have
stability.” said Sims, “And it’s ajob
everybody can do.”
One man. Matt Hilton. 60, says
if it w eren’t for Sims offering him
a jo b as a church handym an and
donating a mobile trailer for him to
stay in, he may still have been
broke, ho m eless and abusing
drugs and alcohol.
“Bishop is the one and only
person I’ve seen reach into his
own pocket to help someone else,”
said Hilton, who has now been
clean and sober for the past seven
years. He calls Sims his best friend.
W hen Hilton found out that
Sims planned to remodel the space
where the bike station came into
existence, he was the first on the
scene to offer a hand.
“This place was a dum p,” said
H ilton, “W e redid the w hole
thing.” Though the church paid
for the project and Naito supplied
the b uilding, the entire place
needed to be gutted and restored.
r
PHOTO BY C a RI H a CHM A N N /T h E PORTLAND OBSERVER
Bishop K. Sims (left) helps many of his employees and volunteers through rough times in their life.
At the Portland Bike Station, he gives them the opportunity to get job experience and have stable
work while they get back on their feet.
Two years, 900 tiles, lots o f tion was born.
carpet, and one new sprinkler sys-
Open Monday through Friday
tern later, the Portland Bike Sta- from 7 in the morning to 7 at night,
customers can choose from one of
50 or so donated and purchased
bikes for rent at an hourly or daily
Page 3 f
charge. Bike parking is offered at a
monthly rate of $65, weekly $20, and
daily $ 10, with discounts for Dekum
Building tenants.
While the daily commuters park
their bike for the day at the shop,
they can also get their bike serviced
by two in-house technicians, from
minor to full-maintenance repairs.
Drew Wright, a technician who
road his bike from New York to Port
land said, “Safety is the most impor
tant thing, 1 make sure everything is
completely safe before I return it.”
Though the Portland Bike Sta
tion has transformed dramatically
into a fully-functional bike shop,
it’s not quite up to par yet. Bike
parts are in short supply and need to
be ordered for many of the repairs.
Luckily, Sim s’ team of five paid
employees and numerous volun
teers are dedicated to and making
sure the shop is a success and are
writing several grants to find money
to buy more parts.
“What do you give someone that
gave you everything?” said Hilton,
speaking of Sims, his business part
ner for the past four years. Though
recovery comes first for Hilton, his
heart is in the Bike Station. “My
dream is to see my buddy get his
dream- and that’s my dream also.”
O J J
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HI
2011
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Procurement Services
Greg Wolley: 503.823.6860, greg.wolley@portlandoregon.gov
Loretta Young: 503.823.6850, loretta.young@portlandoregon.gov
Gene Jackson: 503.823.9166, gene.jackson@portlandoregon.gov
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