If you pay any attention to business or outdoor industry news, you’ve probably heard about Nau (if you haven’t, check out this feature on them in Outside Magazine).
The Portland-based company has high hopes with their new line of sustainable clothing (some of which is made from recycled soda bottles and corn) and their new way of doing business.
A few months ago I got a phone call from their VP of Marketing, Ian Yolles. He said they wanted to launch their new retail store (in Durham, south of Portland) with a series of three opening nights. The idea was to feature a different speaker (or “storyteller” according to Ian) each night that would share perspectives on positive change and community activism.
Knowing that Portland has a rich and diverse bike scene, and because much of the Nau staff rides, Ian decided to devote one of those nights to a discussion about bicycles.
I was honored when he asked if I would share the story of BikePortland.org.
So last night, at their new store in Bridgeport Village, I shared a bit of my experiences in starting and maintaining this site over the past two years. I am definitely not a professional speaker, but I tried to relay how this site fits into Portland’s bike scene.
That Nau chose someone from the bike community to speak at one of their openings — the other speakers are environmental advocate Dee Williams and Oregonian architecture critic Randy Gragg — speaks highly of our position in this city and I was grateful for the opportunity.
Thank you to John, Clint and the rest of Team Beer for keeping it fun; Austin and Natalie from Sweetpea for making the connection; and thank to all the other familiar bikey faces that showed up. Your presence meant a lot to me.
More info:
- Check out Nau’s Thought Kitchen blog.
- Read about Nau in the Portland Mercury.