Posts Tagged ‘Portland Pedal Power’

Riding with North St. Bags

Tuesday, May 21st, 2013

When Portland Pedal Power riders head out on a delivery shift, there are a few necessities that they need to carry with them: a cell phone, PPP cards, a receipt book and some petty cash. Until last fall, we were using a random assortment of bags that weren’t well-suited to the job or the Portland climate. Then we teamed up with local bicycling bag manufacturer North St. Bags, and the rest is history.

Colin Wagner, one of our longest tenured riders, recently took some time to tell the first part of the story:

PPP & North St. Bags, Part One: The Idea from Portland Pedal Power on Vimeo.

Breakfast on Bridges

Tuesday, May 14th, 2013
Breakfast on BridgesHave you ever biked across the Hawthorne or Steel Bridge at some point between 7am and 9am on the last Friday of the month? If so, you may have been greeted by a surprise – coffee and doughnuts from a handful of dedicated bicycle enthusiasts! If you’ve experienced this wonderful event, but missed out on the details while enjoying your treat, you were taking part in Breakfast on Bridges, served by the lovely people of Shift.

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Look, Ma! No Broken Bones!

Tuesday, May 7th, 2013

KenOur fearless leader, Ken Wetherell, founder and co-owner of Portland Pedal Power was in a cycling accident. Again. Don’t worry though. Ken is a superhero, and he’s doing just fine. Again.

If you look back at Silver Linings, Ken’s blog post from last year, you’ll see that he rides with a streak of luck behind him. He was in two accidents last summer – he was hit by a car in June and wiped out on a mountain bike in August – and while he suffered some injuries, none of them had lasting effects and they didn’t do anything to break his spirit. An avid cyclist who’s always looking for new ways to reduce wind resistance on his fleet of custom bikes, Ken is quick to get back in the saddle.

This time, he’ll be riding again in no time because of one thing in particular: his helmet.

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The Pyxis Story, Part Three: Portability

Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013

Portland Pedal Power PyxisOver the past couple weeks, we’ve been giving our followers a behind the scenes look at the development of the Pyxis, the cargo bike enclosure that we use to deliver food and all kinds of other products to businesses in Portland. Portland Pedal Power founder and co-owner Ken Wetherell was kind enough to share his insights on The Pyxis Story, giving some background on where the idea came from and where we’re going with it. This week, you’ll see the final piece in this chapter of The Pyxis Story. So take a look at The Pyxis Story, Part Three: Portability to get one more look behind the curtain at Portland Pedal Power.

And in case you missed them, check out Part One: The Concept and Part Two: Improvements to get caught up!

The Pyxis Story, Part Two: Improvements

Tuesday, April 16th, 2013

Portland Pedal Power PyxisLast week’s interview with Portland Pedal Power founder and co-owner Ken Wetherell was just the beginning of the The Pyxis Story. This week, you’ll hear from Ken about the improvements that have been made to turn the Pyxis into what it is today. So take a look at behind the scenes at the PPP headquarters in Southeast Portland and enjoy The Pyxis Story, Part Two: Improvements.

And in case you missed it, check out last week’s video to get caught up: The Pyxis Story, Part One: The Concept

The Pyxis Story, Part One: The Concept

Tuesday, April 9th, 2013

Portland Pedal Power PyxisHave you ever wondered how we came up with the design for the Pyxis, the enclosure that we use to deliver delicious food to local businesses all over Portland? Well, here’s your chance to take a look behind the scenes at Portland Pedal Power. The team recently built a new Pyxis, number seven in our ever-growing fleet, and this time, we documented the process while interviewing Ken Wetherell, PPP’s founder and co-owner and a cargo bike enthusiast. So take a look at The Pyxis Story, Part One: The Concept to learn more about how the Pyxis evolved from an idea into a finished product.

Meet the PPP Operations Team

Thursday, March 28th, 2013
“Busiest lunch ever – 18 deliveries in 1.5 hours.”
That was the message Jenn sent to our co-owner team last month on a day when Portland Pedal Power served over 340 people at numerous downtown businesses on five bikes. Lots of coordination goes on behind the scene to pull this off. Food consistently arrives hot and on time, leaving hungry customers smiling. And we’re gearing up for more — building more Pyxis equipped Yuba Mundos, hiring riders and signing on more clients. It’s an exciting time of growth for us and a good time to introduce the talented people who make it happen every day. They ride, promote, deliver, advertise, dispatch, build, train, innovate, sell, maintain and serve. Meet the faces of Portland Pedal Power!
Jenn
Jennifer Dederich, Co-owner and Head of Operations
PPP would not exist today without Jenn. Full time since day one, she grabbed this project by the horns and wrestled it into submission and eventually into a smooth-running, productive business. Her passion for the business model and her drive for results, continuous improvement and customer delight have moved us further down the road for over four years, doubling our business volume every year. As I said on the first day we ever met — to discuss going into business together — she rocks!
Likes About the Job
“Providing superior service and making people really happy.”
Favorite Moment on the Job
“When everything just flows like butter. When it’s a busy day and it all works out great.”
Least Favorite Moment on the Job
“Weather. Super, super rainy days. Fighting Mother Nature.”

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Five, Count ‘Em, Five PPP Bikes on the Road

Saturday, March 2nd, 2013

It is no secret that Portland Pedal Power is growing. More customers rely on us to bring them food, groceries, and other products. More restaurants, publications, food carts, and stores partner with us to deliver their wares. And more businesses sponsor our bikes to affirm their commitment to sustainability while spreading the word about what they do.

With all of this growth we need to keep building more of our Pyxis enclosures to keep up with the demand. And recently, we had a landmark day for PPP- we had enough orders to have five bikes and riders out on the streets of Portland at one time.

Why do we tout this achievement? (more…)

Aybla Mediterranean Grill

Tuesday, February 26th, 2013

Aybla FalafelThis is the third in a series of interviews giving an in-depth look at the restaurants that your friendly Portland Pedal Power riders frequent as they dash around town making lunch deliveries. Check out the previous interviews with Aaron from Picnic House and Addy from Addy’s Sandwich Bar.

We recently caught up with Saied Samaiel, owner and head chef of Aybla Mediterranean Grill. Aybla first hit the Portland food cart scene with a cart at the SW 10th & Alder pod in 2004. Since then, Saied has expanded his business to include four food carts and a mobile food truck which are all supported by Aybla’s brand new commercial kitchen located in the inner Southeast. And if you don’t have time to go out for lunch, your friendly riders at Portland Pedal Power will deliver your delicious gyros and falafel right to your desk.

But don’t just take our word for it. Check out what Saied has to say about all of his amazing food, as well as the true pronunciation of Aybla and where the name comes from.

Click here to watch the video!

The Portland Bicycle Plan for 2030

Tuesday, January 29th, 2013

Portland Bike LaneHave you ever wondered why Portland is such a great cycling city? Well, take a look at the Portland Bicycle Plan for 2030 and wonder no more! Adopted in February of 2010, the plan suggests that bicycling will be more attractive than driving by the year 2030 if advances are made in six key areas:

• Attracting new riders.
• Forming a denser bikeway network.
• Increasing bicycle parking.
• Expanding programs to support bicycling.
• Increasing funding for bicycle facilities.
• Strengthening bicycle policies.

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