| 07/14/2001 | Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates Wins Bike to Work WeekKendall-Jackson Wine Estates led the pack this year during Bike to Work Week, retaining its title in the San Francisco Bay Area as the company with the strongest commitment to alternative commuting.
Kendall-Jackson had the highest participation rate among large employers during the ninth annual Bike to Work Week, according to RIDES Inc., the non-profit sponsor of bike week and other efforts to boost air quality and ease traffic.
The winery placed second in 1997, 1998 and 1999 among Bay Area employers with at least 500 employees. The winery claimed first place in 2000, then held onto its title this year when 6 percent of its work force biked to work some time during the week of May 14-18.
Bike to Work Week inspires many winery workers to try biking for the first time, and reinforces the healthy routine of veteran riders.
"Biking always gives a person a great sense of renewal," said Francisco Gonzalez. The cellar worker at La Crema Winery, part of Kendall-Jackson, takes his mountain bike every day on his 22-mile round trip to work.
"I lost my belly, my legs are strong as a soccer player's," Gonzalez said. "It gives me a good attitude -- I'm always ready to go."
Daniel O'Reilly, a Kendall-Jackson marketing analyst, travels his 60-mile round-trip commute by bicycle three times a week. The organizer of the winery's Bike to Work Week, he credits the company for helping make it a success.
The winery offers riders premium parking where they work. Winery headquarters in Santa Rosa features showers and bike racks. An in-house drawing makes every rider eligible for prizes.
O'Reilly said BWW raises awareness about global warming and congested roads, but it has other unexpected benefits too.
"What I like most is the camaraderie it builds among co-workers," he said. "There's a general sense of hilarity on bike days that comes from getting a little exercise in the morning. And of course, if people know that at least one day of the year they can leave their cars behind, they might discover it's fun and try it again."
Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates graphic artist Gwen Tunzini is a BMW convert.
"Two years ago was my first Bike to Work ride," she said. "That refreshed my interest in biking, and now it's my passion."
Since 1977, the non-profit organization RIDES has helped people find smart ways to commute in the San Francisco Bay Area. At no charge, it helps commuters arrange vanpools and carpool, and provides information on bikes, mass transit, diamond lanes and more.www.kjsales.com
|
|
|
