Rich Tennessen (far right), executive vice president of Eppstein Uhen, leads a group of riders past Nolen Shores Condominium Homes in Madison.Tennessen helps organize the company’s Beyond Design Tour each year. Photos submitted by Eppstein Uhen Architects

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett (left) and Greg Uhen, president and chief executive officer of Eppstein Uhen Architects, take a break while commuting during Bike to Work Week.

Tom Stacey, an Eppstein Uhen senior project manager, cruises past the company’s Milwaukee office.

At a glance What: Beyond Design Tour ’08 When: Aug. 13 Registration due date: July 18 Begins: State Fair Park in Milwaukee Ends: Exhibition Hall at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison Fee: $200 donation For more information: Visit the Web site or call 262-457-8494

Getting there on two wheels

Eppstein Uhen encourages employees to commute on bikes

Many in the Milwaukee area took advantage of Bike to Work week in May, but for cyclists from Eppstein Uhen Architects, commuting on two wheels is more than a once-a-year activity.

“Some people bike to work religiously, regardless of the weather,” said executive vice president Rich Tennessen. “Most of our employees live within 10 miles of the office.”

With locations in Milwaukee and Madison, Eppstein Uhen offered special incentives during the Wisconsin Bicycle Federation’s Bike to Work week from May 12 through May 16.

The company contributed $1 for every mile commuted toward the purchase a company bike for employees to use for business meetings or lunch-time errands.

“It’s been a success,” Tennessen said. “[Biking is] even quicker sometimes than driving — quicker, cheaper and healthier.”

The company’s interest in cycling began four years ago when it opened its Madison office.

An idea to pedal about 80 miles from the firm’s Milwaukee office to the new location came up during a brainstorming session, said Tom Stacey, an Eppstein Uhen senior project manager, and the Beyond Design Bike tour was born.

The tour took on a life of its own, Stacey said, and became a major project in its own right.

“It was almost on a whim as a way to highlight the opening of the Madison office,” Stacey said. “Then [Tennessen] took it over and turned it into something unique.”

Money raised during the event is donated to charity. This year’s ride will benefit the College for Kids programs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

“We never would have imagined it turning into something this big,” Stacey said.
Riders in the event come from construction, design and architecture firms with offices in the Madison and Milwaukee areas. Last year’s registrations and sponsorships netted $50,000.

Stacey said the company’s focus on biking increased participation in daily bicycle commuting.

“A lot of people plan their schedules to be able to bike at least two to three times a week in the summer,” Stacey said. “It’s made people rethink their day-to-day scheduling. People now have the mindset that if it’s a 15-minute bike ride, why not? You can ride quite a ways in 10 to 15 minutes and cover a few miles.”

— Melissa Rigney Baxter