These 25 businesses are bicycle-friendly

We all know that communities can be bicycle friendly, because the League of American Bicyclists tells us so.

Now they've announced 25 businesses for 2009 that are bicycle friendly as well. On the list are breweries (2), hospitals, bike stores, bike manufacturers, law offices and more.

The Biking Bis headquarters neighboring city of Seattle had the most bicycle friendly companies — three, following by San Francisco, Portland and Madison, Wisconsin, with two each.

The League of American Bicyclists started honoring companies in 2008 when it named 13 to the list.

The program names socially responsible businesses that promote healthy, happy and green workplaces. According to LAB:

“BFB winners provide amenities such as securre bike parking and shower facilities and motivations such as incentives to commute by bike, company bike rides and club, and Bike to Work Week promotions.

“When bicycling is infused in an offic or company culture, great things happen: reduced health care costs, more productive employees; improved worker and customer satisfaction; smaller carbon footprint, and increased corporate social responsibility.”

Here's a LAB press release about the bicycle friendly businesses award (I can't figure how they arrive at 34 businesses — 25 in 2009 and 13 in 2008, according to their lists.) Here's the list for 2009:

Platinum:

Bike Gallery, Portland, Oregon
New Belgium Brewery, Fort Collins, Colo.

Gold

CatEye North America, Boulder, Colo.
David Baker & Partners, San Francisco
Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle

Silver

Bear Valley Inn, Olema, California
Kona Bicycles, Ferndale, Washington
Liberty Bicycles, Liberty, North Carolina
Mad Dog Cycles, Orem, Utah
Providence Portland Medical Center, Portland
RDG Planning and Design, Omaha, Nebraska
San Francisco Landscapes, San Francisco
Sierra Nevada Brewery, Chico
Toole Design Group, Hyattsville
University of Wisconsin, Madison

Bronze

Avtech Corp., Seattle
Blue Wheels Bicycles, Charlottesville, VA
Broken Spoke, Iowa City
Erik's Bike Shop, Bloomington, Minn.
Fluor, Greenville, SC
Schreiber Anderson Associates, Madison, Wisconsin
US Open Cycling Foundation, Providence, RI
USAA, San Antonio, Texas
Washington Bike Law/Anderton Law Office, Seattle
World Bank Group, Washington DC

Congratulations to all these businesses. May we all get to work at places like these one day.