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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEPam Kassner, 414-510-1838

Bicycle Friendly Schlitz Park Underway with State of the Art Upgrades

Milwaukee, WI, June 20, 2011 -- As Schlitz Park gets ready tomorrow Tuesday, June 21 to host the country's top cyclists at the Schlitz Park Criterium, a professional bike race that features one of the most technical and challenging courses in The Tour of America's Dairyland series ( , the 46-acre commercial property is investing nearly $50,000 to create a Bicycle Friendly Schlitz Park.

Efforts under way include doubling the amount of bicycle parking, installing a state of the art safe and secure bike rack system, and providing other tenant bicycling amenities desired to meet the growing demand for alternative ways to commute to work and meetings. During June, Schlitz Park:

  • Expanded bike parking from 7 to 11 locations with 3 more planned for an eventual total of 14 locations
  • Became the first commercial property in the country to install the patented Varsity Bike Dock Rack system to provide parking for 80 bikes. These racks, the first installed in WI, are state of the art in that they provide three points of contact for security, feature materials that prevent metal on metal contact/bike on bike damage and have a wheel support system that accommodates a variety of wheel size wheels, which prevents that domino bike tipping effect. With these racks, Schlitz Park is providing tenants with safe and secure parking that protects their bikes. (Schlitz Park removed all previously installed bike racks.)
  • Installed a covered parking shelter to protect bikes from the weather
  • Published a property specific bike map with suggested routes to and from the property
  • Announced plans for a $30 million renovation that will include two fitness centers with showers providing bike commuters a place to change or clean up

The Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin (Bike Fed), which performed a comprehensive audit of the 46-acre corporate campus located at the former Schlitz Brewery site, says Schlitz Park’s effort is one of the most extensive bike plans they’ve seen. “What Schlitz Park is doing and the scale of their activity is significant. They’re establishing themselves as a leader in the bike to work effortproviding the type of example we promote as we work with businesses across the state," says Kevin Hardman, Executive Director of the Bike Fed.

Adds Schlitz Park developer Gary Grunau, “Schlitz Park is dedicated to providing transportation options to employees working at Schlitz Park, encouraging tenant wellness, and reducing environmental impacts. A Bicycle Friendly Schlitz Park will help retain and attract tenants, especially those desiring a younger workforce. Recent studies show young people prefer working in urban location where they don’t have to drive to work and are close to dining, retail and other lifestyle amenities.”

Schlitz Park is a natural for tenants and employees looking for other forms of transportation to work than sitting in their cars. The commercial office complex is conveniently located to both highways and city streets with easy access to public transit and just steps from some of the city’s newest and most affordable places to live.

Multi-modal commuter Margit Schatzman appreciates that convenience. She is president of Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc., a Schlitz Park tenant with more than 90 employees. “I bike, I take the bus and when I need to, I take my car and I have a parking place. Schlitz Park makes all of those possible.”

But Schatzmanprefers the bike and frequently rides to work and even meetings during the day. “I just hop on my bike. I don’t’ have to worry about parking, circling the block to find a parking place. I park in front and I’m in and out. With bicycling you’re not adding to congestion on the streets. You are being kind to the environment. And there are not only the physical benefits, but also the mental health benefit of being able to bike home after a hard day is such a sensible way to leave the stresses of work behind.”

Bicycle Friendly Schlitz Park is part of a broader effort to make sustainable transportation easier for tenants. Schlitz Park offers preferred parking for hybrid vehicles and was the first corporate campus to install an electrical vehicle charging station.

More than 4,200 employees work in Schlitz Park a 46-acre corporate community that is home to major Milwaukee businesses including ManpowerGroup and Time Warner, a number of healthcare companies and many local non-profit organizations.

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The Brewery Works, Inc., 1555 N. RiverCenter Drive, Milwaukee, WI 53212

414.272.6302