Sponsors!

To conclude the trip through the team, we are going to finish up with the sponsors. These sponsors mostly have an affiliation with the team and we are glad to have their support for the season and beyond.

Through the judicious use of our sponsors services, you could build a house, roof it, fill the garage with bikes, go out for food and drink, market your company and set up a retirement account for yourself and your employees. Since one of the owners of Two Wheel Transit is also a pediatrician, if we just added a crematorium to the list next year, we could take pretty good care of you from birth to death, because shelter, pizza, ice cream and bikes cover most of our needs, doesn't it?

Two Wheel Transit - From Geoff Forshag, "First of all, thanks to all of the other sponsors for helping field this world class team." Geoff also had this to say about the reasons he and Bruce decided to sponsor the team, "We chose to sponsor the team for a second year because it presents a face to the community and is comprised of diverse riders. In terms of what possible good will come of it? Well it takes a village to tease the owners of the shop and it keeps them out of jail." (Editor's Note - "them" would appear to be an ambiguous pronoun reference in this sentence. Is it the team or the bike shop owners we are keeping out of jail. Only time will tell.)

Official Blurb -
Two Wheel Transit is a long-standing, locally-owned, independent bike shop. We repair and service all types and brands of bikes. We pride ourselves on technical excellence, customer service and a friendly atmosphere. All level of cyclists are welcome from kids to racers and everything in between. We believe in cycling to help make the world a better place and the importance of community involvement.

Team Comment -
Damn Straight. And Thanks.

The Scoop Patrick, one of the owner's of The Scoop, agreeably provided me with answers to a couple of questions.

Q - Would you please send me a few sentences or paragraphs describing your company and including information that you would like the blog readers to know about your company?

A - The Scoop does business up on the South Hill on the corner of 25th and Monroe. We are a small neighborhood shop selling great coffee, yummy sandwiches and the best ice cream in Spokane.

Q - Why did you decide to sponsor Team Two Wheel, or, in other words, what possible good could come from encouraging these people?

A - I'm just hoping to get a free t-shirt or something out of this deal. I might even settle for a pair of socks. (Editor's Note - I hate to disappoint him, but I'm not sure we are doing t-shirts or socks this year. We were hoping that giving away free ice cream was his fondest wish . . .)

Q - What is your favorite local bike ride or route?
A - Any ride with my friends. Any ride that includes a stop at Cheddar Chad's. My favorite route is from my house to REI. Least favorite is from my house to work.

More of a request than a Q - And lastly, please give me your website address and contact information you don’t mind having shared on the internet.
A - We are: The Scoop, 1001 W. 25th, Spokane, WA. 509-535-7171. We might have a Facebook page. (Editor's Note - I checked Facebook and 1) if you search for "The Scoop" you get a Hollywood gossip site - check out the latest on the Biebster!; and 2) if you carefully search for Scoop, Spokane, you will find that someone set up a community page, but they are not officially Facebooking yet. I didn't know businesses could survive without Facebook these days?!)

To round out this look at the Scoop, I also asked the Dean of Spokane Cycle Blogging, John Speare, to give me his personal opinion of The Scoop (Editor's Note - This blog's very FIRST celebrity endorsement):

The Scoop is an obvious ice cream destination. They serve amazingly
high-sugar, high-fat, highly-great Brain Freeze ice cream, made in the Perry district. So there's the ice cream. But what many people don't know is that the Scoop has one of the best drip coffees in town. With free refills. They serve Bumpercrop coffee and they brew it in small batches. Another relatively unknown great thing about the Scoop is that they have fresh made, interesting hot wraps: a vegetarian breakfast wrap, a mushroom wrap, some bacon thing. They're about $5. So the net here is that the Scoop has a lot more in the food realm to offer than just ice cream. It's worthy of a post-ride gorge.

The best part of the Scoop though are Patrick and Elissa. They own it. They have built it up slowly and the place is unmistakeably marked by each of their personalities. Patrick, the latent artist, has hand-painted all of the interior signage. If you catch Elissa in the right mood on the right morning with the right song going, she'll show off her mad Karaoke skills -- seriously, it's freakish how well she can sing any Brittney Spears mega-hit.

In the summer, when the Tour is on, Patrick will open early (6 AM or so), brew a pot, and stream the Tour de France onto his laptop, which is plugged into a big monitor. Coffee and wrap service is a bit sluggish on these mornings, especially during the mountain stages, but it's the best time of the year to hang at the Scoop as bikey types huddle around the monitor, sipping coffee, and talking smack as the sun pours into the east-facing windows.

Team Comment - Damn Straight. And thanks. And can we talk about that free ice cream? No? Okay.

David's Pizza - What do you say about David's Pizza? Well, I went to the website and found this:

Hey, we don't plan on being the biggest Pizza Company around. Admittedly, we won't make the kind of profits the "Big Guy's" do. But we feel it's more important to build a better Pizza than to cut corners for the sake of higher profits. Taste the difference, check the prices, we think you'll see the value!

Why David's Full Service Pizza? Once, there was a time when Full Service meant something. In the Heyday of the Service Station, Oil Companies wooed motorists with the promise of Pampered, Prompt, and Complete Service. Smiling, well pressed attendants scurried about cleaning glass, checking oil, filling tires and in general, kissing your butt! Today, David's Pizza brings that same spunky spirit to you. In addition to filling your tank with Pizza and Beer.

What Makes David's Pizza So Good? It's not Rocket Science. It's really very simple: We begin with a hand tossed crust. This is far better than a pre-formed or mechanically rolled crust which makes for a "Dead Pizza". By hand tossing your Pizza, the dough remains light and lively, providing you with the delightfully chewy crust you have come to know and love from David's.

Team Comment - Damn Straight. And Thanks. Also, thanks for bringing the catering truck to feed all the riders at a couple of Shop Rides last year. Geoff promises to not drop any pizzas this year if you agree to come back, right Geoff?

Desautel Hege Communications - Rider One is a partner at Desautel Hege Communications. As such, I asked for information about his company. You would think that a marketing firm would jump on this like (insert your own metaphor here), but instead, I got this very restrained commentary:

Desautel Hege Communications is an integrated public relations and marketing firm in Spokane, Washington. Its talented team of professionals to help clients use communication tools to get business results. From PR planning to research, and marketing strategy to social media, DHC has earned a strong reputation working with clients from throughout the Northwest and around the country. Learn more at www.desautelhege.com.

(Editor's Note - I have personally worked with Desautel Hege Communications on a number of projects, involving non-profit/community endeavors and for businesses with a variety of projects. I honestly and completely recommend talking to these folks if you want to figure out what your company should be saying to the world and how.)

Team Comment - Umm, damn straight? Doesn't really work here, does it? I should check with Rider One and find out what to say.

Mica Peak Construction -



McSpadden General Contracting - A team member and general contractor. What more do you want from a guy? Here is Scott's resume from his website/blog.

McSpadden General Contracting
D. SCOTT MCSPADDEN
509.944.0612 (Cell)
scott@mcspaddengc.com

Construction Superintendent/Finish Carpentry
Specializing in residential remodeling and finish carpentry.

PROFILE:
Over 15 years of practical commercial and residential construction experience, including 10+ years working on high-end custom and speculative home projects in the Seattle, WA and San Francisco Peninsula areas. Skilled finish carpenter with working trade knowledge of finish carpentry, framing and retrofitting. Washington and California State Contractor License.

EXPERIENCE:
2005 – Present McSpadden General Contracting (WA, CA) – Owner
Current work in Spokane and Seattle, WA includes residential remodeling and additions, mid-rise residential punch work and carpentry, fencing, decking, millwork and trim installation, and tilework. Projects in the San Francisco Bay Area, including 2nd story and adjacent additions; residential and commercial remodeling; finish carpentry, decks and fences.

2000 – 2007 Pacific Peninsula Group (Atherton, CA) - Project Superintendent
High-end custom and speculative homes. On-site management of multiple subcontractors and daily supervision of jobsite averaging 50-80 skilled tradesman and laborers. Conducted inspections with building department officials, structural engineers, architects, and owners. Reviewed and awarded subcontractor bids.

1999 – 2000 Daly Homes (Seattle, WA) – Assistant Superintendent
110 unit apartments and commercial space over post tension deck, $11,000,000. 57 unit apartments and commercial space over 2 post tension deck parking garage, $9,000,000.

1995 – 1999 The Highwood Company (Kirkland, WA) – Carpenter, Working Foreman, Asst. Supt. High-end custom and spec homes, new construction and remodels, with project values from $650,000 exceeding $1,000,000.

Team Comment - Need a contractor? Here's your man. Damn Straight. And thanks.

And last, but not least - NAS Pension Consulting, Inc.

Another company associated with the team. Here is something I cut and pasted from the website that appears to explain things:

There are many types of retirement plans - 401k plans, 403b plans, cross-tested plans, integrated plans, etc. All of these plans have advantages and disadvantages and all of these plans are governed by complex and ever-changing federal law and regulations. Our goal at NAS Pension Consulting, Inc. is to make it easy for the owners and employees of companies to take full advantage of these plans by understanding your company issues and designing a plan specifically for you.

We don't believe in cookie-cutter solutions or one-size-fits-all. We believe each client deserves a full and complete appraisal of the many options available and a plan designed to meet the specific needs each has. Go to our "How" page for more information on Plan Design, Annual Testing, Annual Filings and our on-going compliance programs, but rest assured, NAS Pension Consulting, Inc. will work with you to offer a plan that is right for you and make it easy to do so.

Sounds straight-forward, eh? Maybe I will just get in touch if I have or need a retirement plan.

Team Comment - Yeah, like he said. And thanks for helping to sponsor the team.