The Atlanta Bicycle Coalition honored local supporters and new board members at its annual member awards party, The Blinkie Awards, on Feb. 13 at the Trees Atlanta Kendeda Center.
“The Blinkie Awards are our way of recognizing the shining lights making Atlanta better by bike,” says Atlanta Bicycle Coalition Executive Director Rebecca Serna. “It’s easy to get caught up in the great progress Atlanta is making when it comes to biking – we think it’s important to stop and say, ‘Thank you’ on a job well done.”
The following individuals and groups received awards:
- Citizen Advocate of the Year: Brent Brewer, People for a Livable Lee Street
- Elected Official of the Year: Andre Dickens, Atlanta City Council Member-at-Large
- Agency Staff of the Year: Michael Smith, Public Works Director for the City of Dunwoody
- City Leader of the Year: Amy Phuong, City of Atlanta Department of Parks and Recreation Commissioner
- Bike Program/Plan: Georgia State University Sustainability Office and Bike Committee
- Cadence Volunteer: Mark Schmitt
- ABC Partner of the Year: Atlanta BeltLine Partnership
- New Bike Project of the Year: PATH400 Greenway Trail
“Bike lanes, bike paths, bike share – there’s so many opportunities to get around Atlanta without stepping foot in your car,” said City Councilmember Andre Dickens. “It’s exciting to see the progress being made.”
The Atlanta Bicycle Coalition also approved its governing board slate, which included two new board members: Brian McGowan and Michael Green.
Brian McGowan is the Executive Vice President and COO for the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. McGowan served for three years as the President & CEO of Invest Atlanta, and prior to that, was appointed by President Obama as U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce.
Michael Green is a real estate investment professional with the Atlanta-based private equity real estate firm Pansophy Capital Partners. Prior to Pansophy Capital Partners, Green was a founder and managing partner at G Prime Real Estate Group, an Atlanta-based real estate brokerage firm.
