GM, Phil, fixing bikes

Shift Transit Employee Spotlight – Phil LeDonne

For our third profile in our Employee Spotlight series, we spoke with Phil LeDonne, General Manager of HUB312. This micromobility hub is located in Chicago’s historic Millennium Park and offers a suite of services to local bike commuters and visitors to the Windy City interested in seeing the sites on two-wheels. Phil is a recent addition to the Shift Transit team but no stranger to the mobility industry, having spent close to 20 years working in various cycling and bikeshare roles. 

We spoke with him to learn more about what inspired him to work in the transportation space, his vision for HUB312, and his cooking secrets.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago. As a kid I spent a lot of time playing outside (tablets weren’t around back then!) with friends and in my teenage years I got into rollerblading and skateboarding and spent most of my time at the skatepark when I wasn’t playing sports. In my later teen years, while away at college, a friend introduced me to mountain biking – and I immediately fell in love. Since then I’ve tried to spend as much time as possible outside, and have found a variety of things to keep me busy during all the seasons we see in Chicago, though most require some sort of travel. I find myself doing lots of hiking, camping, rock climbing, snowboarding, and of course riding my bike(s) often. 

You’ve had a long, varied career in the micromobility industry. What were some of the things you did prior to joining Shift Transit?

My career in the cycling industry started off at Dicks Sporting Goods, right after the Galyans sale. I figured if I could find a job that got me discounts on all the toys I liked and hobbies I was into, while getting paid, it was a win-win. From there I went to a bike shop in the Chicago suburbs called Spokes where we sold ultra high end bikes (think Tour de France type bicycles) and I spent about 8 years there eventually becoming the service manager. Then this new thing popped up in the U.S. called bikeshare. I was interested in the ‘green’ aspect of the sharing model, reducing the need for car ownership and I knew it would revolutionize the way people moved throughout cities. I applied for Divvy as a mechanic and after being interviewed by Eddie on my first day – which was intimidating – I was offered the role of Assistant Manager for Bike Fleet. I spent the next 8 years with Divvy, working my way up to the title of Director of Bike Fleet Operations and oversaw the launch of e-bikes in Chicago!

How has your previous experience in the cycling industry prepared you to take the helm of HUB312?

HUB312 is a unique business, with a sort of multi-pronged approach to cater to a variety of customers and clientele. I think my experience in the retail world (Dicks), the mechanical world (Spokes) and my operational leadership (Divvy) provided me with the skills and expertise to handle the different aspects of our business. Since the pandemic we’ve had to start from scratch, so to speak, and I love the fact that I can have some interaction with both visitors from out of town and our local customers as well. In the end I’m a people person and I love talking to people from all different backgrounds, walks of life and various parts of the world – I’ll talk your ear off if you give me the chance! HUB312 is one of the only facilities of its kind in the country and I’m excited to be a part of this journey. 

As we continue to build out HUB312 and its suite of services, what are some of the initiatives you look forward most to launching?

I wouldn’t say it’s any one aspect of the business or service, per se – but rather just taking this business to the next level. I want to put us out there as a top tier repair center in the heart of the Loop, while offering exceptional tours and rentals to locals and visitors alike. Chicago has such a storied history, with incredible architecture, an amazing lakefront trail and endless food options thanks to our rich and diverse culture and I think that HUB312 is poised to showcase all of this to visitors to our city. Combine this with a place where local cyclists can safely store their bikes and receive best-in-class, inexpensive repairs while they head to work and we have the ingredients of a singular type of mobility hub.

What’s your ultimate vision for HUB312?

I envision HUB312 as a sort of community center and meeting point where Chicagoans and visitors who are united by their love of cycling, traveling and the city of Chicago come to meet, swap stories and experiences and enjoy the services that we offer. With the uniqueness of our business model, we can cater to locals with bike storage options,  shower facilities, and our bike repair shop. Visitors to Chicago can rent bikes to take advantage of our beautiful city on their own time or schedule a ‘Tour de Chicago’ with HUB312 tour guides. 

We hear you love to cook and have cultivated a vegetable garden in your backyard. Tell us more!

Oh boy, I can go on and on here. For me, the absolute best way to unwind from your day is cooking a nice meal with loved ones over a glass of wine. My favorite weekend days are those spent in the kitchen preparing a dish that takes hours and hours of preparation and cooking. Growing my own fresh vegetables and herbs are the key to really knock a dish out of the park – not to mention another way to spend some time outside in the summer months! We’ve been known to grow things like parsley, thyme, oregano, sage, rosemary, basil and mint – which all come inside in the winter. In the summer we’ll add multiple varieties of peppers (hot and sweet), several types of tomatoes, lettuce, arugula, cucumbers, green beans, onions, garlic, eggplant – just to name a few. Last summer we tried growing fresh mushrooms and they were fantastic! In recent years I’ve also taken a liking to homemade breads and pasta, as well as canning and have made things like giardiniera, pasta sauce, pickles, hot sauces, pesto, and recently tried my hand at infused olive oil. Ok, my mouth is watering, time to get cooking!

Shift Transit’s Torrid Growth Continues In 2021

Multiple Shift Mobility Programs Enjoy Record Success

Picking up right where we left off in 2020, we are proud to announce that several Shift Transit mobility programs shattered ridership, revenue, and customer acquisition records in 2021. Our bikeshare programs in Toronto and Chattanooga continued their exponential growth and exceeded all of our clients’ aggressive KPI targets, paving the way for 2022 program expansions.

In addition, 2021 was a year of firsts for us. In July, we took over day-to-day operations of Chicago’s Cycle Center (now HUB312), a marquee mobility hub located in iconic Millennium Park. This is our first venture outside of the shared mobility sector and we couldn’t be prouder to do it in our hometown.

For a closer look at more of our 2021 achievements, keep on reading!

Bike Share Toronto

Bike Mechanic

On the heels of its record-breaking 2020, Bike Share Toronto (BST) doubled-down on the theme in 2021, eclipsing 3 million annual trips for the first time in program history. The 3.5 million+ trips customers took represented a whopping 23% Y-o-Y increase and was largely driven by a significant uptick in annual member trips (35% Y-o-Y increase). Additionally, an annual membership proved to be an extremely attractive mobility option, with a 31% Y-o-Y increase in passes sold. 

And our causal member passes (Single Trip, 24-Hour, 3-day) continued to be an extremely popular hit, growing 57%, 37%, and 28% Y-o-Y, respectively.

In 2022, we look forward to the program’s continued growth in order to meet our new normal of year-in-year-out record-breaking results.

Bike Chattanooga

Not to be outdone, Bike Chattanooga blew past its 2020 high mark for ridership, eclipsing 90k trips for the first time in program history. Casual member trips continued their inexorable climb, with casual usage up 25% Y-o-Y and casual trips outpacing annual trips by a 8:2 margin.

In addition, the program generated the most trip revenue in service history. Compared to just two years ago, revenue has jumped by 50%.

As a result of the program’s success over the past two years, we will be adding new equipment to the fleet in the coming months. More to come on this great news soon!

HUB312 – Chicago’s mobility hub in the heart of Millennium Park

After a competitive RFP process, Shift Transit was selected by the City of Chicago as the new operator of the McDonald’s Cycle Center (now HUB312). Built in 2004 and located in iconic Millennium Park, HUB312 offers 300 bicycle parking spaces, lockers, and showers for bike commuters, a repair shop for bike repair and maintenance, and guided bike tours and rentals for visitors and locals all-year round.

In July 2021, Shift Transit successfully transitioned operations of the mobility hub and spent most of the remaining portion of the year refurbishing and revitalizing the space. We hired new team members and began to work with several neighborhood organizations to ensure residents across the city were aware of HUB312’s full slate of offerings. We look forward to building out this community mobility amenity in the years to come!

To learn more about how we can help your mobility program achieve this type of success, contact us at info@shiftransit.net.

Shift Transit Employee Spotlight – Chelsea Stauffer

For our second profile in our Employee Spotlight series, we spoke with Chelsea Stauffer, General Manager (GM) of the MoGo Detroit program. Chelsea is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the 75 station/620 bike system and ensuring its overall success alongside our MoGo partners. She joined Shift Transit in 2018 as Operations Manager and was recently promoted to GM.

We spoke with her to learn more about what inspired her to pursue a career in the mobility industry, what a day-in-the-life of a bike share GM is like, and the best parts of her job.

Tell us a little bit about your background.

My path to cycling began when I moved from Ann Arbor- a city consistently ranked for being one of the best places to live in the United States to Detroit – a city better known for its challenges. In spite of its reputation, I found a love for the city and its tenacity through the means of biking. Cycling was my primary mode of transportation and heavily influenced my decision to pursue a degree in Urban Studies at Wayne State University. In my previous role as Office Manager for the Detroit Land Bank, I started the conversation with MoGo seeking to provide employee transportation alternatives to driving. This ultimately led to my transition to Shift Transit managing operations for the MoGo Bike Share system.

What led you to pursue a career in micromobility?

Moving to the Motor City without a car, I became acutely aware of the limited transportation options in the city at the time. As one-quarter of Detroiters do not own cars, I knew the challenges of going to work, grocery shopping, and exploring nightlife without a car were not unique. From a financial, environmental, and public health perspective, biking is one of the top forms of transportation, yet most people won’t consider cycling if alternative options are available. I wanted to focus my energy towards improving transportation infrastructure, making micromobility a sensible option people want to choose. 

What’s a day in the life like overseeing MoGo operations?

No day is like the next! First I check the system to prioritize work for the day considering our daily and monthly KPIs. I constantly look for ways we can function more efficiently whether that be scheduling additional hours in the bike shop after a heavy ridership weekend or streamline processes for daily e-bike distribution. I really enjoy the diversity of work environments offered by working in transportation. 

 

You started as an Operations Manager and were promoted to General Manager several months ago. What has the transition been like for you?

The transition to General Manager was accompanied by several challenges and lessons learned in adaptability. Staffing up for the busy season looked different this year amidst a nationwide labor shortage. We had to expand our recruiting methods and adapt current job roles in order to propel our operation forward. When faced with an unfamiliar problem, I rely heavily on my newly adopted mantra: where there is a will, there is a way. I am lucky to be surrounded by a talented and diverse team here in Detroit whose determination is what makes MoGo go!

The City of Detroit has experienced a renaissance in the last few years. How do you think the MoGo program has contributed (in ways large or small) to this revitalization?

Detroit is a city that has seen 70 years of population decline, but nothing stops Detroit. The cycling culture here is a testament to Detroiters’ resilience and self-reliance. On Monday nights, MoGos can be spotted amidst a sea of thousands of cyclists in a group called Slow Roll. At the intersection of community and safety, MoGo enhances the visibility of cyclists as respected road users.

What do you enjoy the most about your job? Proudest accomplishment?

The best part of my job is the role our team plays in changing the use value of public places, offering a reliable and fun way to move throughout the city. Bike share is adaptable, and has the ability to transform space by creating opportunities that did not exist before. With a background in performance art, I am fascinated by how space can be created or changed. Bike share stations are like street performers that can be moved around to create activity or drama with the city as our stage. In 2020 we expanded MoGo’s stage to 5 additional cities connecting Northern Detroit to the neighboring suburban communities. Deploying 31 stations in the early days of the pandemic made hiring a difficult challenge. I’m incredibly proud of each member of our team for the heavy lift that was required in order to introduce bike share as a regional transportation service to metro Detroit.

MoGo Detroit GM Chelsea Stauffer

What are some things that you’re looking forward to the most in the next 12 months?

This year I look forward to spending more time off the ground! I practice several forms of aerial acrobatics in my free time. This summer I can’t wait to return to the Little Seed Farm and Sanctuary for the annual aerial retreat learning new gravity defying moves in the great outdoors. I am drawn to the strength and elegance of aerial –  plus who doesn’t want to hang out with folks in the circus?