Laconia Area Bicycle Exchange Seeks New Executive Director

LACONIA—John Rogers, the founder and executive director of the Laconia Area Bicycle Exchange, is stepping down from his post and seeking a new leader to run the organization that provides affordable bicycles to area residents.

Since officially founding the Laconia Area Bicycle Exchange, with the help of the Better Together in December 2013, the Exchange opened on April 15, 2014. Rogers and his crew of volunteers have supplied 750 bikes, since first opening to those who benefit from bicycle transportation, for work, errands and exercise. The Exchange has a close association with the WOW Trail as it provides safe and healthy riding options for the clients of the Exchange.

“We’re a benefit to the community,” said Rogers. “We saw the opportunity to bring the service of alternative transportation to Laconia, something that wasn’t there before, to the benefit of 120 bike recipients per year.”

He added, “A nonprofit like this accomplishes so many goals—encouraging environmentally friendly transportation, the concept of reduce-reuse-recycle and even healthy living, while most importantly, providing an essential service to those who need it most.” “ We work with City Welfare, Genesis and other human service agencies, which adds to the importance of the work we do in the community.”

Rogers said candidates for the volunteer executive director position need management, marketing and fund-raising skills as well as flexibility to operate the nonprofit between April 15 and Oct. 15; currently the exchange is open Tuesdays from 4 to 5:30 p.m. and Thursdays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The shop is conveniently located on 97 New Salem Street. Time in the shop averages about 6 to 8 hours a week.

Experience repairing bicycles is a plus but not a requirement, nor is bookkeeping or administrative experience, Rogers said. The bicycle exchange relies on its volunteers to maintain bicycles and receives the latter services, and its 501c3 status, as an affiliate of the Bike-Walk Alliance of New Hampshire.

Bicycles come to the exchange now through individual donors, collection at transfer stations and from the Gilford Police Department. In the organization’s early years, the bicycles were free to those who requested one; now, there is a fee that ranges from $10 to $50, depending on the style of the bike and its age and condition.

“It’s really a wonderful thing to see how much we operate by the generosity of people in the community,” Rogers said. “Bikes are donated to us by individuals, police stations who have unclaimed bikes or transfer stations, who know to hold onto bikes for us now.”

“The ideal person would have social skills working with the community and know how to partner well with others,” Rogers said.

 To express interest in becoming executive director of the Laconia Area Bicycle Exchange, or for a job description sheet' contact John Rogers by phone at 603-630-7571 or by email at labx2014@yahoo.com. For more information, visit the nonprofit’s website at www.labx.bike or like Laconia Area Bicycle Exchange on Facebook.