IPMBA & The Industry: A Productive Partnership
The 15th Annual IPMBA Conference once again attracted participants from around the U.S., and the world. These folks all gathered in Scottsdale to acquire knowledge and skills to make them better bike officers, medics, and security personnel. Joining them were over 20 fine companies dedicated to providing products and services to public safety cyclists. Some have been attending the IPMBA Conference for years; others were new on the scene. It is safe to say that all received a warm welcome from and were able to provide information and samples to public safety cyclists representing a broad spectrum of agency types and locations. IPMBA continues to develop partnerships throughout the industry for the betterment of the profession.
The vendors who attended the Expo - and a few who were not able to join us - donated over 100 prizes, all of which were awarded to the officers and medics via drawings held in the Exhibit Hall. These prizes included locks, t-shirts, posters, training seminars, panniers, lights & sirens, saddles, shoes, gloves, hats, sunglasses, pants protectors, ABS systems, and even a chainless bicycle!
Many thanks to all those who contributed prizes. Prize winners - I hope you are reading this and will take a moment to send a personal "thank you" to the person who donated your prize.
We were pleased to welcome a few new exhibitors to the floor – Access Bicycle Patrol Supply, Bycycle, Coalition of Arizona Bicyclists, Dynamic Bicycles, Ear Phone Connection, Pit Bull Mountain Bike Tire Chains (who had to cancel due to a family emergency), Spenco Ironman Cycling Gloves, and Volcanic Manufacturing Bicycles. Access Bicycle Patrol Supply is a full-service supplier of cycle patrol bikes and accessories – a new vendor and our newest Corporate Member! Bycycle offers a uniquely designed, ergonomically correct bike saddle; Ear Phone Connection supplies audio accessories for two-way radios; and Pit Bull Mountain Bike Tire Chains has the answer to mud, snow, and ice. Two new bikes are bursting onto the scene – the chainless, shaft-driven Dynamic Bicycle and the “Enforcer”, created for the Seattle Police Department by Volcanic Manufacturing. Finally, Spenco Ironman Cycling Gloves is bringing its patented gloves to relieve the numbness and fatigue of the hands associated with long hours on patrol.
The conference tee-shirt was emblazoned with the logos of Bratwear, Bycycle, Dynamic Bicycles, Ergo LLC, Olympic Uniforms, Southeast Training Associates, and Tri-State Regional Community Policing Institute.
Speaking of shirts, both Bratwear and Mocean came through again. Bratwear outfitted the Command Staff in the now-traditional bright red shirts, while Mocean dressed the conference instructors in high-performance, blue-and-white shirts, complete with reflective piping. They also awarded a $3000 in scholarships –Leon Szczepanski, Miami-Dade School Police; Jamie Green, Walworth County Sheriffs Dept.; Michael Blevins, Pima Community College PD; Clint Sandusky, Riverside Community College; Malia Daniels, Grady EMS; and John Russell, Bucks County Rescue Squad. Stay tuned for the announcement of the 2006 grant! Bratwear put smiles on many faces by sponsoring a keg of beer in the exhibit hall on Thursday night…a most welcome addition to the festivities!
Goodie bags were filled with an array of items, including some favorites: Rite in the Rain notebooks from J. L. Darling, Bicycling Street Smarts books from Rubel BikeMaps, water bottles from Volcanic Manufacturing, Wide Bandits ® from MAXIT, coupons for Zeal Optics glasses and Chain Stain Away, a variety of police and EMS magazines, and all sorts of goodies from local establishments.
IPMBA appreciates the participation of industry members at every level - Product Purchase Program participant, advertiser, conference vendor, or sponsor. They are an important part of the IPMBA community. When you have the opportunity to buy something for personal or duty use, consider the companies who support IPMBA first. They're working every day to serve you.