June 24-29, 2024: It was a long time coming, but IPMBA was finally able to enjoy bicycle-friendly Bentonville. Plans to bring IPMBA to Bentonville were first laid in 2019. What happened next needs no explanation. If there were any benefit caused by the delay, it was the building of additional bicycle facilities and the completion of the Thaden School. The Thaden School served as the hub of conference activities, which branched out to the Northwest Arkansas Community College, the Bentonville Fire Department, the newly constructed Bentonville Police Department Firing Range, Walmart’s Home Office parking lots, and best of all, the Slaughter Pen skills park and trail system. Despite trail damage caused by tornados, IPMBA attendees were able to revel in a veritable bicycle playground while developing essential job-related skills. More than 200 attendees, instructors, and industry partners converged upon Bentonville from as far away as Vancouver, British Columbia; Los Angeles, California; and Halifax, Nova Scotia, for a week of excellent training, camaraderie, and enjoyment.

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Thanks to Our Hosts

The 2024 IPMBA Conference in Bentonville, Arkansas, was a resounding success!  Attendees both enhanced their public safety cycling skills and had a blast exploring the many trails of Bentonville. 

We are grateful to the Bentonville Police Department, the Bentonville Fire Department, and Visit Bentonville for serving as co-hosts, and to the Thaden School, Walmart Corporate Security, Northwest Arkansas Community College, and the Ride Series MTB for their support and participation. 

We would like to recognize our host agency personnel, who stopped at nothing to ensure that attendees received a warm welcome and experienced outstanding training.  They worked long hours, moved a lot of cones, and earned their daily steps! 

Special thanks to the following team members:   

Bentonville Police Department  

Captain Glynn Bertrand, Lieutenant Danny Henry, Sergeants Nicholas Brown and Josh Holland, and Corporals Melissa Fox, Chris Gravley (PCI #1876), Sean Harding, Chris Isbell, J.D. Jordan, Charlie Katzakian, John Loncarevic (PCI #1446-B), Kerry Pippin, Ryan Simmons, and Beau Sisson 

Bentonville Fire Department  

Battalion Chief Matt Perkins (EMSCI #296), Gage Bright, Kyle MacDonald, Brook Popp, Hunter Smith, Maxwell Wester, and Kurt Williams

Visit Bentonville 

Kalene Griffith and Kim Krutsch

Walmart Corporate Security

Jedidiah Abrams, Luke Bullard (SCI #044), and Jose Labatos

We also thank the Thaden School for their hospitality, allowing us to transform their teaching kitchen into a Command Center, the Bike Barn into a Bicycle Response Team Training scenario site, and their quad into an impromptu bike check.  Megan Steely, Rob Whorton, Chris Daly, and Jason Curtis kept all systems running smoothly, and Chef Michael satisfied everyone’s appetites. 

We appreciate all of the volunteers, without whom events would be much more difficult.  IPMBA Instructors Jeffrey Glaude and Tom Harris were omnipresent at the check-in desk, except when Tom was preparing a pastalaya feast at the Barn for the night ride participants.  Eric Kackley from Volcanic Bikes sweated it out keeping everyone’s bicycles in running order. 

None of this would have been possible without the unwavering support of Chiefs Ray Shastid (Bentonville Police Department) and Justin Scantlin (Bentonville Fire Department), who not only provided the human and other resources, but also stopped by throughout the event and attended the awards dinner. 

Too many other people were involved with ensuring the safety and success of the conference to list everyone, but we thank them all.  And, of course, we thank our attendees, without whom all these efforts would have been in vain. 

The 2025 IPMBA Conference will be held June 2-7, at Washington University in Saint Louis.  We’re looking forward to returning to the scene of IPMBA Conference 2018!  

 

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