How did you begin getting involved with shipping bikes to Africa?

Great question. Our involvement with collecting and shipping bikes to Africa started last year. Here at Austin-Lehman we just purchased a new fleet of tour bikes and had 120 high quality used mountain bikes we needed to do something about. Paul and I decided we should look for something rewarding to do to utilize our old fleet, which had served us well. I started “googling around” and soon found an organization in Namibia; BEN Namibia (Bicycle Empowerment Network) and a fellow named Michael Linke. Michael introduced me to Bicycles for Humanity. We decided this was exactly what we were looking for and began in earnest working on the local collection of bikes (to supplement those we already had) and the filling of a large shipping container that ultimately held over 300 bikes and parts and became the actual shop. We worked with Michael on the “How To” and to locate the perfect village to be the recipient of our efforts. In the process we launched the Billings, Montana Chapter of B4H to help solicit community involvement in the collection and shipping of our first full container of bikes and parts to Ngoma, Namibia. Here we would establish the next BEC (Bicycle Empowerment Center) with Michael’s help and support.

What role did your status as owner of Austin Lehman Adventures play in this, and what is the next step for you and ALA?

This effort was so energizing and eye-opening! We witnessed the community (and our staff) rally to collect hundreds and hundreds of bikes and through it all, I kept learning more and more about the process, the opportunities and the growing need for such programs in rural Africa.

For instance, did you know that we throw away over 10 million bikes a year in the USA? Through the entire process, I and ALA just kept getting more and more dedicated and involved. We then decided we needed to step up and “walk the talk”, so my son Andy and I traveled to Namibia (to coincide with the delivery of our container). We met with Michael and tossed around some great ideas. After that, Andy and I helped with the unloading and establishment of the new BEC (built from the container itself). We spent 3 weeks exploring Namibia, visiting “other” BEC’s and lodges, building a new Austin-Lehman Adventure that would have us visit the shop, rent bikes from them and ride scenic back roads with the locals. The BEN/BEC concept is simple; utilize everything and create new “bike shops” from the actual shipping containers converted into a community bike shop that employs locals and provides a source of income (and pride) for the community. Michael and BEN Namibia have successfully established 26 up and running “BEC’s” in Namibia.

As we traveled across Namibia and visited existing up and running BEC’s,  I was amazed at the difference something as simple as a bike was making in the day to day lives of the locals. We were welcomed with open arms and just found everyone so accommodating and positive. Needless to say, we quickly determined this would be an ongoing relationship and not just a onetime offering. At the risk of sounding corny, both my son and I fell in love with the African people and look forward to establishing a commitment that will last a lifetime.

We are now entering Year Two and we are currently working on our second container with local donations. When filled, this one is going outside of Namibia (a first) to Nairobi, Kenya. We are working with a Nairobi woman to establish a much needed bike shop (you should ask me to share the amazing business plan she sent me). We plan to ship some 350 bikes to Nairobi in mid-May. Again taking it a step further, we are working on a new Kenya Program for 2012 that will have us visiting that shop and renting and riding bikes with our guests and the local “crew”. Michael is mentoring “Prisca,” the shop manager, on the process.

What’s a BEC? Visit: http://www.benbikes.org.za/namibia/projects/becs/becs.html

At what point in a company’s maturation do you think a company owner decides to take on a significant philanthropic endeavor? What is motivation behind this move?

It is all about focus. For me this seemed to apply to the responsibility of starting and developing a growing adventure travel company as well as raising two children… both taking time and not leaving much room for anything else. As my company (and kids) matured there was more time and energy to look outside my current world. It got even simpler as the kids both left for college. I found myself with the need to refocus at least some of my excess energy on something beyond parenting and work. I think all of us during the course of our lives are faced with many opportunities to be generous and give time, money, whatever it may be, to others less fortunate. You hear the term all the time. “I want to give back, I want to make a difference in this world” but what that really means is very personal. For me it was the aligning of my two worlds; home life and work. Now that Austin-Lehman was reaching a solid foundation and recognized as an industry leader, I was at the same time faced with “empty nest” syndrome with my two kids heading out to make their own lives. What I found was the amazing pleasure that came from getting involved in B4H and BEN. What was even more enlightening was the way not just my family, but the entire ALA team, embraced the effort. With little convincing needed, we all got involved in collecting bikes, loading the container and raising funds for shipping. What started as my personal cause was quickly embraced by others.  It has now truly become “our” project and everyone involved from my family to my staff to others we infect with the same passion, love and support for this project. The added benefit is that the experience has brought us all a little closer together.

For me, the decision to now step it up even more was and is a no brainer. Travel and adventure is my life. If I can use my connections and experience to make a difference, “how great is that!”  Besides, I don’t play golf so I need something to add to my days and now have the time!

What type of possible further development, in scale or in mission, do you see the program being capable of as it begins to meet its goals?

After a year of working with Michael Linke it became quite clear that the BEC model is working but it can be so much more. To this end we are working with Michael to help create a new entity to support and expand his impressive efforts. We have decided to call it Wheels of Change! The BEC model will still be the foundation, but the model will be expanded. I have helped to enlighten Michael on the potential to integrate Tourism Opportunities and we have already seen results. For example: we are currently working with a young African woman to establish day bike tours through a township in Windhoek, Namibia. We also reviewed and helped another African woman with her business plan to establish a bike shop in Nairobi, Kenya. Michael is mentoring her and training the shop workers and Austin-Lehman is working on a new tour program in Kenya that will again visit the shop and utilize the bikes for a fee. We are looking at the BECs as a hub for the community that can and will provide other essentials for day to day life. Yet another example has us working with a group of university students out of Australia to raise funds and ship Solar Lanterns to be sold at the BECs. We are providing everything from guidance, oversight, mentoring and training, to micro loans.

Wheels of Change will expand the role of facilitator, continue to work with various chapters of B4H around the world in regards to collection and shipping of bikes, but also expand to work with other similar collection efforts as well as additional projects, outside the world of bicycles.

We are using our resources here at ALA to make “connections,” “offer advice”, “ferret out opportunities” and in general just ensure that we are involved! Whether it be looking over a business plan for a start up, providing a micro loan, or just mentoring or counseling, we are there.

Do you think the tourism community is posed to make special and unique contributions to indigenous communities worldwide, outside of what other government, NGOs and groups are doing? If so, can you name some ideas of what could be done outside the projects you and ALA have taken on?

I, along with Austin-Lehman Adventures, will be using our years of experience to help integrate sustainable tourism into the mix. We have successfully added day trip offerings to many of the existing bike shops and have and will continue to work with local lodges to lease bikes from the shops and offer them to their guests. We are mentoring individuals on how they can provide services to travelers and / or agents (like the day tours in Windhoek). We will be offering our experience around Africa, and other developing regions, to expand the footprint and reach of Wheels of Change.

As leaders in global tourism organized under the banner of ATTA, I would be hard-pressed to find a group of companies and/or individuals that have more to offer in terms of expertise and sustainable business experience. By traveling the world, we see firsthand what is needed and what can be done to enhance the visitors’ experience and at the same time provide opportunities for locals on the ground. I hope to get buy-in from others in this industry on what we hope to achieve.

Frankly, the BEC model is beyond simple. During my recent familiarization trip to Chiapas, Antonio del Rosal and I kept looking at locations that would be perfect to receive a shipment and establish a shop. Beyond that, the opportunities are endless. One only has to think outside the box, draw on one’s own experience and or needs, and think of ways to make a difference. Over the years with all my travels I have seen both opportunity and many successes, but along with that, an equal number of missed opportunities and unfulfilled promises. I recall one of my first exposures to a successful partnership effort was a rafting company in Peru that helped a local community create a café at the end of the float to provide changing rooms and lunch. It was, and still is, an extremely popular and successful venture. How many more such opportunities are out there? Enough work and opportunities to fill a couple of lifetimes I would guess!

To be honest, there are so many locations and communities around the world we travel that lack basic resources we take for granted, making a difference and adding value won’t take much. How about a simple home lunch with a host family? Asking a local to join you on a hike? Negotiating with a local artisan for a private demonstration and showing of his work? Not only do you create income for a local community you are delivering authentic and magical moments for your guests.

What level of responsibility does the tourism community have to involvement in these causes, versus just opportunity?

The days of bringing a 5-pound bag of candy into a community are thankfully over. Visiting a local school, bringing books or pens, and participating in a lesson or two with the class is a much more rewarding experience. Training and hiring local guides vs. showing up with a team of outsiders from the states not only provides much needed jobs, but an overall better experience for the guest as well.

Accepting our role as ambassadors, or better yet a bridge, is the key. Building a bridge between the locals, the guests, and the Western world is both an opportunity and a responsibility we must all embrace. They say knowledge is power. Education is key, and it works both ways. We have a chance to not only educate our guests to the ways of the “rest of the world”, but we have a chance to help educate “locals” on how they can provide services and experiences that can in turn provide the necessary funds to better their own lives in a completely sustainable way.  I always come back to, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime” (can’t claim this one…. Chinese Proverb).

As an industry dedicated to the understanding and enjoyment of life, cultures, and our natural world, we need to be the leaders in this.

Wheels of Change: Dan Austin of Austin-Lehman Adventures on Giving Back

by Nicole Petrak, ATTA Special Projects and Assistant Editor of AdventureTravelNews

May 9th, 2011

Source: http://www.adventuretravelnews.com/wheels-of-change-dan-austin-of-austin-lehman-adventures-on-giving-back

2011 Global Vision Award for Corporate Innovation.

Recognized For Its Wheels of Change Initiative That Sends Used Bikes to Africa, Converting Shipping Containers Into Bike Shop/Rental Centers.

Billings, MT, Oct. 25, 2011 – Travel + Leisure magazine announced on Oct. 19, 2011, that tour operator, Austin-Lehman Adventures (http://www.austinlehman.com/), is a recipient of its 2011 Global Vision Award. ALA is the active travel company setting adventure vacations standards in The Americas, Europe, Africa and most recently, Cuba.

The award in the category of corporate innovation and community development recognizes the Austin-Lehman-driven program called Wheels of Change that from a collection center in Billings, MT, receives used bicycles for eventual delivery to African villages.

“This award is for everyone involved in Wheels of Change both in Montana and abroad where the tires ultimately hit the ground in Africa.  We are honored and appreciative of the recognition but our work has just begun,” notes Dan Austin, director of Austin-Lehman Adventures and founder of Wheels of Change (http://wocmontana.org/).

Austin points out that a bike can change a life in a poor country, but for millions of low-income individuals a new bicycle is financially out of reach. Wheels of Change helps coordinate and establish Bicycle Empowerment Centers throughout Africa to ensure that disadvantaged people have access to improved mobility, food and water, employment, health care, education, and social opportunities.

The project came about in 2010 when Austin realized that bikes used in its own domestic and international touring programs needed to be replaced. Along with an equal number of donated bikes he shipped them to Ngoma, Namibia, where his company operates a luxury wildlife tour. Here his team helped locals turn the used bikes into a rental and repair business operating out of a shipping container that carried the bikes. The shop became self-sufficient within 10 months, inspiringAustinto create the nonprofit Wheels of Change. The benefits are significant: 10 million bikes are discarded annually in theUnited States, and each can give someone in the developing world vital access to water, schools, jobs and medical facilities, he said.

Cyclists on Austin-Lehman Adventure’s Namibia Family Adventure http://www.austinlehman.com/south-african-tours-trips-85.php and a new Kenya Adventure http://www.austinlehman.com/kenya—meru-to-nairobi-trips-106.php can visit bike shops set up by Wheels of Change.

The 2011 Global Vision Awards are featured online at: http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/global-vision-awards-2011and in the November issue of the magazine, currently on newsstands.

Nancy Novogrod, editor in chief of Travel + Leisure said, “It is always a source of deep satisfaction to see the dedication and inspiration our winners apply to preserving the world’s precious cultural and natural resources. These are not only our heritage, but a defining element of destinations and humanity.”

The jury was comprised of José Andrés, chef and owner of ThinkFoodGroup; Bonnie Burnham, president and CEO of the World Monuments Fund; Lauren Bush, cofounder, creative director, and CEO of FEED Projects; Megan Epler Wood, executive director of the Planeterra Foundation; Premal Shah, president of kiva.org; Dr. Joseph Stiglitz, Nobel Prize-winning economist; Kate Stohr and Cameron Sinclair, founders of Architecture for Humanity

About Austin-Lehman Adventures

Austin-Lehman Adventures, with a 37-year legacy, provides adventure vacations on five continents, has built an international reputation for small group active travel to destinations in North, Central and South America, Europe, the Pacific Rim andAfrica. The company specializes in adult and family multi-sport, hiking, biking vacations that emphasize history, culture and nature’s charms.  Trips are limited to 12 guests (18 on family departures) and feature excellent regional dining, distinctive accommodations and all-inclusive rates and services. In addition to scheduled group departures,ALA offers customized trip planning. ALA offers each traveler a money-back satisfaction guarantee.

# # #

Austin-Lehman Adventures Company Contact:

Dan Austin, Director / Dan@austinlehman.com / 800-575-1540 / 406-655-4591

www.austinlehman.com

For photos, interviews and/or more information on Austin-Lehman Adventures please contact: Widness & Wiggins PR:

Sara Widness / 802-234-6704 / sara@widnesspr.com

Dave Wiggins / 303-554-8821 / dave@travelnewssource.com

For a Portfolio of Past News Releases Visit: http://www.travelnewssource.com/

Follow Widness & Wiggins PR on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/BoulderDave

May 05 2011
By Dave Wiggins

Billings, MT, May 5, 2011 – Award-winning tour operator Austin-Lehman Adventures (ALA -http://www.austinlehman.com/), the active travel company setting adventure tours standards in The Americas, Europe, Africa and beyond, is honoring National Bike Month with a $200 donation to Wheels of Change, a non-profit charity, in the name of each person booking one of their dedicated biking tours during the month of May.

Wheels of Change provides donated bicycles to underprivileged African communities. Donations will help defer the cost of shipping 400 bikes, parts and tools.  Through a community effort, ALA has collected the bikes and will pack them for shipment on Mothers’ Day weekend. Collection of bikes, parts and tools began shortly after last year’s spring shipment of bikes to Ngoma, a remote village in the far eastern corner of Namibia. This year’s shipment will go to Nairobi, Kenya.

Active cyclists wanting to put their trip fee toward a worthwhile cause are encouraged to book their bike vacation now. Some of ALA’s most popular biking tours in 2011 include:

>South Dakota: Black Hills to Mount Rushmore - http://www.austinlehman.com/black-hills-vacations-trips-79.php

>France: Provence - http://www.austinlehman.com/france-bike-tour-trips-59.php

>Germany: Romantic Road - http://www.austinlehman.com/europe-bike-trips-trips-77.php;

>Holland/Belgium: Brussels to Gent - http://www.austinlehman.com/holland-biking-tours-trips-73.php

>Italy: Tuscany - http://www.austinlehman.com/tuscany-bike-tours-trips-61.php

>Switzerland/Germany: Lake Constance to Zurich - http://www.austinlehman.com/switzerland-vacations-trips-74.php

Dan Austin, owner and founder of ALA, said that a bike, that can change a life in a poor country, remains financially out of reach for millions. Wheels of Change helps empower people through improved mobility and access to food and water, employment, healthcare, education and social opportunities.

For example, a healthcare worker can visit up to four times more clients by biking instead of walking; girls are 70 percent more likely to attend school if their household owns a bicycle; in 60 minutes biking can cover three times the distance of walking; a person biking can carry five times more than while walking.

“The efforts of this organization will allow us to make a positive impact on the people who need it the most,” Austin said.

The May shipment of bikes to Nairobi marks the first official initiative of the just-established nonprofit, Africa-based organization Wheels of Change founded by Michael Linke (http://www.benbikes.org.za/namibia/) and represented in Billings by Austin. Linke has helped establish 26 up and running bikes shops throughout Namibia, including the Billings-supported shop in Ngoma.

About Wheels of Change

Austin said that Wheels of Change is taking an assertive role and expanding geographically to other African countries as well as adding new programs. One initiative allows solar lights to be shipped and sold at the bike shops. Another project is helping a young Namibia woman establish a bike tour company offering guided day trips to Katutura, the township area of Windhoek.

Up to 400 bicycles can be loaded into one shipping container, along with tools and spare parts. The shipping container itself becomes a Bicycle Empowerment Centre (BEC) which in turn becomes a source of employment and revenue. A center provides refurbished bicycles free of charge to, among others, healthcare outreach volunteers and school children. Income from bike-related activities goes to assisting a sustainable business model while creating local jobs. Profits are reinvested in other community projects such as growing food for AIDS orphans, making micro loans to foster small enterprises, purchasing school uniforms, and paying school fees for disadvantaged children.

Linke, Austin and others will be launching fundraising projects in the near future to help cover some of the cost associated with establishing BEC’s and adding additional services and products.

People are invited to follow the progress on Austin-Lehman’s Facebook Page:www.facebook.com/austinlehmanadventures. May is National Bike Month:http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/bikemonth/index.php, with May 16-20 Bike to Work Week and May 20 Bike to Work Day.

About Austin-Lehman Adventures

Austin-Lehman Adventures, with a 37-year legacy, provides adventure vacations on five continents, has built an international reputation for small group active travel to destinations in North, Central and South America, Europe, the Pacific Rim and Africa. The company specializes in adult and family multi-sport, hiking, biking vacations that emphasize history, culture and nature’s charms.  Trips are limited to 12 guests (18 on family departures) and feature excellent regional dining, distinctive accommodations and all-inclusive rates and services. In addition to scheduled group departures, ALA offers customized trip planning.  ALA offers each traveler a money-back satisfaction guarantee.

For free 2011 catalog call toll-free 1.800.575.1540, or e-mail info@austinlehman.com. To review current trips, schedules and itineraries log onto: http://www.austinlehman.com/.

# # #

For photos and/or more information on Austin-Lehman Adventures please contact:

Sara Widness / 802-234-6704 / sara@widnesspr.com

Dave Wiggins / 303-554-8821 / dave@travelnewssource.com

For a Portfolio of Past News Releases Visit: http://www.travelnewssource.com/

Follow Widness & Wiggins PR on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/BoulderDave

This spring, old bicycles taking up space in garages across Billings can help improve the lives of impoverished Africans.

In Africa, a bicycle can enhance access to health care, education and jobs, said Dan Austin, a Billings bike enthusiast.

“The difference between walking 14 miles a day to biking it is huge,” said Austin, who started a Billings chapter of Bicycles for Humanity, or B4H, in February.

A nonprofit organization founded in British Columbia, B4H raises funds and collects unwanted bicycles to send to developing African countries.

The organization, which has 22 local chapters spread across three continents, has sent 10,000 bicycles overseas since it was founded in 2005. The Billings B4H chapter is the first in Montana.

Public drive kicks off

This month, the Billings chapter kicks off a public drive to collect 500 used bikes along with repair tools and spare parts — enough cast-off bikes to fill a shipping container to send to Namibia in April.

Austin is the co-founder of Austin-Lehman Adventures, a global adventure travel business headquartered in Billings. He kick-started the used bike drive by donating 120 Gary Fisher bicycles from the company’s fleet of tour bikes.

Austin, a daily bicycle commuter, is active in the Billings Chamber of Commerce’s bike trails committee. When Austin-Lehman Adventures bought a new fleet of bikes for the 2010 tour season, he contacted Bicycles for Humanity about making a donation.

He was impressed with the way the organization trains Africans to repair and maintain the bicycles.

Once the bikes arrive in a community, windows and doors are cut into the shipping container to turn it into a makeshift repair shop to refurbish the bicycles and provide on-going maintenance service.

Refurbished bicycles are given free of charge to health-care outreach volunteers and school children and others. Other bikes are sold for a low price, with income from the sale and servicing of those bicycles reinvested in other community projects.

Health-care workers can visit five times as many homes by bicycle as they can on foot, said Austin, who met with the organization’s founder, Pat Montani, of Whistler, British Columbia, in mid-February.

“I stumbled on to B4H and was so impressed with their success,” Austin said. “It’s pretty exciting how a bike can make such a dramatic difference.”

So far, almost all of the bicycles have gone to Namibia, an arid country in sub-Saharan Africa.

Namibia gained independence from South Africa in 1990, making it one of Africa’s youngest countries.

More than half the population of 2.1 million lives on $2 a day or less. About 15 percent of all the nation’s adults suffer from HIV/AIDS.

The Billings bicycles will go to Ngoma, in Namibia’s far northeastern corner.

The 20 health-care outreach workers in Ngoma will be among the first to get bicycles.

Austin and his son, Andy, a freshman at Montana State University who is interested in doing relief work overseas, will pay their own way to escort the first shipment of bikes to Namibia this spring.

Fledgling chapter

The fledgling B4H chapter has already garnered sponsorship support from Montana Cycling, a bike shop planning to open at the end of April in the Shiloh Crossing development at King Avenue West and Shiloh Road.

Montana Cycling will offer a $25 store gift certificate to anyone who donates a bike to B4H during the March donation drive.

“Combining our love of biking and working with the Billings community, while making a global difference, was just too good to pass up,” said Mark Soueidi, the store’s owner and manager.

To promote awareness of B4H and bicycling in Billings, several organizations and bike clubs will ride together in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

Austin expects at least 100 bicyclists to turn out for the parade, which will kick off the public donation drive. From 2 to 5 p.m., starting on March 13 and continuing through the remaining Saturdays in March, people can donate their used bikes at the soon-to-open Montana Cycling store.

Although mountain bikes and similar-style bikes are best suited to Africa’s terrain, any bicycles, including children’s bikes, bike parts and equipment will be accepted.

“The collecting of bikes is pretty much the easy part,” Austin said.

“They have to go to the right village. The people have to be trained to maintain the bikes. You don’t want them to show up in Africa and be sold on the black market.”

One reason Austin became involved with B4H is that the organization partners with African communities to sustain the project.

Along with encouraging Billings groups, including schools, churches and bike clubs, to become involved, Austin intends to challenge other Montana communities to create their own B4H chapters.