IPMBA and 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.
Visit the Industry & Resources page to read
product reviews and see a listing of Corporate Members and other suppliers.
More Stories from the 2005 IPMBA
Conference...
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