The Coco Bikes are coming.

You will see them flash by you soon on the streets of downtown Pensacola. You may see them in front of the Coco building or propped up against walls of the downtown shops and eateries. At least one of them will have a basket attached to deliver food or supplies back to the office of Coco Design Associates, Inc., a Web site development business located at 222 N. Baylen Street, in downtown Pensacola.

You will not mistake these bikes for any others. Each bike will not only be tagged as a "Coco Bike," but it will also be painted a fluorescent orange color. As Jay Massey, owner of Coco Design, says, "These bikes are not meant to be pretty. They are actually meant to be pretty nasty and gnarly."

Jay bought some used single-speed cruisers and took them to Cycle Sports of Pensacola to be refurbished. His plan is to collect enough used bicycles (donations of old cruisers are accepted) to provide one for every employee. A series of painting parties will then transform them into the easy-to-recognize Coco Bikes that will travel the city streets. Jay's vision is that the bicycles will be used by the associates at Coco and if someone else takes the bike than "no skin off Coco's back" they will just replace it.  Brian Stone of Cycle Sports says, "He is doing a good thing. He is making use of one the most efficient man/machine unions available to improve the physical and psychological health of his employees and to help preserve the nation's natural resources. The Coco Bikes may also become one of the signature [sights] of the downtown scene."

These bikes are an extension of the Coco Culture which promotes health, exercise, and fun at work. The orange bicycles will help make shops and eateries that were too far for the Coco employees to walk to more accessible by other means than automobiles.

Wes Rogers, the Ruby on Rails/Mac "guy" at Coco Design, looks forward to the Coco Bikes for several reasons. "Riding a bike around the block is a great way to get a little exercise during a break during the work day. A few of us here at Coco love to go to Ever'man for our grocery needs, and once we get some baskets on the bikes we won't need to start up the car just to drive from Wright to Reus Street…. I love cycling before or after work, so it's great to be able to do that on a break to get the blood flowing. Exercise should be a requirement at jobs like ours where people sit down 90% of the day."

Lito Apple, Operations/Accounting Manager at Coco Design, sums it up, "Jay's idea of the Coco Bikes is a great idea for the morale and [acts as a] stress reliever for the Coco Design Team. This allows individuals to take time away from their desk when they need to de-stress and allows them to refocus. Besides, a little exercise and a bit of sunshine in the downtown area makes a difference."

Good morale. Stress relief. Health and exercise. Quality work. Enjoying a bit of sunshine on the streets of downtown Pensacola. That certainly sounds like the Coco Culture. 

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