Staff
Shift employees are a dedicated group of community members who have made it our mission to bring cycling access to as many people as possible.
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(He / Him)
Fair weather rider and vintage bicycle fanatic, I am a true believer in the magical powers of the bicycle. I grew up and have lived in Eugene for my entire life, and for 15 years I operated and owned a small, independent movie theater. Honoring his memory, the theater was named after David Minor, a friend and cyclist. Bicycles became the theme at the David Minor Theater, and we were home to an underground bike shop that later became 360 Cycles. “Upcycle, Restore and Reuse, shifting into sustainable transportation," became our mission. In 2021, I joined Free Bike 4 Kids and volunteered in every position, learning from the best. I was hooked on helping kids and building community through collaborations with those that share similar goals. Shortly thereafter, in 2022, we built Shift, bringing back a nonprofit community bike shop for all of Lane County.
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(She / Her)
Nessa Valenzuela is in charge of ordering chains and tires, making the computers work, and drawing pretty pictures. She likes bullhorn handlebars but thinks about switching to straight bars sometimes (Update: She's back on drop bars). Nessa has a BFA in garish tastes and uses it to do a myriad of unrelated jobs and tasks, all somehow heavily involving pizza. She likes dogs but prefers cats.
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(He / Him)
Jarl Berg was born and raised in Eugene. A local who has spent most of his life in the outdoor industry in the marketing and community outreach circles, Jarl is also the current VP of Free Bikes 4 Kids and past marketing guru at Bike Friday. Born and raised riding the streets of Eugene with his family, bikes have always been a part of his story from his first Solid Gold Chromed-out Schwinn from Hutch’s to his handmade Bruce Gordon which he sold to buy a Yuba Mundo Cargo Bike to his current herd of Bike Friday bikes…the favorite is his Custom Bike Friday Haul-A-Day which went from kid hauler to now being one of the party bikes for events like the Moonlight Mash. Jarl can be found at many community rides in the area or helping customers out at the store. Be warned…he really likes talking about locally made bikes like Bike Friday and Co-Motion. See ya at the next community ride!
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(He - Him)
Andy Holmes started in the bike industry sweeping floors and making tea at the local bike shop in 1986. Since then, he has worked as lead mechanic for numerous UK shops and distributors. In 1998, Andy moved to the US and began working as bike designer and product manager for some of the largest bike brands covering children’s bikes to high end race bikes. He has toured over 30 countries by bicycle, trying to experience as much dirt as possible. Andy designed and built his first bicycle in 1991 and now owns Penhale Bicycle Co, specializing in adventure bikepacking bikes. With 40 years of industry and repair knowledge, Andy is ecstatic to share what he’s learned with everyone.
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(He / Him)
Thomas Holden spent 17 years in Tanzania managing a Kilimanjaro trekking business and co-founding a recycled bike enterprise. The company he ran was recognized by the United Nations for its leadership in sustainable business practices. In 2020, his passions followed him to Oregon where he began volunteering at Shift, working his way from regular volunteer to Volunteer Coordinator. Tom’s bike-centric life finds him at any moment commuting, wrenching, racing, building e-bikes (as ‘Cyclized’ in partnership with Shift CC), and being a bike-nerd.
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(They/Them/He/Him)
Nico is an avid cyclist and bicycle mechanic. Nico is specifically passionate about tandem bikes, cargo bikes, and retro steel 26" mountain bikes. On top of cycling and wrenching, Nico loves their cats, building Legos, making music and doing anything creative.
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(He / Him)
Mark came to Shift after nearly two decades dedicated to building, fixing, and selling cycling products. A former volunteer, his penchant for treasure hunting and exceptional organizational skills landed him the role of Shift's Donation and Online Sales Manager. Mark meticulously sorts and organizes donations, ensuring they are ready for sale, repair, refurbishment, or recycling.
In the early months of 2023, Mark bid farewell to his home bikeshop, prepared to part ways with the remnants of his enduring hobby. Little did he know that his first visit to Shift triggered a U-turn in his cycling journey. Immersed in the hum of bike chains and the camaraderie of like-minded enthusiasts, he realized that his love for cycling was far from over – it was a new beginning. Inspired by Shift's spirit of giving, Mark seamlessly transitioned from donor to a passionate volunteer, proving that a single visit can reignite the fervor for pedal-powered adventures.
Explore Mark's curated treasures on our eBay store and begin your own cycling resurgence at Shift!
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(She/her)
Ari is a bike enthusiast who has been riding bikes since childhood. Her favorite forms of biking are bikepacking, bike polo, and long day rides. She moved to Oregon in 2013 and has lived in Eugene for 6 years.
She has been working in the field of environmental education for 8 years and has specialized in organic garden education, outdoor school, and ecology education, focusing primarily on helping marginalized communities increase access to the outdoors. She is excited to be helping kids get on bikes and explore our scenic city.
In her free time she helps run a WTFNB (women, trans, femme, & non-binary) bike collective. When not working with bikes you can find her hiking with her dog, identifying native plants, or foraging for snacks.
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(He/They)
Abe is an assistant mechanic with a deep love for all things bike. Currently he is also a student at the University of Oregon getting a degree in PPPM, although he much prefers working on bikes and being surrounded by the community of the bike shop. On his days off you might see him and his partner on their tandem or cuddling his very orange cat at home.
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(He / Him)
Emory, having grown up in Los Angeles, found and fell in love with biking as a way around the constant bumper to bumper. Spending much of his youth as a bike commuter he found fixed gear riding and bid derailleurs adew. Emory in his free time enjoys bike polo, skiing, camping, and chasing cars.
He has been organizing and leading youth programming for many of his employed years and has passion for the sharing of information and building independence in the next generation.
He found his way to Eugene pursuing school. With a passion for teaching and a desire to be a part of the local community he joined Shift as a camp counselor and continued his role as Youth Programs Lead.
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(She/Her)
Kendsie recently moved to Eugene from Grand Rapids, MI. She rides a bikefeit cargo bike and avidly advocates biking as transportation.
Kendsie spent 5 years teaching middle school and has over 13 years of experience organizing folks to make a difference in their communities.
She loves tapping into people's gifts, talents and passions and is excited to connect the next generation to bike riders through fun and engaging kids' activities.
You can find her among beehives or community gardens when not on a bike.
Shift Community Cycles is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization governed by an active Board of Directors. Along with our dedicated staff and volunteers, our Board helps to enact our mission of providing bicycle access, outreach programs, and bicycle education to our underserved communities.
Board of Directors
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(He / Him)
Stephen Flanagan is a lifelong outdoors nut whose love of bikes, mountains, and people has spurred adventures across multiple landscapes. Around town, you might see him on a gravel-ready Salsa Vaya; up in the mountains you might see his Surly Ogre outfitted for bikepacking excursions. Raising his kids in Davis, CA, opened the world of two-wheeled city life, and Stephen continues today volunteering with learn to ride events for local kids. Having retired from a science career at the University of California in 2022, Stephen now lives a bike and community-focused life here in our PNW wonderland.
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(He / Him)
As an ex-pat in Singapore, Brian was bitten by the cycling bug in High School while on a multi-day supported cycling trip through Western Australia. Later in his twenties, Brian continued to ride in Critical Mass type group rides as well as bike commuting to work in his car-loving hometown of Los Angeles. After a long hiatus, Brian rediscovered cycling after moving to Eugene in 2021 thanks in large part to the vibrant bike culture here, which he hopes to pass on to his three young children.
With a background in Technology Architecture and Management Consulting, Brian is passionate about using technology to help Non-profit organizations scale their operations and optimize thier impact on our communities. Brian is also an advocate for BAS (Bike Acquisition Syndrome), and his first real bike was a 90's era 21-speed Gary Fisher Marlin in silver.
GO DUCKS!
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(He / Him)
I was taken with cycling at an early age. The freedom it provided growing up in Michigan was incredible. I provided bike repairs for my friends and family in my early teens. By high school, I was employed as a mechanic and progressed to shop management, independent sales rep., and finally landed at Avocet in CA. After 30 years away from the bicycle industry, and riding, I retired and moved to Eugene with my wife. I am now an avid rider with GEARs and try to ride at least three times a week, rain or shine. I still enjoy working on bikes, and I volunteer with Shift and FB4K. My 20 years of experience in the bicycle industry provides the board with hands-on perspective in running the shop. My corporate finance roles, and treasurer roles of other nonprofits, also bring experience and a sharp focus to financial oversight.
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(She /Her)
Claire Roth moved to Eugene in 2018 and was immediately impressed with the area’s bicycle culture. She works with Better Eugene-Springfield Transportation (BEST) as Program Manager, working to advance safe and comfortable transportation in our area. Claire’s interests include bicycling along the river path, estate sales, plants, and cats.
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(He/ Him)
Caught up in the bike boom of the early 1970’s, studying Eugene Sloan’s The Complete Book of Bicycling and little else, Matt had the family garage artfully depicted as a bike shop on stationery. Carefully typed letters to the major bicycle parts distributors around the country established “Spokes & Wheels” as an actual bike shop. Wholesale access as a pre-teen (and Daniel Rebour’s evocatively illustrated catalogues!) were the gateway drug to a half-life in the bicycle industry. Mechanic, salesperson, shop manager, and 12 years at Burley Design Cooperative—a life in shorts and branded T-shirts —eventually gave way to suits, ties, and the financial services industry. Weaving cycling together with banking was a solution to a problem no one recognized. Soon, US Bank’s Eugene Main location featured branded cruiser bikes for client deliveries and lunch pick up. Northwest Community Credit Union’s new brand, Northwest of Banking, became anchored in consumer consciousness by bicycle powered blenders. Now a management consultant, Matt continues to ride recreationally and to client engagements and is thrilled to get “more people on bikes more often.”
Advisory Board
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(She / Her)
Goddess of grants
Interested in applying to join our Board? Fill out the application at the link below, submit it to info@ShiftCC.org, and we'll get back to you. We are especially seeking Board members with nonprofit experience, Spanish-speakers, and diverse personal and professional backgrounds.