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Bicycle as the first machine
Bike riding and repair make tools, systems, diagnostics, safety, responsibility, and teamwork tangible — before participants ever enter a formal trades pathway.
National youth workforce initiative · Est. 2026
First ride. First repair.
First success.
BYKES —
BYKES Foundation builds human infrastructure — helping young people develop skills, confidence, mentorship, and access to fulfilling careers in the trades, engineering, manufacturing, energy, and mobility. One chapter at a time. Coast to coast.
About · Founder Story
The founder's story is the founder's method.
I grew up without much money and with dyslexia. I do not view dyslexia as a disability. It is part of how I focus, concentrate, see patterns, and solve problems differently. A bicycle can be more than transportation or recreation. It can be a first lesson in independence, safety, responsibility, mechanics, persistence, and pride. BYKES Foundation is built to create more of those first successes for young people—and to connect them to people, skills, education, and opportunities that can help them build meaningful lives.
— Edward Walker, Founder
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1985 · US NAVYNavy NuclearUSS Dallas submariner · MARF / Kesselring reactor plant duty.
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TODAY · PSEGPSEG NuclearProject Manager, Nuclear Corporate Operations · Salem / Hope Creek.
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2026 · DOCTRINEInstall MarginExecution-readiness doctrine and the WIMS platform for capital projects.
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2026 · FOUNDATIONBYKES FoundationNational youth workforce pathways · first ride, first repair, first success.
Funding link
10% of Install Margin proceeds fund BYKES.
Thesis Nuclear utilities, automakers, EPCs, and advanced manufacturers all face the same shortage: trained hands. BYKES rebuilds the pipeline where it starts — with a kid, a wrench, and someone worth learning from.
The five pillars
The Complete Machine.
A working bicycle is a system of interdependent parts — nothing carries the rider alone. BYKES is designed the same way: five program pillars, each essential, each engineered to work with the others.
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Listening before sponsorship
Outreach to utilities and industry begins with workforce and community listening, then a co-designed pilot — not a generic funding request. Local needs shape the Team.
03
Chapter-to-network scaling
Every chapter starts with one measurable Stage, an outcome report, and a renewal decision — before replication. Standards travel; delivery stays local.
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Install Margin funding link
Ten percent of Install Margin proceeds is committed to the Foundation, connecting the publishing venture directly to youth technical development.
05
Charitable and commercial separation
BYKES Foundation is charitable and educational. WIMS, Install Margin, and commercial partners operate under separate entities, contracts, and governance — sponsors never buy commercial preference.
The Team · Eight-week Stage
The mechanics of the build.
Three phases. One machine. Every rider on the Team moves through all three inside a single eight-week Stage — the same rhythm you'd see in an apprenticeship shop.
The Pedal — Learning to Ride
The force that starts the momentum. Riders build confidence, road awareness, and the first safety habits that every trade demands.
The Chainring — Learning to Build
Translation. Riders assemble their own bike from the frame up, learning torque, tolerance, and the discipline of measurement — the same fundamentals used on a plant floor.
The Cassette — Troubleshoot, Diagnose & Repair
Execution under load. Riders diagnose faults on real bikes (including e-bikes), work with mentors, and finish the Stage with a repair log and a reference from a working tradesperson.
The chapter model · 35-mile Human Infrastructure Map
Six anchor sites. One replicable triangle.
We draw a roughly 35-mile radius around a major employer — a nuclear plant, an OEM assembly line, an EPC office, an advanced manufacturer. Inside that circle we stand up three anchor partners: a school or CTE program, a bicycle partner, and an industry sponsor. That triangle is a chapter. Click any anchor site on the map to see who plays each role.
Ranges shown for visibility — actual chapter radius is 35 miles.
Youth / education anchor
Public school, CTE center, community college, workforce organization, youth nonprofit, or recreation department. Recruits participants. Owns the classroom side.
- Public middle & high schools
- Career & technical education centers
- Community colleges & trade schools
- Workforce boards & job centers
Bicycle anchor
Local bike shop, repair collective, retailer, cycling club, or manufacturer. Supplies bikes, parts, technicians, and safety expertise. Owns the shop floor.
- Independent bike shops
- Repair collectives & earn-a-bike programs
- Cycling clubs & trail groups
- Bike manufacturers & distributors
Industry anchor
The employer that needs the workforce five years out. Funds the Team, sends employee mentors, and opens career exposure. Owns the pipeline.
- Nuclear & electric utilities
- Automotive OEMs & dealer groups
- Advanced manufacturers & fabricators
- EPCs, engineering firms, contractors
National target universe
Where the chapters go.
Chapter anchors follow the workforce. We build first where a major employer sits inside a 35-mile radius that also contains a viable school partner and a functioning bike ecosystem. Below is the working target list — organized as the chapter Playbook does, and reviewed quarterly against NRC and EIA records.
Tier 1 · Relationship-led
Nuclear & multi-site electric utilities
- PSEG
- Duke Energy
- Constellation
- TVA
- Southern Company / Southern Nuclear
- Vistra
- NextEra / FPL
- DTE Energy
Existing or plausible senior relationship paths; multi-site scale; workforce and community relevance.
Tier 2 · Fleet replication
Additional utilities & operators
- Entergy
- Dominion Energy
- Ameren
- APS
- Energy Northwest
- Xcel Energy
- PPL / Susquehanna
- PG&E
Fleet replication after first proof points at Tier-1 sites.
EPC · Engineering · Execution
Design and build partners
- Bechtel
- Fluor
- AECOM
- Sargent & Lundy
- MPR Associates
- Regional engineering & project-controls firms
Firms that live inside the plant fence and need the same trades pipeline utilities do.
Automotive & mobility
OEMs, dealers, fleet operators
- General Motors, Ford, Stellantis & other OEMs
- National & regional dealer groups
- EV service networks
- Diesel, fleet, and transit organizations
Mechanics, mobility, tools, and mentor pathways — the closest cultural cousin of a bike shop.
Manufacturing & skilled trades
Big business that needs hands
- Advanced manufacturers & fabrication
- Aerospace & defense
- Machine shops & process plants
- Construction, HVAC, electrical, mechanical contractors & unions
Welders, millwrights, maintenance technicians, quality inspectors — the roles a chapter feeds directly.
Bike industry · Education · Wellness
Anchor ecosystem partners
- Bike shops, brands, distributors, components, apparel
- School districts, CTE centers, community colleges
- Health systems & wellness organizations
- Trail groups & cycling clubs
The partners inside every triangle. Recruited chapter by chapter, not centrally.
Utility and site data reconciled against the NRC operating-reactor list and EIA ownership records; reviewed quarterly. No partnership is claimed until an agreement is signed.
Sponsorship · Six tiers · One commitment
How you sponsor a chapter.
Sponsorship starts with listening and a co-designed pilot with the workforce and community around a chapter — not a generic funding ask. The ladder below is how partners plug in without buying commercial preference.
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TIER 01
National Founding Human Infrastructure Partner
Supports national standards, shared measurement, and initial multi-site growth across the peloton.
Recognized as a founding national partner with annual impact reporting, employee engagement, and approved storytelling.
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TIER 02
National Skills & Mobility Partner
Supports bikes, helmets, locks, tools, repair labs, and mobile capabilities across chapters.
Recognized as a category partner with equipment-impact narrative and local activation moments.
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TIER 03
Regional Human Infrastructure Partner
Supports a regional cluster of chapters, Ride Forward events, and mentor networks.
Recognized as a regional partner with workforce and community engagement across a corridor.
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TIER 04
Chapter Founding Partner
Supports a single Team through one eight-week Stage plus a community event.
Recognized as the founding chapter partner with employee mentors and a written outcome report.
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TIER 05
Education and Career Partner
Contributes facilities, instructors, pathways, and referrals from a school, CTE center, or community college.
Recognized as the local education anchor with direct participant connection.
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TIER 06
Ride Forward Sponsor
Supports event logistics, scholarships, safety, and community activation for a specific ride or clinic.
Recognized as an event sponsor with team-based employee participation.
BYKES Foundation is pre-501(c)(3). Tier language describes contribution and recognition concepts; specific dollar amounts and tax treatment will be published once status is confirmed.
What we measure
Stage-level outcomes, not vanity metrics.
Every chapter reports the same four gauges before the next Stage is funded. If a Team doesn't move the needle, we redesign the Stage — we don't scale it.
Two operating hubs · One national campaign
National campaign. Regional hubs.
Local partnerships.
The Foundation runs from two original hubs — one East, one West — and licenses local chapters everywhere in between. Chapters do the delivery. Hubs carry the standards.
Wilmington, Delaware
National headquarters & Eastern operations
- Delaware nonprofit governance, IP, and chapter licensing
- Delaware Valley & Mid-Atlantic utility, EPC, and manufacturing corridor
- East Coast Ride Forward platform base
Tucson, Arizona
Western operations · wellness & cycling community
- Southwest chapter development & donor engagement
- Existing youth-cycling and Safe Routes ecosystem: collaborate, don't duplicate
- Western Ride Forward events & adventure programming
Where the network grows next
Sequenced against utility fleets & OEM footprints
- Southeast nuclear fleet (Duke, Southern, TVA territories)
- Midwest automotive & manufacturing corridor
- Texas & Gulf Coast energy and petrochemical hubs
- Pacific Northwest utility & aerospace region
Get Involved
Where do you fit in the peloton?
Pick the role that fits. We're in listening mode with utilities, OEMs, EPCs, trades associations, school districts, bike shops, and community organizations across the country.