Courtesy Photo-Jeremy Hurt "Red Bike Delivery Service"
Jeremy started the company so that he would not have to worry about working for somebody else. Up until now, Hurt had worked in the restaurant industry most of his life. The concept soon took on a life on its own. "It became a community-driven project," explained Hurt. "Delivering products by bike will help reduce our carbon footprint. It will keep money in our communities by hiring locally.” Having nothing terrible to say about more extensive delivery services per se, but if they are headquartered somewhere down South. "It makes my whole point," said Hurt.
-By the way, the oldest known use of the English form, necessity is the mother of invention, is found in Northern Memoirs, calculated for the meridian of Scotland, initially published by Richard Franck in 1658: "Art imitates Nature, and Necessity is the Mother of Invention."-
When recalling why he named his limited liability company Red Bike Delivery, he smiled as he acknowledged, "I don't drive, and the color of the bike I purchase was red." Hurt uses and motorized bike with a small trailer for his deliveries. “Inside the trailer is a food storage box used in restaurants to keep the food hot,” said Hurt. He purchased his red bike from "Dicker and Deal" and then added an electric motor to the rear wheel assembly. The extra power helps in the winter to get through the side street that hasn't yet been plowed. He wears layered clothes and has a pair of electric gloves he plugs into a battery pack. “This is a job for the hearty,” smiled Hurt. Hurt has plans to build a bigger electric trailer with shelves.
For Valentine's Day, Hurt offered a special delivery. He delivered a personalized card, a rose, and a dessert for $25. He made ten deliveries. "I got everything from local vendors," said Hurt.
Hurt's delivery service has a three-mile radius as a starting point from the restaurants where he collects the deliveries. "The battery-powered bike usually gets me there in about 15 minutes," said Hurt. "So far, knock of wood, everything is working out great."
Hurt also offers a supermarket delivery service. "These are mostly pre-orders," explained Hurt. The company currently has a select group of restaurants he delivers from but also has plans to expand. "I am interested in a partnership with any local business that needs my help," he said.
As for what makes his business unique, Hurt hopes to bring back the delivery business's personal side. "You know," said Hurt, "Being on a first name basis between the driver and the customer. With the driver going the extra mile to take care of the customer."
Reflecting on what in life makes him happy, Hurt said, "Watching the reaction people had then they received a Valentine's Day rose was pretty special. I guess seeing other people makes me happy." When describing his favorite place on earth, "any place where it’s always 70 degrees,” smiled Hurt.
When discussing the future, Hurt noted that he would like to be delivering throughout East Lansing and stepping back from deliveries to take on more of a managerial role in three years. In five years, Hurt would like to expand to Ann Arbor and perhaps Grand Rapids. In ten years, I hope is that my company would have grown to the point that a larger delivery company might be interested in buying the business. But, for now, anyone interested in delivery with a personal touch should contact Red Bike Delivery Service at jhurt500@gmail.com.
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