A central part of our company culture is our social responsibility initiative to drive community engagement, support employee health and wellness, and focus on the environment. Our employees exemplify the spirit of this initiative in many unique ways, from raising funds to challenging each other to activities. The Beazer Bikers are a group of employees set out to make a difference and stay healthy by logging miles on their road bikes.

Last month, the Beazer Bikers hit the road in Houston to ride the BP MS150. The two-day bike ride took them to Austin to support the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society. Houston Area President Bruce Craig rode his first MS150 in 2015. “It started with the physical challenge of completing 150 miles in two days,” he said.

Once he started fundraising for the charity, he learned there were so many people that he knew touched by MS, including friends he never knew were part of the 400,000 people with MS nationwide.

“As I learned stories from friends and family that I never heard before, the MS150 became more about the fundraising than about the ride itself,” Bruce said.

To beat last year’s fundraising campaign, the Beazer Bikers committed to raising $35,000 to support research of the disease during the 2018 ride.

Pit Stops

The 162-mile ride wasn’t without its bumps in the road. One rider’s tire went flat on both days of the trip. The entire team stops to wait for him to change his tire.

“There is stress on the guy changing the tire to move like a Nascar pit crew because everyone is watching and waiting,” said Beazer Biker Mike Sander, VP of sales, Dallas. “But secretly, everyone is okay with someone getting a flat tire because it allows for one extra break and rest time off the bike! Our support truck also suffered a tire blow out driving us between the mid-way point and our overnight accommodations in which a bunch of guys in spandex were changing the tire on the side of the highway.”

Sweet Success

The Beazer Bikers made it to Austin and surpassed their goal with more than $50,000 raised for the National MS society.

“It’s special to see how Beazer supports the National MS Society and this ride, encouraging employees to participate, including two area presidents and our CFO being a part of the team,” said Nick Weimer, director of planning and design, Houston.

Bike MS’ Impact

• The National MS Society is the largest private funder of MS research in the world, leading to discoveries that have transformed treatment and care.
• People affected by MS have access to around-the-clock information, support, and resources from the National MS Society to help them live their best lives.
• Advances in understanding the complex symptoms of MS have resulted in effective new ways to address them and ease the challenges of living with MS.

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