Brad Nauman is the store manager for Bushwhacker, which promotes itself as Peoria’s original outdoor store, and the secretary for local advocacy group Bike Peoria, which is newly incorporated as a non-profit organization.
What does a store manager do for Bushwhacker?
I buy all the bikes. I buy all the product on the bikes. I manage the bike staff in terms of staffing hours, hiring, that type of thing. As far as the whole store, I am responsible in the winter for all of our snowboards, snowboard accessories and portions of overall control of the store in terms of who’s staffing what and when. But as far as the whole store, I’m not the general manager. Our owner takes that title.
What’s the best thing about working at Bushwhacker?
Everything that we sell we do, so if you want time off, you go for a bike ride, you usually get time off. You want time off to go to a play, you probably don’t get the time off. So we encourage people to be active.
Why are you interested in Bike Peoria?
I think that cycling is important for everybody to do, and Bike Peoria seems to have the best grip on the city in terms of getting things done. Since I’ve seen them created, we’ve seen more things happen than in the past 20 years it seems.
I don’t know if it’s a matter of coincidence or that what we’re doing actually is making a difference, but the big thing that Bike Peoria is doing that seems different than what I was a part of with PAMBA [Peoria Area Mountain Bike Association] or IVW [Illinois Valley Wheelm’n] is that we have relationships with city officials, and they are seeking us out for input and opinion.
16incheswestofpeoria 
Man – that is a great picture! thanks for the space Sam.
My pleasure. Monster blog you have there. Sounds like you’re a training animal.
I’d call it a convenient coincidence with Bike Peoria and how biking/wellness/progressive thinking are becoming a larger part of the city planning culture. The IVW attempted numerous avenues with the city in terms of cycling advocacy back in the 1980’s and 1990’s that were either curtailed or limited due to lack of forethought on the side of the city. I highly doubt we’ve have the limited bike accommodations on the Bob Michel, wider shoulders on Forest Hill, and the Rock Island Trail completion (a few examples) if it were not for the work of those before us.
I agree. As long-ago past president and newsletter editor of the IVW, I’d say the most promising aspect of Bike Peoria is the greater number of people specifically interested in advocacy. Especially compared to the 1980s. The fact that a couple of things got done (the Rock Island helped by the tenacious George Burrier, working largely outside of the club), is undeniable, but the other fact, that there is so much more to do, is unassailable. And that takes people, whatever their affiliation.