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Former Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Disney ESG Manager Join Coaster’s Strategic Advisory Board

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Former Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Disney ESG Manager Join Coaster’s Strategic Advisory Board

November 27
21:45 2019
Members Include Former Commissioner of the Chicago and Washington DC Depts of Transportation and Co-Founders of Peapod!

Boston, MA – Coaster Cycles, a builder and operator of mobility products for the last mile, announced the addition of two industry leaders to its Strategic Advisory Board today:  Nicole Y. Lamb-Hale: Managing Director at Kroll Associates, Inc. and Former Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration,  along with John Kim, former CSR, ESG, and Social Impact Manager, for The Walt Disney Company. 

“Needless to say, we are thrilled that Nicole and John signed on,” said Ben Morris, Founder & CEO at Coaster.  “As a former Assistant Secretary of Commerce, Nicole brings a wealth of leadership and expertise, while John’s tenure at Disney representing one of the biggest brands in the world leaves us feeling incredibly humbled.” 

Coaster builds and operates eco-friendly mobility products that provide transportation, delivery, and branding services. Built in the USA, Coaster manufactures all models at the Company’s 24,000 sq. ft. facility near Missoula, MT.  Enabled by technology and supported by ads, Coaster’s rental fleet provides customers a new way to ride, drive, and connect.                 

“I’m so proud to be associated with a company manufacturing American made, eco-friendly transportation solutions for customers at home and abroad,” said Nicole.

Coaster’s portfolio boasts a robust mix of public and private sector clients including Aramark, Nestle, Pepsi, University of Montana, Lime and Uber. Coaster Cycles are offered in two size options. Models can be configured to serve a variety of functions such as delivering food and packages, pouring coffee or beer, and servicing scooter and bike-share operations.  Coaster Cycles operate in the bike lane, can access areas cars cannot, do not require a driver’s license, and can be outfitted with a variety of integrated technology features like Coaster Performance and e-assist.

“Coaster provides exciting solutions for the growing number of companies and brands that want to reduce their carbon footprint,” said John Kim. “Coaster has been providing eco-friendly transportation for over a decade and I am very excited to help the company expand its sustainability efforts.”

Nicole and John join Gabe Klein, former Commissioner of the Chicago and Washington DC Departments of Transportation and Venture Partner at Fontinalis Partners, Andrew and Thomas Parkinson, Co-Founders of Peapod, Katherine Allen, Angel Investor, and Harlan Platt, Professor at Northeastern University. Coaster is excited to welcome our new advisors to help advance our sustainability initiatives and grow the Coaster business in the US and abroad.

Full bios for Advisory Board below:

John Kim: Former CSR, ESG, and Social Impact Manager, The Walt Disney Company 

John has nearly twenty years of experience at Fortune 50 and Fortune 1000 companies, start-ups, INGO’s/NGO’s, branding agencies and government organizations working in corporate social responsibility (CSR), sustainability, public policy, and international development.

He is a passionate believer that business can (and must) be a force for good. His most recent role was the CSR, Insights & Integration Manager at The Walt Disney Company, where he spent the last 7 years helping the company’s efforts to measure and report on its environmental and social impact, develop enterprise-wide CSR strategy, initiatives and programs, engage and monitor the ESG investor community, and more. Previously he was the Better World (CSR) Marketing Manager at Herman Miller, an account planner at branding agency, Lipman Hearne, and a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco. John has his Masters in Public Policy from Georgetown University and a BS in Human Development and Policy Analysis and Management from Cornell University. He is also the creator of the blog Virtuous Cycle, which celebrates individuals, organizations, and brands using bikes as a force for good.  

For the next few months, John will be exploring the Atlantic Coast, from Maine to the Caribbean and back, on a sailboat with his family. 

Nicole Y. Lamb-Hale: Managing Director at Kroll Associates, Inc. and Former Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Manufacturing and Services, U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration

Nicole Y. Lamb-Hale is a Managing Director at Kroll, a division of Duff & Phelps and the leading global provider of risk solutions, based in the Washington, D.C. office. Nicole has more than 25 years of executive-level experience and a unique viewpoint on global commercial and compliance matters from her extensive service in both the public and private sectors. Before joining Kroll, Nicole was at Albright Stonebridge Group, a global strategy consultancy, where she was Senior Vice President.

A passionate advocate for business, Nicole was nominated by the President and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as the Assistant Secretary for Manufacturing and Services in the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration (ITA). In this role, she was the Chief Executive Officer of the industry-facing unit of ITA, serving as the liaison between U.S. industry and the federal government concerning access to international markets and U.S. policies impacting the competitiveness of U.S. exports. Before serving as Assistant Secretary, Nicole served by presidential appointment as the Deputy General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Before her government service, Nicole was a partner at two international law firms where she represented global manufacturing companies in significant commercial matters. Nicole earned her A.B. with high honors from the University of Michigan and her J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Katherine Kennedy Allen: Marketing Advisor and Angel Investor

Katherine has served a variety of leadership roles prior to joining Coaster Cycles as an Advisory Board Member.  Katherine is currently finishing her doctorate in Leadership and Organizational Learning at Vanderbilt University and is an active angel investor.

Katherine previously consulted as a marketing advisor to Pacify who recently was acquired by Advantia in 2019. Prior to her work with Pacify, Katherine served as Director of Communications for Rally Health/Audax Health which was acquired by Optum in 2015.  In addition to her experience in Health Tech, Katherine also has served in leadership positions as the chairwoman of the KBPK Foundation, principal at the Availor Capital, board member for the Prevent Cancer Foundation and received leadership recognition as a Dell #Inspire100, World Economic Forum Young Global Shaper, Bisnow 30 under 30 and the United Nations Foundation.

Gabe Klein: Co-Founder at Cityfi & Venture Partner at Fontinalis Partners, LLC

Gabe Klein is a life-long entrepreneur, author of Start-Up City (Island Press, 2015) and the former Commissioner of the Chicago and Washington DC Departments of Transportation. In both cities, he revamped technology platforms and government processes while focusing on putting people first vs. automobiles on city streets. This included launching two of the first and largest bikeshare systems in the U.S. and building protected bike lanes and better pedestrian infrastructure for vulnerable citizens citywide, as well as facilitating private services like carshare and rideshare that could help each city’s mobility goals.  

Gabe honed his creativity and leadership skills at companies including Zipcar, where he served as Vice President, Bikes USA as national Director of Stores and his own electric powered, organic food truck chain, On The Fly.

Post-government, and after an enriching fellowship with the Urban Land Institute in 2014, Gabe joined Fontinalis Partners as a Special Venture Partner on their $100 million 2nd fund. Gabe also co-founded Cityfi in 2016, a national boutique innovation consultancy that advises governments and companies worldwide on innovation in cities including Singapore where Gabe has been a visiting fellow for the Centre For Livable Cities, working on creating a “car-lite” city-state. 

Andrew Parkinson: Co-founder of Peapod, ItemMaster, & Sifter

Andrew is a serial founder of some of the country’s most innovative startups including Peapod, ItemMaster and his current company, Sifter.  Andrew is currently Managing Partner at Sifter, a company that enables shoppers to find products that fit their diet and lifestyle.

As co-founder and CEO of Peapod, an online grocery shopping and delivery service, Andrew had overall responsibility for running the Company. He and his brother Thomas founded Peapod in 1989, took the company public in 1997, and sold it to Ahold in 2001. Peapod is currently a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Ahold. Peapod currently has revenues of approximately $1 billion and over 5,000 associates (commonly referred to as Podsters).

Thomas Parkinson: Entrepreneur in Residence, Northwestern University and Co-founder, Peapod  

Thomas co-founded Peapod with his brother, Andrew, in 1989 when he was 29 with $50,000 in seed money from friends and family. Delivering groceries via the computer, Peapod is the pioneer of e-commerce, being the oldest e-commerce company in the world. It maintains its leadership as the largest e-grocer in the country serving the Midwest and the East coast.

Thomas has a passion for creating unique on-line experiences and delivering superior customer service. As Chief Technology Officer and Head of Product, Thomas was responsible for Peapod’s web and mobile product development, IT infrastructure, supply chain and transportation systems, and R&D. Thomas retired from Peapod earlier this year and is now an Entrepreneur in Residence at Northwestern University.

Harlan Platt: Professor of Finance, Northeastern University

The company’s first advisor, Harlan is currently a Professor of Finance at Northeastern University’s D’amore-Mckim School of Business.

Aside from his position as a professor, Harlan served on the Board of Directors of Prospect Street High Income Portfolio, Inc., listed on the NYSE, and VSI Enterprises, Inc. on the NASDAQ and the Chairman of the John Hancock, CI Trust.

About Coaster:

Coaster inspires communities and brands to move, connect, and deliver with the world around them. Coaster builds and operates eco-friendly mobility products that provide transportation, delivery, and branding services for a range of clients, including Fortune 500s, governments, universities, events, and retailers.  All Coaster models are proudly made in the USA at the Company’s 24,000 sq. ft. facility near Missoula, MT. The Company also operates fleets in Boston, New York, and San Francisco and activates ad campaigns nationally.

To learn more, visit www.coastercycles.com

Follow us on Social Media –

Instagram: @Coastercycles
Facebook: @Coastercycles
Twitter: @Coastercycles

Media Contact
Company Name: Coaster Cycles
Contact Person: John Baus
Email: Send Email
Phone: 5049206416
City: Boston
State: Massachusetts
Country: United States
Website: https://www.coastercycles.com/