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Bike
messengers whisk around 4-wheel city
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Detroit Free Press, August 24, 2007
Bt Alejandro Bodipa-Memba
Weaving in and out of traffic in downtown Detroit doesn't sound like a
smart thing for most bicyclists to do.
But for Ben Chodoroff and the other owners of Rock Dove Couriers, the
danger of riding alongside cars and trucks is an occupational hazard in
the world of bike messengers.
Rock Dove, which started in September 2006, is thought to be the only
exclusively bicycle messenger business in downtown Detroit. Though
popular in most major cities around the world, including New York;
Tokyo; Toronto; Barcelona, Spain; and Paris, bike messengers have yet
to grab a foothold in Detroit, until now.
The group of four twentysomething co-owners -- Chodoroff, Darrin
Brouhard, Aaron Kluza and Hans Buetow -- claims Rock Dove can deliver a
package anywhere in downtown Detroit in 15 minutes, regardless of rain,
snow or cold. Their customers wouldn't disagree.
"We use them every day because we always are filing things at Wayne
County Circuit Court or the Court of Appeals on the Boulevard," said
Tiffany Fletcher, a legal secretary with Detroit law firm Miller Cohen
Plc. "Before, our delivery system was a mess. We had another company
doing it that overcharged us and always messed up our filings. I don't
think we can do without these guys."
The riders are hard to miss, sporting tangerine-colored T-shirts with a
picture of a rock dove -- the species name given to pigeons --
emblazoned on the front.
About 80% of the company's business consists of delivering legal
documents.
Rock Dove has no offices. Most of the company's business transactions
and inquiries are done through the Internet. Even the dispatch system
is Web-based (www.rockdovecouriers.com) and directly connected to each
member's mobile phone.
Rock Dove couriers can pick up and deliver up to a dozen boxes full of
folders in a non-rush situation. Prices range from $6 for a 2-hour
guaranteed delivery within the downtown zone to as much as $80 for a
long-distance trek to Pontiac or Mt. Clemens.
Each of the four messengers at Rock Dove has been in at least one
accident involving a car. Chodoroff said he was hit by a motorist with
Ohio license plates last year.
"He hit me head-on going about 15 or 20 miles per hour and I flew off
my bike and landed on the sidewalk about 15 to 20 feet away," said
Chodoroff. "The packages I was carrying were safe. I went to the
hospital, mostly because the driver insisted on it, and he had
insurance. He also got a ticket."
Tough economic times in Michigan have led to a growing number of small
business ventures popping up.
"We don't need offices, and there is very little overhead," said
Brouhard, a 29-year-old Detroiter. "Other than bike maintenance, our
phones and our radios, that's pretty much it."
And that seems to be a good omen for a business that is less than a
year old and is hoping to grow and compete with motorized delivery
services.
With such low overhead, no gasoline-related costs and problems with
finding and paying for parking, competition in the bike messenger
business is largely nonexistent. That is why Rock Dove can afford to
keep prices relatively low.
"The biggest expense we have are our bikes," said Chodoroff, who owns
three of them.
In addition to filing legal briefs at courts around town, Rock Dove has
begun shuttling food, too. The company has contracted with several
local delis and restaurants to deliver breakfast and lunch to clients.
Still, the company's bread-and-butter business comes from delivering
important documents for its clients.
For their efforts, Chodoroff and his partners said they each made about
$20,000 from delivering packages last year.
"I'm here for two things," said Brouhard. "To make money and ride my
bike."
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