BIGGBY® COFFEE OWNER/OPERATOR RIDING IN WISH-A-MILE® 2018

BIGGBY^® COFFEE Owner Biking from Traverse City to Marshall, MI to Raise Money for Make-A-Wish^®

East Lansing, MI, July 26, 2018–BIGGBY^® COFFEE would like to take the opportunity to highlight one of their Owner/Operators—Randy Neelis. Randy and his family own BIGGBY^® COFFEE locations in Albion and Jackson, MI and are incredibly involved in their communities. Randy and 2 other local community members have joined forces as Team BIGGBY^® to raise money for Amelia whose wish is to visit Disney World and meet Minnie Mouse! They will be biking 300 miles from Traverse City to Marshall, MI from Friday through Sunday, ending at EATON Proving Grounds.

The Wish-A-Mile^® (WAM) Bicycle Tour, the single-largest fundraising event for Make-A-Wish^® Michigan, started in 1987 with four friends who challenged each other to ride 300 miles from Canton to Mackinac. WAM has continued to grow from these humble beginnings into an amazing, heartwarming journey including more than 1,000 dedicated cyclists and volunteers. The ride concludes with the Heroes Hurrah finish line celebration with more than 3,000 riders, wish children, families and volunteers. The event celebrates the riders' accomplishments and honors the wish families. When the riders cross the finish line cheers erupt! It is a true festive atmosphere, complete with live entertainment, bounce houses, a delicious lunch, games and more.

This year’s event has a goal of raising $2.5 million and Randy and his team members have personal goals of each raising $1,200 towards that total. Charter buses transport the riders and their equipment from Marshall to Traverse City for the start of the race. Each evening the riders stay at a different location, oftentimes a school, and reenergize through food, camaraderie, and sleep. “I love meeting different people from all over doing things like this,” said Randy. “You get to learn their stories and understand what motivates them to participate.” Randy has personal values and goals that match up with organizations like Make-A-Wish^® and he was very proud to talk about those drivers. “Helping others is an important way to live your life and supporting people in building a life they love will help you get to your dreams too,” said Randy. “I have my own goals and dreams that my friends and family have supported, and this is Amelia’s dream, so of course we want to help her get there too!”

To read more about Amelia and the Wish-A-Mile event, visit their website here! Follow Randy and Team BIGGBY^® on their Facebook page here!

BIGGBY^® COFFEE, East Lansing, Mich.-based, was started with a single store on March 15, 1995. One year later, and on the cusp of opening a second location, Bob Fish and Michael McFall, on a handshake and $4,000, decided to franchise the concept. BIGGBY^® COFFEE’s cultural values of Make Friends, Have Fun, B Yourself, and Share Great Coffee help coffee-lovers and the coffee-curious alike benefit from a less pretentious and fun approach to the standard gourmet cafe paradigm. Besides connoisseur-worthy drinks with pronounceable names like Teddy Bear^® and Caramel Marvel^®, BIGGBY^® baristas provide a unique experience focused on brightening their customer’s day and supporting them in building a life they love. The “Big ‘B’” on the orange background caught on, and today BIGGBY^® COFFEE has over 270 cafes open or under contract across ten states including: Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, South Carolina, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Florida, Texas, and New Jersey. In 2018, BIGGBY^® launched an Area Representative Program and currently has 4 area representatives in 4 states.

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If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Caitlin Carpenter at 517-898-3677 or email at ccarpenter@biggby.com.