Lyft acquires Capital Bikeshare
The ridesharing company Lyft announced Monday it has reached an agreement to acquire Motivate, the parent company of Capital Bikeshare.
Lyft plans to grow the business by adding more dockless and pedal-assist electric bikes to places where Motivate operates bikeshares.
Capital Bikeshare enables customers to rent bikes from docks that it places throughout the Washington, D.C., area including in Bethesda, North Bethesda, Rockville and Silver Spring. After traveling on the bikes, riders have to return them to the docking stations. Motivate plans to keep the Capital Bikeshare name and branding after the Lyft acquisition is formally completed.
“How we get around cities is changing rapidly, and the combination of Lyft and Motivate will bring tremendous new resources and energy to making sure that bikeshare plays a fundamental role in the new urban mobility,” Motivate Executive Chairman Steve Koch said in a statement. “Together, we believe that integrating our services in partnership with the public sector will transform the urban transportation landscape, increase bike ridership and make our cities better.”
Rideshare companies buying bikeshare businesses is a developing trend. In April, Uber announced it acquired the electric-bike startup Jump to add bike sharing to its transportation options.
Westfield goes through rebranding after merger
The parent company for Westfield Montgomery is going through a rebranding following a merger, but the North Bethesda mall itself will keep its current name.
The Paris-based Unibail-Rodamco this month completed its $16 billion acquisition of Westfield Corp., an Australian shopping center company that owns Westfield Montgomery in Bethesda and Westfield Wheaton. The merged company will be called Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield and boasts a portfolio of 102 shopping centers in 13 countries, according to a press release. The shopping centers draw an estimated 1.2 billion visits each year, the release stated.
Karla Saravia, a marketing manager for Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, said company employees will see their emails and logo change to reflect the new name. However, the local malls will still be called Westfield Montgomery and Westfield Wheaton, she wrote.
Chesapeake Bay Foundation hires county’s former DEP director
The former director of the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection has been hired for a top post at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the foundation announced Monday.
Lisa Feldt was head of the county department for three years before resigning in November for personal reasons, according to her. Foundation President William C. Baker said in a press release that Feldt had started Monday in her new post as vice president for environmental protection and restoration.
“Ms. Feldt’s broad experience, with local and federal government agencies, as well as in the private sector, makes her an ideal choice to lead CBF’s policy, grassroots, and restoration programs,” Baker said.
Feldt had more than 20 years of experience working for the federal Environmental Protection Agency before joining county government. She served as the acting deputy administrator of the federal agency from August 2013 to January 2015 before she signed on to lead the county department, according to her LinkedIn profile.
In her new post, Feldt will be involved in the foundation’s continuing efforts involving the 2010 Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint, an agreement between the federal government and six Bay states and Washington, D.C., that includes pollution limits, state-specific plans to achieve those limits, two-year milestones to evaluate progress, and consequences for failure. As part of the agreement, the states also committed to implementation of 60 percent of the practices necessary for Bay restoration by 2017 and to finish the job by 2025, according to the foundation’s release.
“The Chesapeake Bay is near and dear to my heart and I am honored to contribute to CBF’s efforts to implement the Blueprint and restore this national treasure,” Feldt, who lives in Anne Arundel County, said in the release. “Working together with governments at the local, state and federal level, as well as citizens and partner organizations, we can reduce pollution and leave a legacy of clean water to our children and future generations.”
Bethesda Row to host summer sidewalk sale July 13–15
Shops and restaurants on Bethesda Row are planning to participate in the annual sidewalk sale this year by offering sales and specials at their businesses. The event takes place from July 13 through 15 and will feature live entertainment from noon to 4 p.m. each day.