Meet the Zummo Contributors:

Elijah

How a Gritty / mechanical 8th grader changed the orbit of Berwyn based Zummo Bike

Prior to Elijah’s arrival at Zummo Bike during the COVID days of 2021, our non profit was solely in the business of giving away bicycles to kids in Norristown that hit attendance, citizenship and reading targets.
After a few weeks of joining us as a bike mechanic, while chatting, Elijah said, “We need to think about selling some of the donated bikes and build a service business so we can pay for our parts and payroll.”

That bit of thinking along with his passion for devouring You Tube bike repair videos and his get it done / figure it out attitude was the recipe we needed to build Zummo Bike!

Elijah leveraged Bo’s & Joan’s skills, added his friend to the staff, coached up a few other grade school kids, leveraged our bike mentor and lead our first yard sale in Phoenixville.
The result, 50 bikes sold, great publicity from Ukee Washington at Channel 3 and the feeling that we could grow up the sales and service side of our 501c3 and some day, hit the break even point.

Fast forward to the fall of 2021, two game changing events happened.

1. Stacey Ballard, CEO of Eadeh Enterprises “turbocharged” our little 501c3 by providing us an amazing retail location at 654 E Lancaster, Berwyn Pa.
2. Mitch Rovins, owner of Beacon Bicycles in Northfield NJ, after 44 years, closed up his business and donated four trailer loads of bike tools and parts to Zummo.
With retail space, parts and an unbelievable cache of bike tools, Elijah had the sandbox to “Quarterback” a team teenagers and a handful of willing elementary schoolers in the rebuilding /repair of bikes.
Among the many results from the gritty teenager leading the team at our Eadeh home, Zummo, during the last 2 years, has been operating in the black

-Steve Oliver, Founder

Joan and Carter

My neighbor was throwing away a nice 21 speed crossover bike and told me to take it.  I brought it over to the shop this morning to get it checked out and tuned up.  I just wanted to let you know what great service I got from your little buddy Joan (I think that’s his name, you would bring him to the gym sometimes) and Carter.  When I came to pick the bike up Carter showed me everything thing he did on the bike as well as gave me a great lesson on shifting details as well as a lesson on how to take the front tire off.  He then helped me load it in the car.  Two exceptional young men!  Keep up the great work!

-Brian