It’s not exactly from the Olympics, but Todd Erdley is still celebrating his bronze.

Videon Central, a Ferguson Township electronics company where Erdley serves as president and CEO, won the bronze level award as a bicycle-friendly business by the League of American Bicyclists, a national advocacy organization.

The award was announced Sept. 14, and came as a response to Videon’s implementation of a companywide program called Velo Videon.

Twenty-four of Videon’s 70 employees joined the program, in which they received a $500 credit toward a new bike from State College retailer Freeze Thaw Cycles in return for riding it at least 30 minutes a day, three times a week from May to October. A further seven employees, who were already frequent cyclists, got $75 toward tune-ups of their old bikes in return for joining the program.

“When we started out, we didn’t have any idea of what would happen, so we were amazed that a third of the company jumped right on it,” said Joan Potter, Videon’s human resources director, who set up and manages the program.

To promote Velo Videon, the company added shower facilities, indoor bike parking and bike maintenance tools. It also put up a calendar for employees to mark the days they had ridden, along with their mileage and times. Monthly winners chosen for their achievements win prizes such as gift certificates. After the first month of the program, all participants got a special treat of *ndulge cupcakes.

“We figured, everybody is doing all this great exercise, why not reward them for it?” Potter said.

Most employees head out on their lunch breaks for a quick ride in the Scotia Barrens, on the roads near Videon’s headquarters at 2171 Sandy Drive, or on the trails behind the nearby AccuWeather building. While the employees are on the honor system in tracking their results, Potter said it hasn’t been hard to keep them motivated. No one has dropped out of the program.

“It just became this movement here, and people have just become enthralled by it,” she said. “We’ve also seen it generate a connection between people within the company, which is not something we anticipated. We hoped that would happen, but seeing the connection that has grown between the manufacturing folks and the engineering folks, who don’t normally interact, has been amazing.”

The program has been so successful that the company added another, Videon Solemates, for employees who prefer walking to cycling. A further 21 employees now walk regularly and compete for Rapid Transit gift certificates.

Velo Videon and Videon Solemates grew out of humanitarian roots, but they have turned into a worthwhile investment for the company.

“Productivity in the afternoon has skyrocketed. People have more energy,” Potter said.

When Videon’s insurance renewal came due Sept. 1, Potter told the company’s insurer about the program. The agent came back with a lower rate.

An avid cyclist himself, Erdley hopes to get other local companies to adopt a similar program. Potter said she and Erdley are putting together an outline of the program so they can share it with anyone interested.

“A program like this pays for itself many times over,” Potter said.

New beginnings

A new chiropractor has arrived in Boalsburg.

Christopher Schmidt opened his practice at 128 D E. Boal Ave. in August. Originally from Kingston, N.Y., Schmidt arrived in State College after his wife landed in a doctoral program at Penn State.

“I have a diversified approach of chiropractic treatment. I’m fully trained in diagnosing patients of all conditions. I have some sports background, and we can authorize, if necessary, the taking of X-rays, and we can perform ultrasound or electrical stimulation on clients,” Schmidt said.

Schmidt said people experiencing back pain or chronic headaches may benefit from his treatment. His hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Schmidt is also available by appointment on Tuesdays, Saturday and Sundays. He can be reached at 466-2228 or at centrechiro.com.

Haunting almost here

Two Halloween-themed stores have also opened recently in the North Atherton corridor. Spirit is located in the old Blockbuster store at 1101 N. Atherton St., and Halloween City has opened in the Northland Center. Both appear to be seasonal stores that won’t be around long after All Souls’ Day has come and gone.

One delay and one closing

The opening of the Weis Markets superstore in Spring Township may not come for a while. “The company has no official timeline for the opening,” Weis spokesman Dennis Curtin said.

Weis officials said at a groundbreaking ceremony held last September the store would be open in about a year. But from the looks of the progress of construction, an opening could still be months away.

Everything Bellefonte, at 131 W. High St., closed on Sept. 17.

The store opened in 2008 and sold locally made items with ties to Bellefonte events, history and famous residents.

“It’s not really a sign of the economic times, it’s just personal circumstances,” said owner Susan Christy.

Christy, who said she would also be selling the building, said she’d like to see a similar-themed store open that will “continue to highlight Bellefonte’s finest qualities.”

Cliff White can be reached at 235-3928.