We had the good fortune of connecting with Claire Attkisson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Claire, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
As a serial sustainable business entrepreneur, I look for opportunity to disrupt the business status quo. For ROLL, I hopped on a friends ebike 5 years ago and 15 minutes later I hatched ROLL as a businesses. Not only was an ebike a blast, I knew it would be a game changer for getting people out of their cars to commute to work, grocery shop, and get around. Durango, Colorado is visited by over 1 million tourists per year—positively impacting our economy, but also congesting our streets and polluting our air. ROLL delivers solar charged ebikes—by hybrid prius—to hotels, homes, and anywhere within 10 miles of town, making it possible for tourists and extended families of locals the opportunity to skip the rental car and ebike everywhere.

What should our readers know about your business?
Being first to market is something to be proud of and is a competitive advantage. Not only did it take inspiration and risk taking to be first, but it allowed ROLL to define the space. We were first to market not only to rent ebikes, but to deliver them directly, taking the hassle out of the rental process. ROLL makes it easy for many generations to vacation together, getting around Durango without a car or enjoy our Animas River on a paddle board without the rapids. Sustainability challenges us to continually be creative about how we run our business. We see challenges as opportunities to show how to be a business that benefits not only our bottom line, but people and the planet. Our ebikes are solar charged, our operations is solar powered, we offset our carbon foot print from deliveries through a local program at the Four Corners Office of Renewable Energy, our cleaning products are non-toxic, we provide reusable water bottles to our guests to stop the plastic madness, and we serve up our catered lunches in plastic free bento boxes, and our ebikes and boards are sold every 1-2 years to locals.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Day 1: ebike/SUP combo package—ebike the Animas River Trail for 2 hours, bento box picnic on the beach, and float down the river to cool off. Then, grab a well deserved juicy hamburger at Grassburger.

Day 2: ebike (16 mile round trip) to Durango Hot Springs for a relaxing soak. Then, satiate your hunger at James Ranch Grill—located on a world famous regenerative farm. Cap the day with a craft cocktail and dinner at El Moro downtown.

Day 3: ebike to downtown and explore art galleries, cafe’s, ice cream shops, and Durango’s famous hat shop, The Fyling Hatter. Dine at Sage Farm Fresh Eats for a hearty salad, soup, or grain bowl and a local beer.

Day 4: ebike up to Fort Lewis College and picnic on the mesa over looking Durango and the Rocky Mountains. Then, glide downtown to get a facial at Wild Blume Skin Spa, offering glorious organic hydrating treatments.

Day 5: Grab the kids and ebike the 13 -mile Animas River Trail. Feed the fish at the Durango Fish Hatchery, watch boaters navigate Smelter Rapids at the White Water Park, and finally spend the afternoon exploring the Powerhouse Science Center—a hands on place of discovery for all ages.

Day 6: eBike to YogaDurango to start your day, then stop by the Botanical Concepts nextdoor for a garden tour, and then down to WeFill to find the most unique and useful gifts for family and friends. Lastly stop by the Smiley Building’s Art Room to see artists working and selling their creative pieces and enjoy lunch or coffee at the Smiley cafe.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to give a shout out to Mike Burns, ROLL’s co-founder and my romantic partner. Mike gives me the freedom to take risks, while also being a great sounding board for ideas and rational solutions. He designed and built our ROLL trailers and came up with the idea to deliver paddle boards too!

Website: http://www.rolldurango.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roll.durango/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-attkisson-mba-0a707019/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rolldurango

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/roll-ebike-and-paddle-board-durango-3?osq=Roll+ebike

Image Credits
ebike photos with people: Alexi Hubbell Photography all others: Claire Attkisson

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.