Bootlegger

Chad Strand is a co-founder, along with Doug Moore (on right in photo) of Bootleg Courier Co., a bike messenger service that lets clients get things delivered quickly without resorting to emissions-spewing vehicles. The business, formed by a group of bike-passionate friends, kicks off Oct. 15. Find out more at www.bootlegcourier.com, or call 221-1366.

What does Bootleg Courier Co. do?

Bootleg Courier Co. is here to try and make Reno aware that we’re able to help change the face of business and make things work for everyone with the use of environmentally friendly methods. We want to help out offices that, instead of them having to leave their workplace to get things done, for a small fee they can pay us to ride around on our bikes and biodiesel vehicles and scooters to get those things done. … We want to make people more aware of bicycles and other means of transportation.

So how does it work?

What we’re offering and what we do most is the same-day service. If someone were to give us a phone call and say, ‘I need this across town in two hours’ or whatever time frame it is—we offer a few different time frames and rates—they can call us, and we’ll deliver it. We also have accounts, if someone has a lot of stuff coming and going [on a regular basis.] … Basically, most people who’d use us: law firms, architectural firms, engineers, a lot of things in the medical business, pretty much any and all paperwork or files. We’re also able to do bank deposits for places and payroll for companies.

Are you pretty much limiting it to paper?

We’re also going to be doing food, as well, with a couple places. We’re going to be delivering for Sup restaurant and the Dish Cafe. It’s pretty much anything that needs to be delivered. I worked as a messenger in Seattle; I delivered human body parts at one point in time, so you never know.

So you have experience with this.

I’ve been working as a bike messenger in Seattle for awhile. One of our fellow coworkers worked in Chicago as messenger, too.

Bike messengers are something cities like New York and Seattle have been doing for years, but Reno isn’t quite so used to it.

Exactly, we’re trying to train people about that. … People say, ‘You can’t take that by bike. It’s clear across town!’ when it’s only a couple miles. It’s really actually easy to get around.

What areas do you cover?

To start, all of the Reno-Sparks valley. We will be doing some deliveries out to Carson—that will be with the use of scooters and biodiesel cars.

What are your rates like?

We have a rate sheet up online now at bootlegcourier.com. The rates are all for our same-day service type things. It’s broken up by zone around town. The general starting rate is $10 for something that would be done by the end of the day. The way it works, we have it set up so if you have something you need going by the end of the day, we offer a 3-hour, 2 hour, and 1-hour service and one called ‘ASAP’ that can be done within 30 minutes, and prices vary depending on the weight of what needs to be brought out.

Why should people go with you rather than the mail?

Because we’re able to get things done for you in the same day as opposed to regular mail, within even a half hour to an hour. You don’t have to leave your desk to do anything. All you have to do is give us a call. … And it’s supporting a local business, which we’re huge fans of.

And it’s not requiring these emissions to go out to deliver something.

Exactly.