Loyola Neighborhood News: Lake Shore Campus - V3, I3

Before the 2011 Fall semester began, rather than taking the summer off to relax and enjoy a break from school, a group of entrepreneurial undergraduate students at Loyola spent their summer working to launch a new bike rental and repair shop on Loyola’s Lake Shore Campus. 

The group of students work for Loyola Limited, Loyola University Chicago’s Undergraduate Students Run Enterprises.

Loyola Limited was established in early 2010, with a mission to create several student run and managed businesses around campus. The company employs undergraduate Loyola students, provides internship credit, and teaches students the skill-sets needed to run and manage real businesses that benefit students, faculty, staff, and the surrounding community.  To date, Loyola Limited employs over thirty students and runs three businesses.; the first being The Flats at Loyola Station, a 10 unit boutique guesthouse located steps away from campus.  Loyola Property Management was Loyola Limited’s second business to open and it manages Loyola’s retail property portfolio. 

As our readers recall from previous issues, ChainLinks is a bike rental and repair business that is the newest addition to Loyola Limited. ChainLinks celebrated its grand opening August 21^st, the first day of welcome week.  The idea for the business came from the Bike Club at Loyola who had previously managed the Borrow-a-Bike program for students.  After the 2010-2011 school year, funds ran dry for the Bike Club to continue this service on campus, and as a result, Loyola Limited was given the opportunity to re-establish the program as a business.  A team of Loyola Limited employees, headed by ChainLinks President Spencer Schmid, began extensively at market research to determine feasibility.  The team drafted a business plan and presented it to the university.  With Loyola’s support for the initiative, Loyola Limited was given seed money from the university and ChainLinks became a reality.

ChainLinks is now open and located under the main parking structure (Winthrop and W. Sheridan Road) at Loyola’s Lake Shore Campus.  The bike and repair shop rents out brand new hybrid bicycles to students, faculty, and staff for the day, week, month, semester, and full year. 

Chainlinks is also equipped with a full-service maintenance and repair center that is open to the public as well. “The shop has been especially great for the local community thus far because we provide tune-ups, repair parts, and even winterize bikes with everything offered at a very favorable price,” said Schmid. 

ChainLinks ultimate goal is to continue to promote bike advocacy around campus and an enjoyable riding experience for every customer. 

Visit ChainLinks for store hours and more information at www.loyolalimited.com/chainlinks

For information on Loyola Limited at www.loyolalimited.com