David Schweidenback
Laureate
Pedals for Progress
President
Rolex Awards, 2000
David Schweidenback is founder of “Pedals for Progress” which collects used bicycles and sewing machines in the greater New York City Philadelphia area and uses that material as economic development aid in developing world countries. They presently have active programs in Albania, Costa Rica, Ghana, Guatemala, Moldova, Nicaragua and Tanzania. Since 1991 schweidenbecks company have shipped 143,377 bicycles and 2,960 refurbished sewing machines to 37 countries in the developing world.