Klein final press kit

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Jaime Jennings, 202-232-7933 x44 jjennings@islandpress.org Katharine Sucher, 202-232-7933x43 ksucher@islandpress.org

PRESS RELEASE

START-UP CITY Inspiring Private & Public Entrepreneurship, Getting Projects Done, and Having Fun

By Gabe Klein Forward by Robin Chase Washington, DC (October 15, 2015) — More than ever, cities are charged with carrying out national-level policies and are expected to be at the forefront of our response to climate change, housing inequality, job-creation and public health. At the same time, most city government agencies are perennially understaffed and impeded by cumbersome, often backward regulations that leave them at odds with the private sector. Seemingly insurmountable frustrations are everywhere. So the big question is: Can meaningful changes get made in spite of these realities?

Change agent Gabe Klein argues yes and proves it with his new book Start-Up City: Inspiring Private & Public Entrepreneurship, Getting Projects Done, and Having Fun (Publication Date: October 15, 2015). Drawing from his successful work in both the private and public sectors, he demonstrates that if individuals are willing to go against the tide, open their minds and follow some basic lessons in goal setting, experimentation, change management, financial innovation, and communication, substantial change will happen in cities.

Klein is a relentless advocate for making cities better, taking his start-up mentality to the public sector. Now with his new book, he shares what he has learned about the new triplebottom line P3 of public-private partnerships: people-planet-profit. He demonstrates how private-sector innovators can align their profit motives with cities by prioritizing the greater good as a primary goal rather than just a marketing tool. Through it all, Klein shows how to infuse start-up pace and energy into the public sector to address today’s challenges as well as tomorrow’s.

In Start-Up City, Klein draws eight key lessons, each explained with examples from his vast private and public-sector experience. From embracing technology and learning from failure to preparing for and embracing significant future disruption, he proves that it is possible to ISLAND PRESS | PRESS RELEASE | 1

overcome the challenges of entrenched bureaucracy and deliver changes to city life – and to do it quickly.

The landscape of cities is rapidly evolving, and how governments and businesses respond to challenges affects how we all live, work, and play. Gabe Klein has been a creative leader in making cities better. In Start-Up City he delivers inspiration coupled with real-world ideas that are anchored in results, to remake cities into places that will be more resilient, sustainable, and enjoyable places to live.

Gabe Klein is the former DOT director under Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration in Chicago and former Director of the District DOT under Mayor Adrian M. Fenty. Before working in local government, Klein worked at a few startups, including Zipcar. In 2015, in addition to his other roles, he joined Fontinalis Partners as an SVP (Special Venture Partner) on their new fund. Klein continues to advise a number of technology/transportation startups including Bridj, where he provides leadership on strategy. He is on the board of NACTO and Streetsblog.

Start-Up City: Inspiring Private & Public Entrepreneurship, Getting Projects Done, and Having Fun Paperback Original Publication Date: October 15, 2015 256 pages | Price: $22.00 ISBN: 978161091-690-5 Founded in 1984, Island Press works to stimulate, shape, and communicate the information that is essential for solving environmental problems. Today, with more than 800 titles in print and some 40 new releases each year, it is the nation’s leading publisher of books on environmental issues. But Island Press does more than publish books. It advances environmental science by nurturing the exchange of ideas across disciplines and sectors, and by helping to create a multidisciplinary literature on environmental problems and solutions. The knowledge created is spread far beyond the range of a limited marketplace through sophisticated communications initiatives that reach journalists, academics, policymakers, practitioners and the general public. Through these efforts, Island Press is driving change by moving ideas from the printed page to public discourse and practice.

Island Press’s emphasis is, and will continue to be, on transforming objective information into understanding and action. For more information and further updates be sure to visit www.islandpress.org. ###

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT EMAIL CONTACT EMAIL WEBSITE

Jaime Jennings, 202-232-7933 x44 jjennings@islandpress.org Katharine Sucher, 202-232-7933 x43 ksucher@islandpress.org www.islandpress.org

BIOGRAPHY Gabe Klein Gabe Klein is the former DOT director under Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration in Chicago and former Director of the District DOT under Mayor Adrian M. Fenty. In Washington he launched Capital Bikeshare, the first large-scale bikeshare system in the US, and in Chicago he later launched Divvy, which is now the largest bikeshare system in the US. Before entering the public sphere, Gabe honed his creativity and leadership skills working for startups, including Zipcar, where he served as Vice President for four years. He also wrote a business model for the first point-to-point car sharing concept and co-founded the first all-natural multi-unit food truck company in the US. In 2015, Gabe joined Fontinalis Partners as a Special Venture Partner on their new fund. He continues to advise a number of technology and mobility companies, including Transit Screen and Phone2Action, where he provides leadership on strategy. He is on the boards of NACTO and Streetsblog. Gabe and his work have been featured in many major news outlets, including the New York Times, Washington Post, Washington Business Journal, Bloomberg, and many more. He is the author of Start-Up City: Inspiring Private and Public Entrepreneurship, Getting Projects Done, and Having Fun published by Island Press.

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