40 Under 40: The Highmark Kids Zone

Ten days of BikeFest annually, 100 donated bike racks, a map of the city now in its third edition and a ranking as one of the best cities for bikers. Pittsburgh owes these two-wheeled statistics to the efforts of BikePGH and its co-founder and CEO, Scott Bricker. From advocating for bike commuters to renting bikes to tourists, his work helps cyclists enjoy a smoother ride. “[We are] giving a voice to this community and … have begun transforming the city into a more livable, bike-friendly place,” he says. “If I can make local leaders think of our streets as places meant for moving people, not just cars, I will have succeeded.”

“I change lives at the scene of an emergency, as a volunteer or in the courtroom,” says Ryan Mergl. As a volunteer firefighter, he responds to calls for help in the North Hills with Peebles District Volunteer Fire Co. He’s also president of Pittsburgh Metro FOOLS (Fraternal Order of Leatherhead Society), a chapter of a national organization dedicated to community service and ongoing training for firefighters. As a lawyer, Mergl owns his own practice in Pine Township and helps clients in criminal and civil matters. “I am their voice,” he says. “The outcome will change the course of the next several years of their lives for the better when I do my job well.”

Rose Morris’ autistic son, Abram, was prone to wandering at night. He could easily escape his room, and the likelihood that he’d hurt himself was a constant worry. For Abram’s bed, Morris helped design a strong, tent-like enclosure, which zips around his mattress from the outside, keeping him safely contained at night. Realizing that many families struggle with this same issue, she now sells Abram’s Bed as the Safety Sleeper and has sold almost 40 beds in the past 18 months. “Too many families have tragic stories about their child getting out, and too often the story is not followed with a happy ending. I hope to help alleviate that issue,” she says.

Children in Pittsburgh’s “Hilltop” neighborhoods (Beltzhoover, Allentown and Knoxville and the borough of Mount Oliver) have a champion in Amy Nevin. She routinely works outside her role as a pediatrician to improve health in her practice’s neighborhoods. She’s prompted the city to tear down blighted buildings and improved quality at a local day-care center. “I hope that some physical, emotional, educational and housing needs of the Hilltop are a little better because I have learned and listened,” she says. “Looking at how public health and physical health are really one in the same and acting to better each are the only ways to improve both.”