ECE News Spring 2012:
Alumni Profiles
Zach Buckner, Founder of Relayfoods.com
Zach Buckner (EE ’02) is founder and president of Charlottesville-based Relay Foods. Buckner describes his company as “a replacement for the age-old trip to the grocery store.”
The company’s website Relayfoods.com features foods and other products from over 75 farms and stores “, said Buckner. “And, it’s also a way for local farmers to find another market for their produce.”
Consumers can have their virtual cart purchases delivered to one of 25 locations in the Charlottesville area or one of 35 locations in Richmond. Since he made his first hire in 2009 Buckner’s workforce has grown to 40 employees.
The company recently received an infusion of $3.1 million from a global venture firm and other investors. The capital investment will provide the company with money to expand the company’s operations base and customer services.
Buckner’s entrepreneurial spirit is now moving to the professional services arena. He recently launched Fanaticall, a company that aims to bring legal, accounting and other services into the Internet age. “Right now, consumers still have to deal with a lot of paper and meetings if they want professional services,” he said. “The goal of Fanaticall is to move services to the internet and reduce costs to the client.”
One of the goals of the Engineering School’s Strategic Plan is to prepare students for leadership. According to Buckner, "the engineering school provided an ideal education for me. Although I currently spend most of my time attempting to tackle management and finance challenges, I've noticed the solutions inevitably come from my engineering background. I rely heavily on the methods and techniques I learned at U.Va. I am grateful to the exceptional professors who taught them to me."