Dash Delivery

109 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 12 XPERIENCED, R DELIVERY n February 1st, 1998, in Oregon, a man entered the world of deliveries armed with a cell phone and voice pager. That man was the Owner and President of Dash Delivery, Zach Woody. “When I was about 20, I saw a little company called Dash Delivery going out of business. I contacted the owner and reviewed their books which were terrible, but they sounded fun. That’s when I decided to spend my college funds to buy it,” says Woody. Starting with only one man, the company now actively employs well over a hundred staff drivers with established contract relationships throughout Oregon. On average, the company does 45,000 deliveries a month, with roughly 200,000 packages going out throughout the state. Initially, the company’s main focus was medical deliveries, which is still a significant part of Dash Delivery’s business. This has consisted of moving lab specimens, pharmaceuticals, organs, and surgical equipment. Establishing a business at such a young, inexperienced age meant that Woody needed to acquire an enormous volume of knowledge. Over the next seven years, Woody would focus on learning the ins and outs of the industry. He rode around Los Angeles with the owner of a company doing deliveries, meeting other delivery enterprises in Portland, and eventually he joined the Express Couriers Association (ECA) and the Customized Logistics and Delivery Association (CLDA). “I kept on going to trade shows and business events, but it was my time with the ECA and CLDA that proved to be invaluable. These companies had the best tutors who took me under their wings and taught me everything I needed to know,” says Woody. O