Bill Lang ’08 Delivers

What do a broadcast news producer, a fire marshal, and those blue Amazon delivery vans have in common?

Not much, really, unless you’re talking about Bill Lang ’08. In just 12 years since graduating from Fisher, Lang has worked as a news producer and assignment editor for local television stations WHEC-TV and RNews (now Spectrum), as the fire marshal for the Town of Penfield, and now as the founder and CEO of Rochester Logistics, LLC.

Bill had always hoped to be an entrepreneur like his father, and in 2018 he came across an opportunity with Amazon that piqued his interest: becoming an Amazon Delivery Service Partner. He submitted an application, along with more than 100,000 others, knowing it was a longshot, but excited at the prospect of working with the largest retailer in the world.

Fast forward to March 2020, nearly two years after he applied, when Amazon contacted him. The interview and vetting process was rigorous, with Lang proving he had what it takes. Consequently, Rochester Logistics, LLC, was born in July 2020. One of just 300 selected nationally, the company began with Lang, six delivery vans, and a handful of delivery associates.

The past eight months have been a whirlwind. In the beginning, Lang did it all: hiring drivers, scheduling and preparing the vans, and very closely assessing performance metrics - a hallmark of Amazon’s success. It was 14-16 hour days, seven days a week, amid an employment landscape that was constantly changing due to COVID. “A friend of mine likens this experience to drinking water from a fire hose,” he said. “And that’s exactly it.”

In a very short amount of time, Rochester Logistics has grown to 37 vans and more than 70 employees. Lang’s mission is to be a high-performance, employee-focused delivery service with safety as the top priority. He has delivered on that promise, with a service and safety record among the best in the country.

After a year that included a pandemic and a business venture with a very steep learning curve, you might think that Lang plans to sit back and coast for a bit, but that is not the case. This experience has only fanned the flames of his entrepreneurial spirit, and he wants to put everything he has learned thus far to good use. He will continue to grow Rochester Logistics, and hopes it’s the first in a full portfolio of businesses. “I’m from a family of entrepreneurs,” Lang says.

“I love providing an opportunity to others, which then opens up even more opportunities.”