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Relay Payments invests in people-focused culture

Relay Payments Invests in Building a Values-Driven, People-Focused Culture, Spearheaded by Chief People Officer, Amy Zimmerman

Atlanta, GA, April 20, 2021

Relay Payments, a fast-growing startup in Atlanta’s buzzing tech industry, has invested in veteran people leader Amy Zimmerman as their Chief People Officer to build an employee first work culture. With a two-decade-long career in designing and nurturing company culture, Amy has already made significant progress in developing the company’s brand.

Before joining Relay Payments, Amy was Chief People Officer for fintech leader Kabbage Inc., — a unicorn in Atlanta, Georgia that sold to American Express late last year. There, Amy scaled the company from four team members in Atlanta to almost 650 team members across the US and India. She was instrumental in building the company’s award-winning culture, driving engagement, and guiding all People strategy initiatives. 

For Relay Payments, the commitment to building a deep-rooted, values-based culture has been a top priority. Over the past year, the company has seen explosive growth as the need for their secure, contactless payment solution for the logistics industry has become more critical. 

Amy partnered with founders Ryan Droege and Spencer Barkoff to define Relay’s mission and infuse their core values throughout the company. Since she joined last Fall, Amy has helped expand its workforce to over 100 people.

“The opportunity to work with Ryan and Spencer to build a world-class organization and help them disrupt an industry was one I couldn’t refuse,” said Amy. “Relay has real potential to be the category winner, and I’m committed to helping them create the environment and infrastructure to drive that outcome.”   

Named one of Atlanta’s Top 21 Startups of 2021 to Watch by the Atlanta Business Journal in March, Relay Payments is committed to remaining remote-first. To support the company’s giant growth plans after its $43M fundraise, Relay Payments has made some additional key hires: Jason Saline, previously of CB Insights, joined as VP of Sales, and Lalit Kapoor most recently with Medium, signed on as VP of Engineering.

Amy Zimmerman was initially introduced to the Relay Payments founders by Michael Cohn, Managing Partner of Overline, a seed-stage venture firm based in Atlanta, GA.. Michael recognized how Amy’s unique approach to developing and nurturing culture was the right fit for Relay Payments:

“Having observed how Amy has built and scaled thriving company cultures in the past, and knowing that  Ryan and Spencer wanted to build a values-driven culture, I immediately recognized that their vision and philosophies were aligned. An introduction was a no-brainer,” said Michael Cohn.

Amy Zimmerman will be featured as keynote speaker at Georgia Tech University’s “Organizational Effectiveness Summit” on April 30, 2021, where she will share her wisdom and expertise on “Organizing for Culture.” Her presentation will highlight how she is building culture at Relay Payments, with an emphasis on creating values and the importance of infusing them into every company program, from talent acquisition, leadership development, and team member engagement. 

About Relay Payments
Relay Payments is a venture-backed fintech company building an electronic payment network in the transportation, logistics, and supply chain industries. The company creates value for its customers and partners by providing direct, instant payments in an industry historically reliant on cash and checks to conduct business.

Trusted to process more than 250,000 transactions every month, Relay is spearheading the modernization of payments, ensuring America continues to run during COVID-19 and well beyond. 


Learn more about Relay Payments and explore career opportunities.