Engelhard Markets Sustainability

The Goodr app charges users to transport unused food to those in need while benefiting both.

By Marcia Caller Jaffe February 9, 2021, 1:46 pm Edit

After 37 years with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and now with the AJT, , Jaffe’s focus is lifestyle, art, dining, fashion, and community events with emphasis on Jewish movers and shakers.

Atlanta native Blake Engelhard, 27, is deep into sustainability, feeding the hungry, while making a profit along the way. He joined Goodr, an app that requests unused food pickup and delivery from hotels, restaurants, airports and the like for extra food that would normally be discarded.

Engelhard, a Riverwood High School and Wharton School graduate, gained his experience working at Accenture, then an international tech company focused on food and beverage, and starting his own tech company before returning here from Manhattan to join Goodr.

“This a very heartfelt endeavor. Millions of people go to bed hungry while billions of tons of food go to waste,” he said. “This is about food insecurity and logistics/engineering technology like DoorDash, but with nonprofits.”

Blake Engelhard uses market development techniques to shift unused food to the needy, while providing benefits to donors.

Engelhard joined Goodr in business development to build sales. The app has an impressive roster of users countrywide and locally including Netflix, Google, Merck, the Georgia World Congress Center, Papa Johns, the Superbowl, TWO Urban Licks, and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. “It’s a win-win. These companies get tax benefits and tremendous PR value for their dedication to sustainability. These are tough times. This helps their margins. Their tax savings are five to 10 times the cost.”

Organizations pay Goodr for services according to the size of the transportation requested, for volume ranging from a smaller vehicle to pick up palettes of bread to a large cargo van. “Think about decreasing waste management: 27 percent of a landfill is food. Now during COVID, consider all the takeout containers. Our users put food in tins and adhere to strict USDA food safety guidelines; how long it has been left out versus refrigerated, for example. There are so many opportunities as I look to build more partnerships – maybe universities next. And there are hundreds of needy nonprofits on the receiving end. Think of our name Goodr,” he said, laughing, “like do-gooder.”

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