A visionary in the global logistics industry, Lynn Fritz was the Chairman and CEO of Fritz Companies until May 2001 when it was acquired by UPS. Under his stewardship, Fritz Companies was transformed from a small domestic documentation company to a global organization of 10,000 employees in 120 countries. The company achieved Fortune 1000 ranking in 1997. His enduring contribution redefined a fragmented and limited services industry through the use of technology.
In 2001, Lynn Fritz, with his wife Anisya, created Fritz Institute to assist humanitarian organizations in delivering aid more effectively in the chaos of disasters. Visiting field logisticians heroically laboring under the most difficult circumstances, Lynn resolved to be their advocate and bring academic expertise and private sector resources to their endeavor. He invested significant financial resources and devoted a majority of his time to creating Fritz Institute as an organization which partners with a broad array of institutions and individuals in the creation of a field now recognized as humanitarian logistics. Over the last decade, Fritz Institute has been credited with numerous innovations in the effective delivery of disaster relief. The software developed by Fritz Institute, used to track the delivery of relief items, is utilized by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Save the Children U.K. and World Vision. Training developed by Fritz Institute benefits hundreds of relief logisticians in over 90 countries, while Fritz Institute standards are being utilized in over 25 countries in Africa.
Over the last 30 years of global travel, Lynn has used Lynmar Estate as a refuge and place to recharge his batteries. Recognizing the exceptional potential of the site, he has consistently invested in the vineyards. In the last decade, he has built a state-of-the-art gravity flow winery and hospitality center. In 2009, he moved from San Francisco to live on the Estate where he and his wife, Anisya, are now resident proprietors.
A native of San Francisco, Fritz serves on the Boards of San Francisco’s Exploratorium and the University of California, Davis’ Department of Viticulture and Enology. Fritz received his B.A. from Georgetown University and a J.D. from Lincoln University School of Law. In recognition of his outstanding leadership and community service, he was honored with a Doctor of Laws degree by Pepperdine University in 1995 and a Doctor of Laws degree from Drexel University in 2004. He is the recipient of numerous awards for community service including the Citizen Diplomat Award from the International Diplomacy Council (2005) and the California Prize for Service of the Common Good from the University of San Francisco (2008).
