Amazon veteran Nate Milner has joined Wing, the drone subsidiary of Google parent Alphabet Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOGL), as head of operations.
Wing, which announced the hire Thursday, said Milner has spent 20 years working in the delivery space. He is joining the company as it expands its footprint, including through a drone delivery partnership with Walmart.
"The opportunity to truly disrupt the last mile delivery space by building a new vertical of fulfillment is an energizing and unique opportunity," Milner said in a blog post announcing the hire.
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Milner worked at Amazon from 2015 to 2020, according to his LinkedIn page. He held multiple leadership roles in the Seattle-based retail giant's restaurants and groceries divisions. After Amazon, he spent three years with the developer Howard Hughes Corp. in e-commerce and logistics, and then a year as vice president at the tech consulting company Capgemini.
A Wing spokesperson said Milner doesn't have plans to relocate from the Seattle area.
Palo Alto, California-based Wing makes drones aimed at the retail, logistics and health care sectors. According to the company, its drones are autonomous.
Wing started its Walmart partnership last year in the Dallas area in the towns of Lewisville and Frisco, accounting for about 60,000 homes. During the four-month trial, the company said the average delivery time was less than 30 minutes.
An expanded partnership with Walmart, announced in January, will bring drone delivery to "millions of customers," Wing said in a blog post. The company plans to launch in new areas over the coming months and finish the expansion within a year. Walmart said in its announcement the delivery radius for stores with drone delivery will be up to 10 miles, and the company aims to make the service available for up to 75% of Dallas-Fort Worth residents.
