In the News

“More than 20,000 residents of Watauga County do not have waste and recycling removal services. Most live outside of the city limits, but many others live inside the city limits and require trash pick-ups more frequently than once per week. 60 other rural counties in North Carolina alone have this exact problem. Vixster addresses the rural waste management challenge by linking waste producers with community members willing to remove it for a fee. By using a digital, GPS platform, users can create an account, request an on-demand pickup – pay for it online, and Vixster will match them with a driver in the same vicinity to pick it up.”

“My vision is to change the way people to trash and recycling in the high country – to create jobs, solve the need for trash and recycling in rural areas, and to reduce the overall amount of recyclables in our landfills. I am actively partnering with web developers, and designing a marketing campaign. Check out Vixster at https://vixster.com/. Vixster is the beginning of a new era for how our community manages trash and recycling in the High Country.”

Zak “…began his company Vixster as part of a social entrepreneurship competition. Vixster has since turned into an operational business and is constantly adapting processes to make it more efficient. Vixster is a tech company that solves the problem of trash and recycling in the High Country. Operating in the ‘Sharing Economy,’ Vixster pairs those who have trash and recycling needs with those who are willing to pick it up and take it to the convenience center.”

“Founder Zak Ammar ’14 ’16, who earned his MBA from the Walker College of Business, launched Vixster with support from the Transportation Insight Center for Entrepreneurship, while a student at Appalachian. Vixster serves the Western North Carolina High Country, including Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, Valle Crucis and other rural areas in Watauga County and offers trash and recycling removal, junk hauling and waste management services. Vixster invests the proceeds into community projects that are geared toward reducing the overall amount of wastes and recyclables in High Country landfills.”

“… Having honed his skills through his association with the Collegiate Entrepreneurship Program, Executive Impact at Appalachian State, Habitat for Humanity, and previous experience with Texas State University, Ammar executes all of Vixster’s core business functions and counts leadership, financial analysis, operational efficiency, vision, and project management in his skillset.”

“…Both Requestors & Drivers are invited to create a profile according to appropriate user type. Vixster will efficiently match needs and pick up availability. The best part? All transactions occur online. We think convenience is a pretty big deal.”