Eric J. Downing, 51, is the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Werner Enterprises. Downing has nearly 26 years of experience with Werner, working in multiple departments since joining the Company in 1998 as a fleet coordinator, including time in Operations, Marketing, Logistics and Dedicated. During his tenure as Senior Vice President of Dedicated, he was instrumental in fostering relationships and growing strategic customer accounts resulting in the Company’s 50 percent Dedicated fleet growth while nearly doubling Dedicated revenue.
In addition to his corporate responsibilities, Downing serves on the Board of Directors of the Nebraska Trucking Association where he is also an Executive Committee member. He’s also involved with St. Mary’s Catholic Church and Preschool, Ashland Youth Sports and Werner’s WEVets associate resource group for veterans at the Company.
Downing served in the United States Air Force from 1991 to 1998 and then graduated from the University of Nebraska – Omaha in 2000 with a degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice. Eric and his wife, Megan, along with their four children reside in Ashland.