Werner Enterprises
Founders
Clarence L. Werner · Founded 1956 · HQ today: Omaha, Nebraska, United States
Werner Enterprises was founded by Clarence L. Werner in 1956. It is now led by Derek J. Leathers.
Clarence L. "C.L." Werner started the business in 1956 at age 19 with one truck. The company grew into a national truckload carrier based in Omaha, Nebraska, and went public on Nasdaq in 1986. It has paid a quarterly cash dividend every quarter since July 1987. Derek J. Leathers, who joined Werner in 1999, became CEO in 2016.
C.L. Werner started out as a truck driver, operating his own single truck at age 19.
Clarence L. "C.L." Werner founded Werner Enterprises in 1956 with one truck and built it into one of the largest US truckload carriers. He led the company through its 1986 Nasdaq listing and handed the CEO role to Derek J. Leathers in 2016. Clarence L. Werner was born in 1932.
Nathan J. Meisgeier
President and Chief Legal Officer
As President (and former General Counsel), he acts as the absolute operational and legal anchor, deeply navigating the heavily regulated, highly litigious American logistics market.
Christopher D. Wikoff
Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
As CFO, he executes absolute financial discipline in an incredibly cyclical, low-margin industry where fuel and labor costs can instantly destroy profitability.
Derek J. Leathers
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Joined Werner in 1999 and became CEO in 2016 after senior operating roles at the company.
Clarence L. Werner
Founder
As the legendary Founder (who started with a single Ford truck in 1956), he built the company into an absolutely massive, globally recognized logistics behemoth, maintaining iron-fisted control for decades.
Werner Enterprises was founded by Clarence L. 'C.L.' Werner in 1956 in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
At age 19, C.L. Werner sold his car and personal belongings to purchase a single gasoline-powered Ford truck, operating out of his family home and hauling regional freight himself.
C.L. Werner believed in owning modern, reliable equipment, treating drivers with respect, maintaining disciplined debt levels, and adopting technological innovations before competitors.
The Motor Carrier Act of 1980 deregulated interstate trucking routes and pricing; Werner seized this opportunity to expand nationwide, growing its fleet from 100 trucks to several thousand.
In the early 1990s, Werner was the first major carrier to equip its entire truck fleet with Qualcomm two-way satellite tracking systems and paperless automated driver log technology.
In 2004, C.L. Werner was inducted into the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans in recognition of his classic American rags-to-riches entrepreneurial journey.
C.L. Werner supported numerous educational, healthcare, and civic initiatives across Nebraska and Iowa, including Werner Park, home of the Omaha Storm Chasers baseball club.
Born in 1932 in Council Bluffs, Iowa, C.L. Werner built one of the world's most enduring transportation institutions from a single truck, embodying midwestern grit and logistical innovation.
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