Our Executive Team

Through clear communication, goal planning, growth objectives and our constant quality improvement culture, our leadership team is committed to establishing new relationships and expanding existing ones.

We are proud of this highly productive and responsive team that works every day to exceed customer expectations and outperform our competition.

John Westerberg, Founder & Chairman

John R. Westerberg has built Nelson Westerberg into a nearly $80 million annual revenue corporation. John has been a director and shareholder of Atlas Van Lines from 1971 until 2013 as well as a member of the Atlas Van Lines executive committee since 1978. John also serves as a member and/or officer of nearly a dozen professional associations, business groups or chambers of commerce associated with the moving and storage industry; the business climate in the City of Chicago and its suburban regions. John is active in humanitarian causes with several not-for-profit organizations nationally. A graduate of Denison University in Granville, Ohio with a bachelor’s degree in economics and speech, John also served our country as an officer in the USAF and Air National Guard.

Stephen Westerberg, CEO

As a company namesake, Stephen Westerberg is a fourth generation Westerberg and is contributing to the company legacy with more than 16 years in the industry. He graduated from Hanover College in 1996 with a double major in Business and Communications, and received a Masters in Business from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management in 2005. Most recently, he launched Charter Properties, Inc., a military household goods broker, to service the needs of military employees on the move to and from domestic military bases.

Our ability to consistently differentiate our performance is rooted in our processes and our commitment to constant improvement, operating efficiency, innovation and complete satisfaction.

Ed Pionke, Chief Administration Officer

Since 1991, Ed Pionke has devoted his professional expertise to positioning Nelson Westerberg, Inc. as a leader in the corporate relocation industry. In 2000, Ed was promoted to president and chief operating officer. In 2017, Ed has taken the CAO role.  Ed’s experience in the relocation industry began in 1968 where he worked 23 years for a large van line in various financial management positions. Ed is a graduate of Chicago’s DePaul University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in accounting.

Greg Koehlinger, Executive Vice President

Forward thinking Senior Executive with extensive experience in key leadership positions; General Management, Operations, Corporate Sales & Customer Relationship Management. Track record of outstanding performance, promotion and organizational accountability-delivers profit objectives, strong and sustained revenue growth- aligning innovative, customer centric solutions that create measured value.

Greg holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and Economics from Manchester University.  He earned Six Sigma Trainer Certification – Champion Training from Motorola University and received certification in Developing Organizational Talent from McKinsey and Company.  He is a past President and Board Member of Rotary International, a board member of The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.   Greg is a frequent speaker at industry association conferences and has authored numerous articles on Service Level Agreements, quality, efficiency & the state of transportation.

David Green, Chief Operating Officer

David’s experience includes 17 years in the financial services industry with Harris Bank, where he served as managing director of fixed income responsible for global fixed income trading. After leaving financial services, David took a consulting role with Nelson Westerberg which turned into a sales position. David was soon promoted in 2003 to manage core operations in central planning and dispatch, where he has successfully helped streamline technology and productivity at the company.  David put his expertise in financial services to work directing three core operations functions for Nelson Westerberg that include claims and revenue/distribution, prior to his promotion to GM of NW of Illinois.  During that time, David continued to maintain management oversight of Central Planning & Dispatch Department. In 2017, David was promoted to Chief Operating Officer of Nelson Westerberg, moving into the Corporate Offices. David is a native of Canada and graduated with a Bachelor’s of Commerce degree in business from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.

Tom Philbin, Sr. Vice President of Sales and Business Development

Tom is a relocation professional with over 40 years of service. Starting as a laborer during college, Tom managed his own business as a professional van operator, later moving into sales, later adding management responsibilities. Tom is past member of the CRC Board of Directors.