Brian Surber

Chief Operations Officer Priority Dispatch Inc.

Last Reviewed: September 28, 2026

Executive Summary

Brian Surber is Chief Operations Officer of Priority Dispatch, Inc., a Cincinnati-based same-day and next-day delivery company that has operated since 1973 and now concentrates on healthcare and ecommerce customers across Ohio. He is also one of the more visible figures in the final-mile industry’s trade body: he was elected to the board of the Customized Logistics and Delivery Association in 2021, now serves as its Secretary, and chaired the association’s 2026 Final Mile Forum. His background is in large-network express operations at Airborne Express and DHL before he moved into same-day and final-mile delivery.

Career Highlights

• Chief Operations Officer of Priority Dispatch, Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio.
• Elected to the Customized Logistics and Delivery Association board of directors in 2021; listed as board Secretary.
• Conference Chair of CLDA’s 2026 Final Mile Forum, held in Austin, Texas.
• Chaired CLDA’s Executive Leadership Summit and Sponsorship committees and served on its Final Mile Forum, Education, Magazine and Nominations committees.
• Senior Vice President at Direct Supply Chain Services, a same-day urgent transportation provider.
• Rose to Station Services Manager at Airborne Express, continuing through its merger with DHL.

Professional Journey

Surber began his transportation career with Airborne Express, working his way up to Station Services Manager at what the CLDA describes as one of the largest unionized operations in the country. He stayed through the combination with DHL and the negotiation of the National Master Freight Agreement with the Teamsters that followed it.

He then moved into the final-mile sector, joining another former Airborne Express executive at Direct Supply Chain Services as Senior Vice President. There he was responsible for the leadership and positioning of a same-day urgent transportation provider serving indirect air carriers, air express, global freight forwarding, LTL, truckload and expedited freight customers, with oversight spanning service quality in a 24/7 operation, staffing, profit and loss, TSA, FAA, DOT and OSHA safety and security requirements, technology, vendor management and business development.

He has spent most of his final-mile career at Priority Dispatch, Inc., where he is Chief Operations Officer. The company has operated in Cincinnati since 1973 and runs delivery centers in Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, Cleveland and Toledo, offering on-demand, scheduled, after-hours, distribution and large-truck services. Over the past decade and more it has repositioned toward healthcare and ecommerce delivery.

Alongside his operating role he has been closely involved with the Customized Logistics and Delivery Association, previously the MCAA, of which Priority Dispatch was a founding member company. He has served the association as a committee member, panelist, presenter and moderator, and has written for trade publications serving the final-mile industry. His peers elected him to the CLDA board in 2021; he has chaired its Executive Leadership Summit and Sponsorship committees, is listed as board Secretary, and was Conference Chair of the 2026 Final Mile Forum.

Education

No education record was found in any primary source.