D&D Daily president and longtime LP industry leader Gus Downing passed away peacefully on Sunday, Jan. 5, leaving behind a legacy of leadership that will not soon be forgotten in the LP industry.

Gus was the co-founder and President of Downing & Downing, Inc. and led the industry's leading executive search and consulting firm, which he co-founded in 1983. Through this work, he helped retailers staff more than 2,800 LP executives, over 33% of the Top 100 Retailers' senior leaders, and built and designed LP departments.

In 2010, Gus transformed the firm into the number one daily digital news source for the retail LP/AP and IT security communities. The D&D Daily e-newsletter aggregates and reports the industry news from over 2,500 sources and produces exclusive retail crime reports, including retail's only "Violent Fatalities" report.

Gus, a second-generation retail LP expert who began his career in 1973 working for a retailer in the security program run by his father, Gus Downing Sr., was a pioneer in the LP industry. He held LP leadership roles at retailers including Children’s Palace, Lerner Shops and Gold Circle Stores, spent 25 years leading the nation's number one search firm and the last 15 years building the D&D Daily into the leading daily digital news source for retail LP/AP and IT Security.

One of Gus's proudest moments came in 2019 when he was recognized as the National Retail Federation's Ring of Excellence Award winner. During his acceptance speech, Gus said, "Anybody can make a splash but very few can change the tide." It's safe to say that Gus will be remembered not just for making a splash or two throughout his storied career, but also for changing the tide and having a meaningful impact on an entire industry.

Above anything else, the D&D Daily was Gus's passion over the past 15 years. He frequently told his dedicated team that he hoped to see it thrive long after he was gone, and he made sure they were well-positioned to make that a reality.

With the continued support of our partners and a commitment to the mission Gus laid out 15 years ago, the D&D Daily that the LP community has relied on for over a decade will continue its valuable work of informing and educating this industry at a critical time.

Thank you all for your continued support of the D&D Daily. We will resume our regular publication Tuesday, Jan. 7.