"He always was thinking. They were a perfect pair. Hunt and still frame from Pryor Center video interview© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, #2: Red River Feed Company owned by Johnelle Hunt's father, Johnie DeBusk; Heber Springs, Arkansas© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, #3: Childhood photo of J. Supply chain professionals who have "changed the world we live in," said Brian Hancock, a member of the council's board and chairman of the hall of fame development committee. Mrs. Hunt, who just turned 90 years young, was recently honored at halftime of an Arkansas Razorback basketball game to celebrate the occasion. Haverty had written a thesis in business school about how a railroad and a trucking company should team up to provide door-to-door deliveries, but when he first promoted the idea, people said, "this guy doesn't understand that railroad companies and trucking companies hate each other," Haverty recalled. It was my only real chance to get an education, he said. The late Johnnie Bryan "J.B." and philanthropist Johnelle Hunt, the chairman of Hunt Ventures in Rogers, co-founded Lowell-based carrier J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. Jane Hunt Meade and . B. and Johnelle Hunt (center) with (on left) her mother and sister, Ollie DeBusk and Gloria Duckworth; and (on right) brother-in-law, Jack Duckworth, on their way to Spain, 1971 © Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, #38: Hunt family, 1975© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, #39: Johnelle Hunt (left) and her sister, Gloria Duckworth© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, #40: Johnelle and J. I was trying to shake everyones hand. With the company's growing success, he moved the base of operations to Lowell. B. We brought together shippers and carriers into adigital marketplacemore than five years ago. But we knew that wasnt enough. IMPORTANT PRIVACY NOTICE & DISCLAIMER: YOU HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO USE CAUTION WHEN DISTRIBUTING PRIVATE INFORMATION. Mrs. Hunt once said of her husband, Theres an imaginary sign outside this building. When someone works with J.B. Hunt, they know they are working with people they can rely on to get the job done. The Hunt family's fortune originates with oil wildcatter H.L. When the company went public in 1983 "millionaires were made in one trading day," his son Bryan wrote in a letter marking his father's retirement from the company in 2005. Sorry about that, she says. We also realized that in fact, one could argue she helped create my job, since the paper has a reporter covering each of the three Fortune 500 companies and their industries here: Walmart, Tyson Foods and J.B. Hunt. She also served as a sounding board to some of her husbands biggest ideas. Johnelle Hunt is a true American icon. Johnnie Hunt eventually did, and the family moved to Stuttgart where, in 1961, they founded J.B. Hunt Co. Their first year in business they lost $19,000. I told her: Twenty-six years ago from today, I was shaking your husbands hand and today Im shaking yours. And Im probably going to cry, Weston said. A $300-million (minimum) gondola to Dodger Stadium? All rights reserved. No one had ever managed to find a way to pack them because rice hulls are difficult to compress. B. 2023 Five Legged Stool LLC. We think of it as a family, an extension ofthe dedicationour founders Johnnie Bryan and Johnelle Hunt put into this company to establish it as one of the largest transportation and logistics operations in the country. I did shipping and generally anything that needed to be done. Bryan serves on the board of J.B. Hunt and also is Chairman of Global Dealer Group, a private company with operations in . I always collected the money. She laughs and says, I always say that Johnnie was the man in the white hat (he wore a trademark white cowboy hat) and I was the wicked witch. He briefly served in the army before working as a truck driver for Superior Forwarding Company. Were a 10 billion company today and were going to look completely different in the next 10, 20, 25 years, Bingham says. He let everybody know how much he cared about them, what a good job they were doing.. [1][2], In 1980, with deregulation of the industry, he became a major player in the trucking business. Mrs. Hunt would be beside him for the rest of his life. are driving the change we see for ourselves down the road. J.B. Hunt employees are the human capacity working to create . Johnnie Bryan Hunt is a businessperson who has been at the helm of 7 different companies and holds the position of Chairman of Best Buy Here Pay Here, Chairman for Progressive Auto Finance Corp., Chairman for Global . Johnelle Hunt is a business icon who mainly wanted to be a full-time wife and mom. "It was really risky for anyone in a trucking company to go out on that limb and disrupt the trucking business. Hunt on their wedding day© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, #22: B. and Johnelle Hunt at the Walton Arts Center, Fayetteville, Arkansas© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, #46: J. Johnelle also recounts seeing John F. Kennedy at a luncheon for the dedication of Greers Ferry Dam on Oct. 3, 1963, just weeks before his assassination. The Early Years. Hunt Transport Services. It wasnt just a little quick Hi, how are you? Johnelle and J.B. Hunt stand in front of one of their trucks in 1988. Book loads in Carrier 360 to get savings and earn rewards on thethings you need most to keep your fleet moving. Being inclusive is making sure that all 30,000 plus of our employees feel like their voices are heard and respected, says Tami Allensworth, senior vice president and co-founder of GROW. Johnnie Bryan Hunt is a famous American businessman. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA. Our founder, Johnnie Bryan Hunt, was a dreamer, and his spirit of innovation is still very much felt at J.B. Hunt today. J.B. Hunt 360 technology helps you find the right load at the right time. The Arkansas Business Hall of Fame inducted them as a couple in 2001. J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc., the company it has become, last year boasted $6.2 billion in revenue, making it the fourth-largest for-hire trucking company in the country. After the graduation ceremony, Johnnie stayed around to tell her parents what he had done. I went to school with children that didnt even have a lunch to bring, so my parents would help out feeding kids. Through this expansive array of company-owned assets and access to additional capacity through a pool of qualified third-party carriers, J.B. Hunt offers mode-agnostic, customizable solutions to meet modern transportation needs. Why is Frank McCourt really pushing it? She attended Arkansas State Teachers College in Conway before marrying Johnnie Bryan "J. The son of a sharecropper, Hunt was born in Heber Springs on Feb. 28, 1927. He carried a wad of $100 bills in a gold money clip and regularly handed them to people he thought needed the money. Hunt Rice-Hul Company; Stuttgart, Arkansas© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, #28: J. Johnelle Hunt throwing her wedding bouquet with J. B." Johnnie Bryan Hunt was a truck driver in Little Rock when he suggested to his wife, Johnelle, that he quit to start a new business in Stuttgart. Bryan Hunt is heir to one of the largest transportation companies in North America. Your email address will not be published. The Hunts have passed the torch on to todays J.B. Hunt leaders, who continue to stress the core of the companys culture. If we don't grow, if we don't get bigger, then we may put that at risk., Simpson agrees: Many people in our organization have had the opportunity to leave, but they stay because they believe that there is even more opportunity inside J.B. Hunt more opportunity to be successful, to love their career, to really build something that's different and unique.. We moved there in 1972. "We never lost any money in the rice hull business after that. ", "I think it's a representation of the kind of people we produce here in Arkansas.". J. Bryan Hunt Jr. is the son of Johnnie Hunt, the founder of J.B Hunt Transport. Save $25 when you book your first LTL shipment. Lowell, Arkansas, is the company's headquarters. Whileour company has significantly evolved since 1961,one thinghas remained the sameour scrolllogo. How Palm Springs ran out Black and Latino families to build a fantasy for rich, white people, 17 SoCal hiking trails that are blooming with wildflowers (but probably not for long! The key is to find out how to maintain a degree of resilience that allows you to keep on moving," said Terry Esper, associate professor in the department of supply chain management at the Walton College. (AP file photo by April L. Brown) . The J.B. Hunt logo, content or images may not be used or reproduced by any means without express, written consent. Johnelle recounts how she really wanted to be a full-time mother and homemaker, but Johnnie must have seen her business potential and her magical way with people. He headquartered his company in Lowell, Benton County. Her son Bryan Hunt is on the board of J.B. Hunt Transport Services. Save $25 when you book your first LTL shipment. [1][2][8] He was buried at Pinnacle Memorial Gardens in Rogers, Benton County, Arkansas. Youve heard it hundreds of times from leaders and co-workers. She still has the ring more than 70 years later. I learned to drive very early and I would take one of Daddy's big trucks on a Sunday afternoon and put my friends all in it and drive around in the neighborhoods right there in town, driving that big truck. Because if you're afraid of losing, you'll never make it.". He recalls one of the speakers saying, Welcome to the J.B. Hunt family. And I thought, Family, that's a strange word." In this multi-part series, we dive into the key components driving our mission to create the most efficient transportation network in North America - thinking big and taking risks, building a talented workforce unlike any other, and offering stellar customer service. B. Johnelle Hunt: One of the Original Women of Trucking, bought five tractors and seven trailers to cement his place in the trucking industry. I started working at the company in Stuttgart when we just had a few ladies in the office and then workers at the plant and we even had some women out in the plant, too. People you trust, technology that empowers, and capacity to deliver are the ideals J.B. Hunt uses to help us keep moving freight forward. ), At Willie Nelson 90, country, rock and rap stars pay tribute, but Willie and Trigger steal the show, 8 best interview questions to land a top job, Bank rates are up. Johnelle Hunt agreed, saying resilience and lack of fear of failure were key to her late husband's success. The J.B. Hunt logo, content or images may not be used or reproduced by any means without express, written consent. As our founder, Johnnie Bryan Hunt, once said, "Today is going to be better than yesterday." . B. Arkansas Business Publishing Group You pick up newspapers and read about a child that is being abused or hurt, and as I learned more about it I realized how much we need this organization and what great things they do. The criteria for admission? Capacity to deliver. B. Thinking outside the box ultimately led to one of the best decisions in the history of J.B. Hunt Transport.". "This honor is something we should be particularly proud of in Arkansas," he said. Drivers use on-board computers to communicate with fleet managers, ending the search for telephones to find out about the next load. ), We spoke in the penthouse office he had designed, which remains much as he left it, featuring panoramic views, much memorabilia and "J.B. Hunt" embedded in the marble floors. A J.B. Hunt driver had stopped at a terminal to do laundry and eat when, unannounced, Mr. Hunt rolls through into the break room and sits right down with him, says Hicks. She continued to serve in a variety of roles until 2008, when she stepped away from the companys board of directors. Another trend he set was to keep driver pay as low as possible. "There's not anybody in the trucking or rail industries, as far as intermodalism is concerned, more deserving of a hall of fame [than J.B. Hunt]," said Haverty. Such remarkable stories are just part and parcel of Johnelles more-incredible-than-fiction life. "Everything we touched didn't turn to gold, and everything we did didn't work, but we always tried to make it work. Leave a sympathy message to the family on the memorial page of Johnny A. Isenhour to pay them a last tribute. He will be inducted alongside Henry Ford, the founder of Ford Motor Co., and Malcom McLean, the developer of the modern shipping container and a friend of Johnnie Hunt. Save $25 when you book your first LTL shipment. During the event, Mrs. Hunt made a point to tell Weston how much he meant to the company. He got a job driving a truck between Texarkana and Fort Smith, and by 1952, had paid off the debt. Probably said it to a family member, a prospective client, or someone that just started on your team. B. Hunt© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, #18: Johnelle DeBusk (Hunt)© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, #19: J. B. [1] [2] In 1930, he lived in Peter Creek Township, Cleburne County. To that end, J.B. Hunt has developed personal enrichment resources and employee resource groups that can help all employees grow their professional networks and give back to the community. Then I came here (Northwest Arkansas), but I have never once felt like I was intimidated by a man, she said in 2017. We are working on a mining operation in Honduras, so people need me to make decisions. When I speak with Johnelle just a few weeks later, she has already sold that company. © Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, #16: Johnelle DeBusk (Hunt) and J. Being with the drivers is one of my favorite things. LOWELL, ARK. By completing this web form, you are agreeing that your information will be used in accordance with J.B. Hunt Transport's. Chosen by Mr. Hunt himself,thescroll is aconstantreminder of the hard work and innovative spirit of our founders. These ideals have fueled our growth for more than 60 years and will continue to propel us into the future. I had a landline installed next to my bed so that I could help them any time, day or night., Today J. Johnnie proposed to Johnelle on their way to her high school graduation with a small diamond ring he had bought with $80 borrowed from his aunt. She is a detail-oriented pragmatist who dealt with whatever followed, who left college to marry the love of her life, the business newspaper said of their Legacy of Leadership honoree. Instead, Mr. Hunt spent 30-45 minutes asking questions and trying to understand that drivers life on and off the road. We hold a big celebration for each driver when they pass a landmark distance like 100,000 miles., When asked what she is proudest of, she says: Im proud of everything about my family and all the people we work with. He quit school at 12 to help support his family, earning $1.50 a day at his uncle's sawmill. Hunt with Baltimore Colts quarterback Johnny Unitas, 1980s© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, #41: Jane and Johnelle Hunt© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, #42: Bill Clinton with J. At that time, as today, the two industries competed intensely for freight. If someone asked Johnnie a question and the answer was going to be a no, he would say, you have to speak to Johnelle about that. , Was he making her the bad cop? B. B. Our more than 60 years in the logistics industry have taught us what keeps freight moving forward. Hunt was instrumental in the growth and success of their businesses, functioning in numerous roles, including credit manager, secretary-treasurer, and corporate secretary. At the time he registered for the draft, he was described as 5 feet and 11 inches tall, 146 pounds, Blonde hair and gray colored eyes. However, on arrival to Rogers Johnelle realized that the truckloads of company paperwork that had been moved from Stuttgart were in disarray and wouldnt make sense to the new team, so she decided to go in for just a few weeks to get everything organized and orient the new employees. Hunt Sr. She cofounded J.B. Hunt Company with her husband in 1961, and in 1969 they created J.B. Hunt Transport Services. Hunt Transport Services" was shipping goods across the country and would become the largest publicly held trucking company in America. We are constantly focused on growth. info@littlerocksoiree.com, Toll Free: (888) 322-6397 Hunt is . Hunt and other business leaders in Lowell, Arkansas, 1979© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, #43: Johnelle Hunt (right) with Harry Ward and Hillary Clinton at the Arkansas Governor's Mansion© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, #44: Johnelle Hunt on a motorcycle with her husband, J. In 1961, Johnelle Hunt and her late husband J.B. (d. 2006) sold their home and took out loans to start a rice hull packaging operation. Learn more about our 60th anniversary celebration. [1][2] He lived in Fayetteville, Washington County. I was hungry once. The caring she feels for each individual is palpable. Johnelle Hunts late husband, J.B. Hunt, will be honored Tuesday by the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals inaugural Supply Chain Hall of Fame class. [1][2], In 2004, he stepped down as chairman of the company and retired from running the company's daily operations. Trucking magnate J.B. Hunt dies at 79. We got up the next day, and we just kept working," Johnelle Hunt said. All of Hunts workers were nonunion and still are. With solutions and amenities such as Perks for carriers, automation, machine learning and APIintegrations with popular enterprise resources, we are focusing on providing access, transparency and visibility into the industry. With those values as a bedrock, all kinds of growth are possible. In many cases, this helped both drivers and the company. In 1969, the Hunts relocated to Northwest Arkansas, where we are headquartered In 2005, Springdale Public Schools opened a new elementary school named after Hunt. "Let's just say I have been laughing a lot.". She had hoped to save us the journey by coming to us, but her grueling schedule wouldnt allow it. JB Hunt- Early Life, Real Name, and Family. Johnelle Terria DeBusk Hunt was born on January 4, 1932, in Heber Springs, Cleburne County, Arkansas. His education was driving those trucks all those years, because he had so much time alone.". Bryan serves on the board of J.B. Hunt and also is Chairman of Global Dealer Group, a private company with operations in motor . Johnnie was the idea man, and she focused on the fine details that kept things moving behind the scenes. Some people came there right out of high school and college and now are retired., Inevitably for such a big-hearted woman, philanthropy is a huge part of Johnelles life, as it was for Johnnie. B. Age : 63. With our scale and fleet density, we are equipped to deliver. ", "It's interesting," explained Matthew Waller, dean of the Walton College and founding chair of the supply chain management department. "Many truckers and truck lines scoffed at this new operation and said we would fail. At this point, nearly 15 years after his death, the stories of his personal touch are endless. B. The rest is history. Johnelle Terria Hunt is an American billionaire, the widow of Johnnie Bryan Hunt, and co-founder of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, the company they started in 1961. I can rent that out for a lot!". J.B. Hunt provides a variety of freight transportation services to customers throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. _____________________________________________. We have made great strides throughout our company history, but this is truly just the beginning. At the company she was very involved, collecting debt, keeping the books and paying bills. . Powered by our people, the opportunities at J.B. Hunt are endless. Leave a message for others who see this profile. He's also a generous guy with a great sense of humor. Though Johnnie Hunt died in 2006, Johnelle Hunt and their two children will attend the the council's annual conference in Florida to accept the award on his behalf Tuesday. Eight years later, at the advice of Hudson Foods founder Red Hudson, Johnnie Hunt made that first purchase of tractors and trailers to haul poultry to the West Coast. Our culture is one where we care about people, we care about our employees and we care about our communities. Her vitality and joie de vivre are astonishing. "He was an entrepreneurial individual. "We were both determined it was going to work, and we told our people to make sure that it did work," Haverty said. 2021. Despite the overhead cost of new containers and equipment to enable the transitions from tractor to rail, "After a year of business there was $30 million worth of revenue. While crisscrossing the U.S. to meet with customers and drivers alike, he loved dropping into terminals and hearing directly from drivers. Your email address will not be published. He grew up on a farm and learned the value of hard work at an early age. I also did the hiring, but that was when we were smaller. Then he would come to our office and tell me what certain people were doing wrong so that I would go and address it. But the one that was most consistent among everyone: family. B. She continued as his partner in business and life until his death and afterward. J.B. Hunt's commitment to entrepreneurialism and prioritization of customers seem to remain at the company today. We engineer innovative technology that accelerates our growth and is disrupting the transportation industry. If so, login to add it. A few years after what began as a rice hull operation, J.B. Hunt purchased He and Johnelle DuBusk were married that year and settled in Texarkana. Our growth into a Fortune 500 company is a direct result of the hard work of the 33,000+ employees who consider J.B. Hunt more than just a place to work. Johnny A. Isenhour Obituary. Streamline your operations with smart shipping and end-to-end load management. When we arrive at her Rogers home for our interview and photo shoot, she immediately apologizes for making us drive all the way to her from Little Rock. It remains in operation today, still using the same machines Johnnie Hunt designed and patented. People you trust, technology that empowers, and capacity to deliver are the ideals J.B. Hunt uses to help us keep moving freight forward. I was fortunate enough to take care of my kids and my house. And a life with Johnnie meant a life around trucks, too. [1][2], In 1945, he lived in Miller, Arkansas. "J.B. Hunt said, 'I'm willing to forgo my driver, truck and trailer and share that with the railroad, because I think it's more valuable for the U.S. economy and my customers,'" said John Kent, director of the supply chain management research center at the Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Hunt introduced computers to truck drivers in the 1990s. Ill cry right along with you. Im so glad I got to meet that lady.. By cherishingthe logo, weensurethat as wedream ofnew ways to innovate and grow, westay grounded inthetrust, integrity and purpose onwhich we were founded. A decade later, his company "J. 08. At 84, Johnelle is still the beating heart of the Hunt empire. Its just a thrill to help people, and theres a reason why people are put in front of you. The deal began with a handshake in October 1989, and they signed the official contract in June 1991. That was 42 years ago, and she has been working full time ever since. Save time on shipping and get reliable service with Shipper 360. Brad Hicks, president of highway services and executive vice president, recalls one such story particularly well. That's all I had to say. August 05, 2021 3:30 PM. Johnnie Bryan Hunt, with the support of his wife Johnelle, founded J.B. Hunt in 1961 outside of Little Rock, Arkansas. Mrs. Hunt, as it turns out, was born for her role. Required fields are marked *. Her husband died on Dec. 7, 2006, from injuries sustained in a fall six days earlier. It's a long story, but trust me, a lot shorter than I could have written, given all that people wanted to say on the subject. He would pat people on the shoulder and let them know they were doing a good job and he was glad they were there. One of her friends who also fancied Johnnie didnt talk to her for three days, but the race was indeed over. I know how hard it is for the drivers, they are away so much and often miss family occasions. Johnnie Bryan Hunt was born on Feb. 28, 1927, in rural Heber Springs, in north-central Arkansas. There is so much more to J.B. Hunt than trucking. In 1961 Hunt and his wife, Johnelle, started J.B. Hunt Company in Stuttgart, specializing in the sale and transport of rice hulls to be used as poultry litter, and he invented a machine to compress the hulls. Save time on shipping and get reliable service with Shipper 360. "There was an entire field to choose from, and his contributions were deemed worth recognizing in its inaugural class. Innovative, driven, disruptive, integrity all terms we heard often with great passion. Over the past few years, we have developed new capabilities that improve the experience of our drivers and automate efficient carrier solutions for our customers. ", Esper said students with work experience at the company "are much more attuned to the issues out there and are looking at those issues in a much more innovative way.". Throughout our storied history, J.B. Hunt has always been a company deeply rooted in growth and innovation. We started selling stock so we could raise enough money to start the business. It required Mrs. Hunt to set the tone for the organization.