"It's not just because they think of these ideas; it's because they have a culture that encourages them. We are a family at J.B. Hunt, and we work to honor the small trucking company that started it all. Thinking outside the box ultimately led to one of the best decisions in the history of J.B. Hunt Transport.". And then, he would show me how he could get out there and get it done, and he would go after it. Save $25 when you book your first LTL shipment. The J.B. Hunt Story Emma N. Hurt . The arrest was the result of an incident involving another motorist in Rogers. We are constantly focused on growth. 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. But Johnnie promised me that if we moved I did not have to work.. Public asset : 14,729,242 USD. His education was driving those trucks all those years, because he had so much time alone.". [7], In the 1960s, he began producing poultry litter and selling it to poultry companies in Arkansas. B. He and Johnny Cash used to pick cotton together as kids, later on Johnny and June would come up and stay with us from time to time.. She would try to be his voice of reason, but it only inspired him to keep pushing forward. Mr. Hunts passion for thinking outside the box can be felt in all we do at J.B. Hunt as we seek to create the most efficient transportation network in America. He was born on February 28, 1927 and his birthplace is United States. Johnnie Bryan Hunt was born on February 28, 1927 in Heber Springs, Cleburne County, Arkansas. Leave a message for others who see this profile. "If you look at companies historically, when they focus on delivering value to customers, they wind up doing these things that seem counterintuitive. In fact, she did some of the intimidating herself. Hunt family - Forbes Hunt has served on the Harvey and Bernice Jones Eye Institute Advisory Board, the Beau Foundation Board of Directors, and the Advisory Council for the Ozark Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Technology that empowers. 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. Let me tell you, women can get things done, Mrs. Hunt once said. 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. Johnelle Hunt, who co-founded J.B. Hunt with her late husband, Johnnie Bryan Hunt, said that when they moved the company to Northwest Arkansas over 50 years ago, its major industry was poultry . But whats not going to change is that culture where we take care of our people.. Today, his company is one of the largest employers in the state, with nearly 15,000 employees and a . Bryan Hunt's house in Springdale, AR (Google Maps) - Virtual Globetrotting It gives us financial potential but it more importantly gives our people potential, it helps us hire, it helps us retain because you come to work here like I did and you can have a career. Together, Mr. and Mrs. Hunt, along with our first-generation leaders Wayne Garrison and Kirk Thompson, would define the values of our company, values that still ring true today: that we honor our commitments; regularly challenge ourselves and our approach in how we serve our customers; watch costs closely; and strive to treat one another as family. May 4 Ballet Arkansas Presents "New Works" at Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, May 6 Be a Part of the Cure Walk benefiting the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, May 7 Cirque Over Broadway presented by Arkansas Circus Arts, May 10 Equip Small Business Series: Creating a Promotional Video Script for your Business, May 12 Little Rock Hope CARE Workshop with Alzheimer's Arkansas, Enews Unsubscribe | About Us By 2004, when Hunt stepped down as the companys senior chairman, the company was a billion-dollar business with more than 16,000 employees and about 11,000 trucks. Three years later, the company went public and by 1983 it had $63 million in revenue. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, What the work-from-home era has done to office politics, Regulators seize First Republic Bank, sell to JPMorgan Chase, First Republic up in air as regulators juggle banks fate. He had worked 45 weeks and earned $500. B." Hunt Transport Services. The Hunts have passed the torch on to todays J.B. Hunt leaders, who continue to stress the core of the companys culture. Weve dedicated ourselves to makingour J.B. Hunt 360 platformthe best, most comprehensive digital platform in the industry. "Let's just say I have been laughing a lot.". Johnnie Bryan Hunt, with the support of his wife Johnelle, founded J.B. Hunt in 1961 outside of Little Rock, Arkansas. What makes J.B. Hunt so unique - in our industry, community, even the country - is our people. And we feel like we really did.. Hunt and Johnelle DeBusk (Hunt) on Petit Jean Mountain, Arkansas© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, #21: Johnelle and J. JB Hunt- Early Life, Real Name, and Family. #1: Composite image of early photo of Johnelle and J. Johnnie Hunt currently lives in Springdale, AR; in the past Johnnie has also lived in Rogers AR. J.B. Hunt has grown exponentially over the last 60 years, and a driving force behind this growth has always been . Powered by our people, the opportunities at J.B. Hunt are endless. ", "It's interesting," explained Matthew Waller, dean of the Walton College and founding chair of the supply chain management department. Johnelle Hunt agreed, saying resilience and lack of fear of failure were key to her late husband's success. The deal began with a handshake in October 1989, and they signed the official contract in June 1991. I did shipping and generally anything that needed to be done. Hunt said his most desperate time came in 1949, when the sawmill went broke, leaving him $3,600 in debt. When Johnnie Hunt died suddenly, she came out of retirement to take the helm of his real estate development company, Hunt Ventures. Hunt on their wedding day© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, #22: [6] He married Johnelle Terria Debusk on January 19, 1952 in Heber Springs, Cleburne County. or connect with us on LinkedIn. Johnelle Hunt - Forbes It wasnt just a little quick Hi, how are you? _____________________________________________. [1][2], In 2004, he stepped down as chairman of the company and retired from running the company's daily operations. He also sold the mills wood shavings to poultry farmers for ground cover in their chicken coops. Charged with assault in accident case by Tracy Neal | October 6, 2015 at 5:45 a.m. BENTONVILLE -- Johnnie Bryan Hunt Jr. pleaded innocent Monday to assaulting a motorist. As the company grew, the Hunt family grew along with it. B. Hunt, Rayeanne Cocker; Hot Springs, March 1970© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, #37: J. While drivers are perhaps the most visible employees of J.B. Hunt, a large group of people including thousands of office and field employees and our maintenance team works behind them. He got a job driving a truck between Texarkana and Fort Smith, and by 1952, had paid off the debt. Because if you're afraid of losing, you'll never make it.". He headquartered his company in Lowell, Benton County. B. spirit to make the company a leader in the transportation industry. In 2005, Springdale Public Schools opened a new elementary school named after Hunt. 2023 Five Legged Stool LLC. Kirk Thompson, then president and current chairman of the J.B. Hunt board, called it "one of the best decisions in the history of J.B. Hunt Transport." Bryan Hunt's house in Springdale, AR - Virtual Globetrotting Lowell, Arkansas, is the company's headquarters. At the company she was very involved, collecting debt, keeping the books and paying bills. She continued to serve in a variety of . Hunt was a frequent visitor to the . Mr. Hunt always dreamed big, and Mrs. Hunt provided the Arkansas. career with a company that is always finding new ways to grow, search jobs to find an opening near you, We collect and match historical records that Ancestry users have contributed to their family trees to create each person's profile. [4] He enlisted in the Army on January 9, 1946 and was stationed at Camp Joseph T. Robinson in Little Rock, Arkansas. B. If there was something that the company could do better, after all, drivers would be among the first to know. One of them being, he bought his own trucks instead of leasing them. Hunt grew the business by courting Wal-Mart Stores Inc. owner Sam Walton, who eventually became Hunts largest customer. J. Bryan Hunt Jr. is the son of Johnnie Hunt, the founder of J.B Hunt Transport. Johnnie Bryan Hunt was born on February 28, 1927, in Heber Springs, Arkansas. Gender Female. It begins with a surprise visit. During the event, Mrs. Hunt made a point to tell Weston how much he meant to the company. It really does feel like a family.. Johnelle Hunt - Crunchbase Person Profile That's all I had to say. It was hard work, integrity and honesty that helped carry them through those trying times and eventually turn that venture and the transportation company that was incorporated in 1969 into a success. He was inducted to the National Railroad Hall of Fame, which is housed in Galesburg, due to its history as the site of that handshake in 1989. J.B. and Johnelle were married for nearly 55 years until his death in 2006. Because of her instrumental role in the development of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, her later business endeavors, and her ongoing philanthropic investments, Mrs. Hunt has been named to the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame, the Arkansas Womens Hall of Fame and was awarded Arkansas Business Legacy of Leadership Award in 2021. By age 21, Johnnie Hunt was trying to design a way to package and distribute wood shavings for poultry litter. When the trucking industry deregulated in 1980, Johnnie Hunt and others were able to take advantage of the free market. IMPORTANT PRIVACY NOTICE & DISCLAIMER: YOU HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO USE CAUTION WHEN DISTRIBUTING PRIVATE INFORMATION. . I really care about the people. [3] He left school after the seventh grade to work at his uncle's sawmill and later found other work picking cotton and selling lumber. Johnnie passed away on December 7 2006, at age 79. Johnnie Bryan Hunt Sr., a former truck driver who founded one of the nation's largest trucking companies, died Thursday, the company announced. Kent explained that in 1980 about 18 percent of the U.S. economy was attributed to inventory and transportation costs. J. Bryan Hunt Jr. is the son of Johnnie Hunt, the founder of J.B Hunt Transport. Our culture is one where we care about people, we care about our employees and we care about our communities. [3] He left school after the seventh grade to work at his uncle's sawmill and later found other work picking cotton and selling lumber. To capture the style and culture of Little Rock and its people and to be the ultimate guide to the best the city has to offer. The Hunt family donated the land for the school, valued in excess of $500,000. It reflects the name of one of the co-founders of the company Johnnie Bryan Hunt, equal parts truck driver and dreamer. Johnelle Hunt: Notes on Leading a Billion-Dollar Company, Raising a Family Hunt was instrumental in the growth and success of their businesses, functioning in numerous roles, including credit manager, secretary-treasurer, and corporate secretary. 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. Sign up for free today. When I asked why, she replied, "Well, we have about 16,000 square feet here, and we don't need this much space. Johnelle Hunt is a business icon who mainly wanted to be a full-time wife and mom. In 2015, that number was down to 8.5 percent, he said. We have made great strides throughout our company history, but this is truly just the beginning.