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.. I have been the wife of a trucker myself, so I would often speak to their wives if they were upset. Johnnie Bryan Hunt was born on February 28 1927, in Heber Springs. Learn more about how we create value for our customers using the right mix of shipment solutions and services. All of Hunts workers were nonunion and still are. Little Rock, Arkansas 72201
Being with the drivers is one of my favorite things. But Johnnie promised me that if we moved I did not have to work.. We engineer innovative technology that accelerates our growth and is disrupting the transportation industry. She bore the wrath of her friend, who didnt speak to her for several days afterward, but she got her man. It reflects the name of one of the co-founders of the company Johnnie Bryan Hunt, equal parts truck driver and dreamer. He had worked 45 weeks and earned $500. By completing this web form, you are agreeing that your information will be used in accordance with J.B. Hunt Transport's. Sign up for free today. Save $25 when you book your first LTL shipment. He did a good job with communicating with people. On Buzzlearn.com, Johnnie is listed as a successful Businessman who was born in the year of 1927. are driving the change we see for ourselves down the road. J.B. and Johnelle Hunt on their wedding day, January 19, 1952. 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. Johnny A. Isenhour Obituary. The conversation meant so much to the employee, Hicks says. . B. But when the soon-to-be Mrs. Hunt outraced all of her friends to his truck one day, she claimed the seat beside him. 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. But whatever it took, I stayed on that phone all day long, being not a very nice person to those people that wouldn't pay, but I had to because that's how we paid the bills.. As our founder, Johnnie Bryan Hunt, once said, "Today is going to be better than yesterday." . But as Johnnie developed a new use for rice hulls and later bought five tractors and seven trailers to cement his place in the trucking industry, a steady presence balanced the books and made sure that every last cent of outstanding payment was collected to help the fledgling company stay alive. His gut told him when things would work. We started selling stock so we could raise enough money to start the business. Johnelle Hunt dubbed it "our golden goose.". Forbes currently ranks Johnelle Hunt as the fifth-wealthiest self-made woman in the U.S. One of the reasons for the growth was J.B. Hunt's partnership with the Santa Fe Railway Company in 1989, the first successful venture in intermodal transportation between the rival industries. 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. Today, his company is one of the largest employers in the state, with nearly 15,000 employees and a . I'm doing other things now. Hunt was a frequent visitor to the . "If you look at companies historically, when they focus on delivering value to customers, they wind up doing these things that seem counterintuitive. We think of it as a family, an extension of, J.B. Hunt employees are the human capacity working to create, We brought together shippers and carriers into a, Whether the best solution is intermodal, truckload, dedicated fleet management, less than truckload (LTL) or another freight mode, J.B. Hunt can help provide the capacity that our customers need when they need it. The idea was to share freight between the modes to maximize the long-haul efficiency of rails with the short-haul capabilities of trucks. Before he and his wife Johnelle Hunt started this company in 1961, Mr. Hunt was a driver with a regular route between Little Rock, Ark. Chosen by Mr. Hunt himself,thescroll is aconstantreminder of the hard work and innovative spirit of our founders. The criteria for admission? We think of it as a family, an extension of the dedication our 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. Hunt; Fayetteville, Arkansas, 2006© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, Links to important University of Arkansas pages, © Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, Coastlines & People (CoPe) Virtual Symposium Project, Sharon Killian and Jami J. Lockhart - Revealing Fayetteville's Hidden Cultural Landscape, Dr. Ariel Ortiz-Bobea - How Climate Change Is Affecting US Agricultural Productivity, J. Though she is reportedly worth over $2 billion, when J.B. suddenly died she came out of retirement in her mid 70s to take over his real estate development company, Hunt Ventures. People you trust, technology that empowers, and capacity to deliver are the ideals J.B. Hunt uses to help us keep moving freight forward. We collect and match historical records that Ancestry users have contributed to their family trees to create each person's profile. When we started our own business he asked me to help out part time. B. [1][2] He lived in Fayetteville, Washington County. One way to do that is ensuring people can bring their whole selves to work, where they feel like they are being care for personally and professionally, says Shelley Simpson, chief commercial officer and executive vice president of people and human resources. 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. To get a more detailed understanding of what that means, we met with several company leaders and influencers to discuss our culture, its evolution over the past 60 years, and the spirit of the people who give it life. Then we started buying trucks in Rogers in 1969, before taking over a trucking company there. [8], J. 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. Johnelles friend rode up front with Johnnie, but Johnelle was so taken with the dashing young man that when he passed through town the next night she outran all her friends so that she could sit next to him. And you know what, that was just like pouring fuel on the fire, is when he would come up with these ideas and I would say, Now, Johnnie, why would they do that? Or, Why could you do that? And I think that was the driving force. J.B. Hunt used his industry J.B. Hunt Transport Services announced Thursday, Dec. 7, the death of its founder, Johnnie Bryan Hunt Sr., who had suffered head . 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. Its late founder is being inducted into the Supply Chain Hall of Fame tomorrow (alongside Henry Ford and Malcolm McLean) for his industry-changing deal with the Santa Fe Railway Company, which made intermodal transportation work for the first time. 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. At J.B. Hunt, our people She tells the story with a laugh because years later, in 1969, Johnnie Hunt bought five tractors and seven trailers. 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. 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. All rights reserved. Sign up for free today. At that time, as today, the two industries competed intensely for freight. Hunt Rice-Hul truck© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, #30: DeBusk family reunion, 1964© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, #31: J. "Even 20 years later, he can't wait to tell people the story about the time he got to meet Mr. Hunt., That one-on-one interaction is part of the culture of people upon which Mr. and Mrs. Hunt built the company, says Paul Bingham, senior vice president of sales. B. . 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. Eight years later, the couple bought . But whats not going to change is that culture where we take care of our people.. Another trend he set was to keep driver pay as low as possible. Instead, Mr. Hunt spent 30-45 minutes asking questions and trying to understand that drivers life on and off the road. We always liked getting everyones opinion and we wanted everyone to feel like they had an input, anyone could come and talk to us., Johnelle speaks at length about her truckers and her staff. Hunt with his grandchildren: Martin Tinnin; twins, Tessa and Phoebe Hunt; Bailey Hunt; Tarra Tennin; and her cousin, Ellen Tennin; 1991© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, #47: Hunt family at the beach, 1995© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, #48: J. Because if you're afraid of losing, you'll never make it.". [1][2][8] He was buried at Pinnacle Memorial Gardens in Rogers, Benton County, Arkansas. When Johnnie Hunt died suddenly, she came out of retirement to take the helm of his real estate development company, Hunt Ventures. 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. . J.B. and Johnelle were married for nearly 55 years until his death in 2006. She laughs and says, I was just doing what Johnnie needed me to do; it was my job and my responsibility. 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. 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. Going Off the Tumbling Shoals Bridge - 1:11, Johnelle's Introduction to Johnnie - 4:11, The Building of the Dam in Heber Springs - 3:54, AUDIO-HUNT-JB-Johnelle-20060516 - 2:13:37, TRANS-HUNT-Johnnie-B-and-Johnelle-Memories-20060519-FINAL, Pryor Center Interview with Johnelle Hunt. ", "I think it's a representation of the kind of people we produce here in Arkansas.". Weve learned that three core ideals drive everything we do: People you trust. Weve invested. Mrs. Hunt, who just turned 90 years young, was recently honored at halftime of an Arkansas Razorback basketball game to celebrate the occasion. All rights reserved. J.B. Hunt's commitment to entrepreneurialism and prioritization of customers seem to remain at the company today. One of them being, he bought his own trucks instead of leasing them. Hunt has about 10,000 trucks, 70,000 containers/trailers and 11,000 drivers, but Johnelle still goes to meet as many as she can. She continued to serve in a variety of . "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. When someone works with J.B. Hunt, they know they are working with people they can rely on to get the job done. He said, 'I don't know, but we're going to do it,'" Haverty recalled. Hunt's mother, Alma Naomi Everett Hunt© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, #4: J. The rest is history. B. 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. It was my only real chance to get an education, he said. Johnnie Bryan Hunt was born on February 28, 1927, in Heber Springs, Arkansas. Leave a sympathy message to the family on the memorial page of Johnny A. Isenhour to pay them a last tribute. Hunt, who inspired the J.R. Ewing character on the long-running TV series "Dallas." His eldest children, the late Margaret and H.L . He would go through and he would speak to everybody in the company before he came to his office, Mrs. Hunt recalls. In the following decades, as the two built the company into one of the largest and most influential transportation providers in the nation, Mr. Hunt never took his finger off the pulse of the road. Whileour company has significantly evolved since 1961,one thinghas remained the sameour scrolllogo. 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. All those years it was just an idea while he was a truck driver. B. B. All she ever wanted was to take care of her family and home, but Johnnie, her husband of 54 years, and the legendary founder of J. He and his wife, Johnelle, remained the largest shareholders of J.B. Hunt stock. The late Johnnie Bryan Hunt Sr., founder of J.B. Hunt Transport, showed off the saddle that once belonged to actor John Wayne in this August 2003 photo. When he came home, he would "sit at the table and draw and draw and draw," trying to design the machine to package the wood shavings, she said. About Johnelle Hunt. By cherishingthe logo, weensurethat as wedream ofnew ways to innovate and grow, westay grounded inthetrust, integrity and purpose onwhich we were founded. Whether the best solution is intermodal, truckload, dedicated fleet management, less than truckload (LTL) or another freight mode, J.B. Hunt can help provide the capacity that our customers need when they need it. Her father was in the poultry business and he owned trucks to deliver feed to poultry growers. As we choose which clothes to photograph her in, her cellphone dings constantly with text messages. A few years after what began as a rice hull operation, J.B. Hunt purchased They did not sell the rice hull business until 1983, when the company went public. He implemented many cost cutting efforts that allowed him to increase profits dramatically. Hunt passed away on December 7, 2006. Springdale, Arkansas (AR), US. "Let's just say I have been laughing a lot.". What makes J.B. Hunt so unique - in our industry, community, even the country - is our people. Every year, this culture is celebrated when many of the companys best drivers gather at the corporate headquarters in Lowell, Ark. B. Every morning, Mr. Hunt made a point of walking through the company headquarters, from the ground floor to the top floor, to check in with folks. ), 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. Have you taken a DNA test? It remains in operation today, still using the same machines Johnnie Hunt designed and patented. Johnnie Bryan Hunt was born on Feb. 28, 1927, in rural Heber Springs, in north-central Arkansas. Then he would come to our office and tell me what certain people were doing wrong so that I would go and address it. He grew up picking cotton, says Johnelle. 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. 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. Heber Springs, Cleburne, Arkansas, United States, Springdale, Washington, Arkansas, United States, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/16959483/j-b-hunt, 1930 US Census, Cleburne County, Arkansas, West Peter Creek Township, Cleburne County, Arkansas, 1950 US Census, Cleburne County, Arkansas, Giles Township, Cleburne County, Arkansas, Pinnacle Memorial Gardens, Rogers, Arkansas. J.B. Hunt at 60: Our People. Hunt with his daughter, Jane Hunt, in front of their Pontiac, 1958© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, #26: Johnelle Hunt with her daughter, Jane, and her son, Bryan; 1959© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, #27: J. "The first 10 years of the trucking company were really a struggle," Johnelle Hunt said. Johnnie Bryan Hunt, with the support of his wife Johnelle, founded J.B. Hunt in 1961 outside of Little Rock, Arkansas. B. The industry is making progress in adding female employees, and J.B. Hunt in particular is committed to diversifying its workforce. 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.. When the trucking industry deregulated in 1980, Johnnie Hunt and others were able to take advantage of the free market. While driving down the road, he handed her the ring on the way to her high school graduation. He was a truck driver who left school after the seventh grade to work, a forward-thinking optimist who didnt like details. Hunt joined the Army at 18 and was recruited for officer training school. B. Hunt on their wedding day© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, #22: That's just par for the course with being innovative. Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a78bdd01176ef76187c4fac8f0afef5b" );document.getElementById("c08a1a06c7").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); By clicking subscribe, you are giving J.B. Hunt your express consent to receive blog updates and information about any employment or It's helped him deal with some misinformed reactions to his latest business venture. 114 Scott Street
After visiting them in Lowell in 1988, he invited Johnnie Hunt and then-President Kirk Thompson to see how it could work by riding a passenger car on a freight train from Chicago to Kansas City. Read Also: Kurt Rappaport Net Worth 2023. It was one of the best moments in my life, J.B. Hunt driver Terry Weston recalled of the 2019 Million Mile celebration. 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. The fruit of the family's sacrifices and labor came soon enough, and J.B. Hunt Transportation Services Inc. now stands as one of North America's . Johnnie Bryan "J. 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. They found the best talent, shared their vision, got buy in and motivated all of their employees to execute said vision.. B. If there was something that the company could do better, after all, drivers would be among the first to know. He was born on February 28, 1927 and his birthplace is United States. It has gotten so large now, but I love to go and see everyone, I really enjoy it. We moved there in 1972. J.B. Hunt provides a variety of freight transportation services to customers throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. He eventually borrowed $80 from his aunt and bought an engagement ring. Although shes no longer involved in day-to-day operations at the company, Mrs. Hunt continues to be an inspiration at J.B. Hunt and a major part of the companys legacy. In the beginning, though, he drove trucks out of Texarkana and Little Rock while she stayed with their children. "This honor is something we should be particularly proud of in Arkansas," he said. B. (AP file photo by April L. Brown) . [9], In 2016, he was inducted into the Supply Chain Hall of Fame.[2]. He started his own hugely successful chicken litter company using rice hulls in 1961 in Stuttgart, but Johnelle says hed had the idea 15 years before it started. By age 21, Johnnie Hunt was trying to design a way to package and distribute wood shavings for poultry litter. B. and Johnelle Hunt at the Walton Arts Center, Fayetteville, Arkansas© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, #46: 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. J.B. Hunt 360 technology helps you find the right load at the right time. Johnnie Hunt Sr is Notable. His education was driving those trucks all those years, because he had so much time alone.". Our office and field employees and maintenance team have all played vital roles in helping us build North Americas most efficient transportation network. Hunt sitting in an Adirondack chair© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, #17: Johnelle DeBusk (Hunt) in a Heber Springs letter jacket with J. "A significant portion of that is because we've put trailers on the railroad.". CONTENT MAY BE COPYRIGHTED BY WIKITREE COMMUNITY MEMBERS. [1][2], In 2004, he stepped down as chairman of the company and retired from running the company's daily operations. Spoiler alert - it's been 60 years in the making. B." 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. Johnnie Hunt is 64 years old today because Johnnie's birthday is on 06/21/1958. That consistency helps lay the path for the next generation of J.B. Hunt leaders. When Johnelle Hunt (nee DeBusk) started as the default business manager of J.B. Hunt Co. when the company was founded in 1961, she entered an industry where she had very few female peers. 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. Hunt in his red pickup truck, Heber Springs, Arkansas© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, #15: J.
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