Some have been with us since the beginning. 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. 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. Age : 63. It required Mrs. Hunt to set the tone for the organization. B. After a bank loan, the Hunts were officially back in the trucking business, and they moved to Northwest Arkansas. He headquartered his company in Lowell, Benton County. Streamline your operations with smart shipping and end-to-end load management. Privacy Policy | Terms, Conditions & Notices | Comment Policy. His entrepreneurial legacy lives on at our company and continues to motivate us to achieve greatness. In 2005, Springdale Public Schools opened a new elementary school named after Hunt. "With any innovative company, there will always be things you try that don't work. She tells the story with a laugh because years later, in 1969, Johnnie Hunt bought five tractors and seven trailers. Johnnie Hunt Sr is Notable. "If you look at companies historically, when they focus on delivering value to customers, they wind up doing these things that seem counterintuitive. Hunt at her side© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, #23: Friends decorating J. Then he would come to our office and tell me what certain people were doing wrong so that I would go and address it. In the impromptu conversation that followed, Mr. Hunt sought to go deeper than surface level. He got a job driving a truck between Texarkana and Fort Smith, and by 1952, had paid off the debt. A few years after what began as a rice hull operation, J.B. Hunt purchased five trucks and seven trailers, starting their venture as a trucking company. Hunt, one of the countrys largest trucking companies, had other ideas. With the company's growing success, he moved the base of operations to Lowell. She had lost her lifelong partner and best friend. We celebrate her on International Womens Day, and we value the contributions the women who have followed her have made within our company and the industry at large. 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. We have always been this way, and I learned this from my parents because they went through the Depression. I was hungry once. J.B. Hunt used his industry Biography. 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. We offer career I have been the wife of a trucker myself, so I would often speak to their wives if they were upset. We will continue to invest in people, technology and capacity. And because she broke into the industry and forged her path, others could follow in her footsteps. And she goes, You go ahead and cry. Subscribe to Soire Today! While driving down the road, he handed her the ring on the way to her high school graduation. That's just par for the course with being innovative. The conversation meant so much to the employee, Hicks says. 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. While driving through Stuttgart, he noticed people burning rice hulls and decided to find a way to sell that byproduct instead. B. In 1969, the Hunts relocated to Northwest Arkansas, where we are headquartered 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. He grew up picking cotton, says Johnelle. He declined and later called that his biggest mistake. He and Johnelle DuBusk were married that year and settled in Texarkana. It didnt work out that way. Every year, this culture is celebrated when many of the companys best drivers gather at the corporate headquarters in Lowell, Ark. 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. As the company grew, the Hunt family grew along with it. Johnnie lived in Arkansas. I had a landline installed next to my bed so that I could help them any time, day or night., Today J. 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. It reflects the name of one of the co-founders of the company Johnnie Bryan Hunt, equal parts truck driver and dreamer. During the event, Mrs. Hunt made a point to tell Weston how much he meant to the company. B. 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. encouragement to turn those dreams into reality. Learn more about our 60th anniversary celebration. J.B. Hunt provides a variety of freight transportation services to customers throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. 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. 4. Being with the drivers is one of my favorite things. Sign up for free today. B. He also secured a lucrative contract to haul merchandise for Walmart Inc., which became Hunt's largest customer. He eventually borrowed $80 from his aunt and bought an engagement ring. Learn more about how we create value for our customers using the right mix of shipment solutions and services. Let me tell you, women can get things done, Mrs. Hunt once said. If you are looking to build your Chosen by Mr. Hunt himself,thescroll is aconstantreminder of the hard work and innovative spirit of our founders. 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 J.B. Hunt provides a variety of freight transportation services to customers throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. That was 42 years ago, and she has been working full time ever since. All rights reserved. B. [8], J. 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. B. Growth brings opportunity, Roberts adds. Mrs. Hunt would be beside him for the rest of his life. 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. The foresight and willingness to take an expensive risk earned Johnnie Hunt a spot in the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals' inaugural Supply Chain Hall of Fame class. Hunt and Johnelle DeBusk (Hunt) ), 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. Save $25 when you book your first LTL shipment. Johnnie Bryan Hunt, Sr. (February 28, 1927 - December 7, . But whats not going to change is that culture where we take care of our people.. 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." Hunt Rice-Hul Company; Stuttgart, Arkansas© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, #28: J. Linked companies : J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. - PowerBand Solutions Inc. Summary. J.B. Hunt Elementary School in Springdale is named in his honor. 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. "And Lowell wasn't even on the map yet. B. 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. Were building a technology platform for everyone and creating a digital space where previously unconnected networks can come together to drive out the inefficiencies and waste within the industry. 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. CB Rank (Person) 528,540. B. Public asset : 14,729,242 USD. 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 . Our office and field employees and maintenance team have all played vital roles in helping us build North Americas most efficient transportation network. If so, login to add it. "He was an entrepreneurial individual. Hunt is . 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. He recalls one of the speakers saying, Welcome to the J.B. Hunt family. And I thought, Family, that's a strange word." "It was really risky for anyone in a trucking company to go out on that limb and disrupt the trucking business. _____________________________________________. Then Michael Haverty from the Santa Fe Railway Co. approached Johnnie Hunt with a new idea. Hunt said his most desperate time came in 1949, when the sawmill went broke, leaving him $3,600 in debt. He was not yet a teenager when he began gathering up wood shavings from his uncle's sawmill . B. and Johnelle Hunt at the Walton Arts Center, Fayetteville, Arkansas© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, #46: J. Johnnie Bryan Hunt Sr., a former truck driver who founded one of the nation's largest trucking companies, died Thursday, the . 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. "We knew if it all failed we could go back to where we were and be happy," she said. He's also a generous guy with a great sense of humor. 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. He let everybody know how much he cared about them, what a good job they were doing.. It has gotten so large now, but I love to go and see everyone, I really enjoy it. 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. References This page was last edited on 20 April 2023, at 12:30 . 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. He was 79. A few years after what began as a rice hull operation, J.B. Hunt purchased Johnnie Bryan Hunt was born on February 28, 1927, in Heber Springs, Arkansas. Johnnie Bryan Hunt is a famous American businessman. The Early Years. Sorry about that, she says. With those values as a bedrock, all kinds of growth are possible. Weve dedicated ourselves to makingour J.B. Hunt 360 platformthe best, most comprehensive digital platform in the industry. Johnnie Bryan Hunt was born on February 28 1927, in Heber Springs. All of Hunts workers were nonunion and still are. He had worked 45 weeks and earned $500. Johnnie Bryan "J. B." Hunt (1927-2006) One of the most successful entrepreneurs in Arkansas history, Johnnie Bryan "J. B." Hunt rose from humble beginnings to found one of America's largest trucking firms, J. Hunt in his red pickup truck, Heber Springs, Arkansas© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, #15: J. Johnnie and I have always felt like, Be fair to the people, care about the people, Mrs. Hunt says. Hunt (right) with Pauline Harlan, 1940© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, #5: Johnelle DeBusk (Hunt) and her brother, David Louis DeBusk, as children© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, #6: Young Johnelle DeBusk (Hunt) with two friends© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, #7: Johnelle DeBusk (Hunt), 8th grade, 1946© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, #8: Johnelle DeBusk (Hunt) at home in Heber Springs, Arkansas, 1949© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, #9: Johnelle DeBusk (Hunt) as a teen© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, #10: Johnelle DeBusk (Hunt) and friends: (left to right) Patsy Joy Robbins, Wanda "Winelo" Henderson, Minnie Belle Johnson, Johnelle DeBusk, Loretta Davis, Joann Ax; Heber Springs, 1949© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, #11: Johnelle DeBusk (Hunt) with her brother, Dennis DeBusk© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, #12: Program from Heber Springs senior class play, Susie the Siren, 1950© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, #13: Johnelle DeBusk (Hunt) (back row seated, on left) with her sorority sisters of Alpha Sigma Tau at Arkansas State Teachers College, Conway, 1950© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, #14: J. Our more than 60 years in the logistics industry have taught us what keeps freight moving forward. today, to focus on the trucking side of the business. 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. We are a family at J.B. Hunt, and we work to honor the small trucking company that started it all. Johnnie Bryan Hunt rose to prime prominence as a Business. Ignoring advice to close up shop, the Hunts . Most of us humans won't do it, but for entrepreneurs, it's part of being an entrepreneur.". J. Bryan Hunt Jr. is the son of Johnnie Hunt, the founder of J.B Hunt Transport. A decade later, his company "J. Thinking outside the box ultimately led to one of the best decisions in the history of J.B. Hunt Transport.". 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. That consistency helps lay the path for the next generation of J.B. Hunt leaders. I was, therefore, surprised when she said she's thinking about moving. 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. © Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas, #16: Johnelle DeBusk (Hunt) and J. However, on arrival to Rogers Johnelle realized that the truckloads of company paperwork that had been moved from Stuttgart were in disarray and wouldn't make sense to the new team, so she decided to go in for just a few weeks to get everything organized and orient . See our, 2021 J.B. Hunt Transport. When I asked why, she replied, "Well, we have about 16,000 square feet here, and we don't need this much space. We encourage you to research and examine these records . Categories: United States, Philanthropists | Arkansas, Notables | Business Owners | Salesmen | Arkansas County, Arkansas | Stuttgart, Arkansas | 1930 US Census, Cleburne County, Arkansas | West Peter Creek Township, Cleburne County, Arkansas | 1950 US Census, Cleburne County, Arkansas | Truck Drivers | Giles Township, Cleburne County, Arkansas | Miller, Arkansas | Cleburne County, Arkansas | Fayetteville, Arkansas | Washington County, Arkansas | Pinnacle Memorial Gardens, Rogers, Arkansas | Business Leaders | Notables, WIKITREE HOME | ABOUT | G2G FORUM | HELP | SEARCH. [9], In 2016, he was inducted into the Supply Chain Hall of Fame.[2]. 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. 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. Johnnie drove a red Ford truck with his name on the side of it and hauled livestock to his sale barn. Because if you're afraid of losing, you'll never make it.". [6] He married Johnelle Terria Debusk on January 19, 1952 in Heber Springs, Cleburne County. 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. 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. We celebrate Mrs. Hunt and all the women who are part of the J.B. Hunt family, today and every day. At that time, as today, the two industries competed intensely for freight. Whileour company has significantly evolved since 1961,one thinghas remained the sameour scrolllogo. It's helped him deal with some misinformed reactions to his latest business venture. In many cases, this helped both drivers and the company. "There was an entire field to choose from, and his contributions were deemed worth recognizing in its inaugural class. At the company she was very involved, collecting debt, keeping the books and paying bills. She also served as a sounding board to some of her husbands biggest ideas. 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. ", "I think it's a representation of the kind of people we produce here in Arkansas.". With heavy hearts, we announce the death of Johnny A. Isenhour (Newton, North Carolina), born in Catawba, North Carolina, who passed away on April 21, 2023 at the age of 64. They had two children and seven grandchildren. The criteria for admission? But being a business tycoon was never part of her plan. Hunt Sr. She cofounded J.B. Hunt Company with her husband in 1961, and in 1969 they created J.B. Hunt Transport Services. Johnelle Terria Hunt (ne DeBusk, born January 4, 1932) 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 .
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