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JB Hunt (died in 2006) and his wife Johnelle borrowed money and sold their house to establish their own rice hull packaging business, in 1961.
The couple launched JB Hunt Transport Services eight years later after purchasing seven trailers and five trucks.
About Johnnie Bryan Hunt (JB Hunt)
Known as JB Hunt, Johnny Bryan Hunt, Sr. was an entrepreneur from the United States and the founder of JB Hunt Transport Services, the nation’s largest public trucking company. Lowell, Arkansas, is the company’s headquarters.
JB Hunt (Johnny Bryan Hunt) Net Worth
JB Hunt Transport Services is one of the nation’s largest transportation companies with sales of $9.64 billion and went public in 1983 in Lowell, Arkansas.
| Full Name | Johnnie Bryan Hunt, Sr |
| Date of Birth | February 28, 1927 |
| Birth Place | Heber Springs, Arkansas U.S. |
| Died | December 7, 2006 (aged 79) Springdale, Arkansas U.S |
| Occupation | Founder and C.E.O. of J. B. Hunt Transport Services. (1961–2004) |
| Spouse | Johnelle Hunt |
| Twitter Account | @jbhunt360 |
| Instagram Accounts | @jbhunttransport @jbhuntdrivers |
| YouTube Channel | J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. |
| JB Hunt Net Worth or JB Hunt transport net worth | $9.64 billion |
The Company’s Largest Shareholder
With a 17% stake, Johnelle Hunt is the company’s largest shareholder following her retirement as a corporate secretary in 2008.
Also, the J.B. and Johnelle Hunt Family Ozark Highlands Center in Springdale, Arkansas, has been established through her $5 million donations in December 2020.
Biographical information
Heber Springs, Arkansas, is where Hunt was born. As a child, he lived through the Great Depression.
He worked at a sawmill for his uncle as his first job. Hunt served in the US Army during the 1950s, then worked as an auctioneer, truck driver, and lumber salesman before launching a rice hull business in 1961 with his wife Johnelle. Initially, he did not succeed in the trucking business. The business lost him over $19,000.
With five tractors and seven trailers, he started trucking again in 1969.
The generosity of Hunt was known to all. There were $100 bills in the money clip he carried, which he distributed to those in need.
JB Hunt Retirement
After stepping down as president in 1982, Hunt began to withdraw from the business, but remained a fixture in the organization and served as board chairman until 1995.
Hunt retired from the company on December 31, 2004, but continued to be its biggest shareholder. In spite of his retirement, Hunt frequently visited the company’s headquarters in Lowell, Arkansas, to visit with employees.
Dedicated to Hunt, a new elementary school opened in 2005 in Springdale Public Schools. Land valued at more than $500k was donated to the school by the Hunt family.
Silent Grove Road in the Springdale, Arkansas area houses this K-5 elementary school. The school was frequently visited by Hunt after its opening.
For $6.5 million, Hunt purchased the Superconducting Super Collider site in Waxahachie, Texas, with the intention of using it for secure data storage.
The project came to an end when he died five days after slipping on ice in Springdale, Arkansas. Magnablend purchased the property in 2012 for $5 million.
Awards and Achievements
- 2016: Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals’ (CSCMP) Hall of Fame
- 1993: Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement
- 2001: Arkansas Business Hall of Fame
