J.B. Hunt Named To Hall Of Fame Alongside Henry Ford

Johnnie Bryan “J.B.” Hunt, the founder of Lowell-based carrier J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc., will be inducted into the inaugural class of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals’ Hall of Fame.

He will be inducted alongside Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor Co., and Malcom McLean, inventor of the shipping container.

The Supply Chain Hall of Fame will pay tribute to those who have made revolutionary contributions to the supply chain discipline.

Hunt was selected as an inductee because of his role in pioneering intermodal transportation. As one of the first trucking companies to move loads by rail, J.B. Hunt’s partnership with the former Santa Fe Railway charted a new course for intermodal. Since 1989, the company has grown from a small intermodal operation with a few hundred containers to owning the largest fleet of 53-foot-long containers in the world.

“Mr. Hunt’s induction into the Supply Chain Hall of Fame is an incredible honor and one our company is extremely proud of,” said John Roberts, president and CEO of J.B. Hunt. “His innovation and foresight forever changed the industry, setting the stage for a new era of intermodal.”

In September, Johnelle Hunt, the widow of J.B. Hunt, will accept the award on his behalf at the global conference of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals.

J.B. Hunt retired as chairman of the carrier in 1995, but remained as the senior chairman until 2004. He died on Dec. 7, 2006, after being hospitalized for head injuries attributed to a fall. He was 79.