J.B. Hunt CEO Shelley Simpson to keynote Forty Under 40 luncheon

Shelley Simpson, president and CEO of Lowell-based carrier J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc., will be the keynote speaker at the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 luncheon at the Embassy Suites in Rogers on Aug. 12.

The event is sponsored by Intrust Bank.

This year’s class will be featured in the Aug. 11 issue of the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal.

Simpson, a member of the 2009 Forty Under 40 class, has worked for J.B. Hunt for 31 years and has served 18 years in executive leadership roles.  A graduate of the University of Arkansas, Simpson joined the company in 1994 as an hourly customer service representative.

Simpson became CEO of J.B. Hunt when John Roberts III retired on July 1, 2024. She’s the second woman to become CEO of a publicly traded transportation and logistics company in Arkansas. The first was Judy McReynolds, chairman, president and CEO of Fort Smith-based ArcBest Corp. McReynolds was named ArcBest president and CEO in 2010.

Simpson was appointed to J.B. Hunt’s board of directors during the company’s annual shareholders meeting in April 2024. She started as president on Aug. 1, 2022.

Before she became president, she was chief commercial officer and executive vice president of people and human resources along with leading international services and corporate marketing. In 2007, Simpson helped found the company’s brokerage segment, Integrated Capacity Solutions, and was named its president. She assumed sales and marketing executive responsibilities in 2011 as chief marketing officer and took on additional leadership roles in 2014 when she was named president of the truckload segment. She was named chief commercial officer and president of Highway Services in 2017 and led the launch of the J.B. Hunt 360 technology platform. In 2020, Simpson added responsibilities for people and human resources before becoming president in 2022.

At the Forty Under 40 luncheon, Simpson will participate in a fireside chat with Roby Brock, CEO of Natural State Media, the parent company for the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal and Talk Business & Politics.

“Shelley Simpson is a dynamic and successful executive who brings a wealth of knowledge regarding corporate, community and personal leadership,” said Brock. “I’m looking forward to having her join us to share her expertise and experiences. Our Forty Under 40 audience is in for an engaging and meaningful conversation on the future of Northwest Arkansas and the entire state.”

The Northwest Arkansas Business Journal Forty Under 40 luncheon will take place Tuesday, Aug. 12, at the Embassy Suites ballroom in Rogers. Individual tickets or tables may be purchased by calling Rob Gutterridge at 479-725-0394 (ext. 5) or by sending an email to [email protected].