NWA Women in Business: Shelley Simpson

Age: 43

Residence: Rogers

Education: B.S., marketing management, University of Arkansas

Professional background: After graduating in 1994 from the UA, Simpson began her career at J. B. Hunt. Her career has included positions across various business segments including: director of pricing for truck and intermodal, vice president of economic analysis, senior vice president of finance and administration, and, since 2007, president of ICS. In 2011, she assumed the sales and marketing executive responsibilities and was appointed as the company’s chief marketing officer. In 2014, she also assumed the position of president of J.B. Hunt’s truck business segment.

What are the attributes of a good leader? “There are lots of them — integrity, authenticity, consistency, visionary, strategic, inspirational, positive, servant, developer, courageous, focused, and decisive.”

What other female leaders do you admire and why? “Because I have children, a blended family, and a job that requires some travel, I tend to admire women that are balancing competing priorities in their life. As a goal-oriented person, I’m constantly trying to blend my priorities to exceed expectations for people and commitments I am responsible for.”

What advice would you give a younger version of yourself, just starting your career? Would you do anything differently? “You build relationships from the moment you start in an organization. Many people that I worked with in my first month, I still work closely with today. So, my advice would be spend time building one-on-one relationships in every position that you work in.”

What drives you to succeed? “Every day I wake up, I want to have a more successful day than the previous one. I believe every day starts at zero. My priorities drive me. I want to do them all well and contribute.”

What or who has been your greatest influence in your career and why? “I don’t think I’ve ever formally asked anyone to mentor me, but I am constantly looking for someone to coach me on different subjects.”

What do you do to unwind/for fun? “I love to vacation and build memories with family.”

What motivated you to choose the field you’re in? “J.B. Hunt had a marketing job that I thought could be interesting but the job didn’t pay what I was expecting. I took the position because I was waiting on the job I really wanted. My father told me to look longer term at the potential the company had and the opportunities that could be available. I followed his advice and I’m sure glad I did.”

Was there ever a time when you considered doing something else? “I considered quitting at least two different times when I had children. I actually went part-time for nearly two years mid-way through my career and took a step back from a VP position when I had twin girls when my son was 2 and a half.”

Success oftentimes comes down to “satisfied customers.” How do you go about making sure your clients, subordinates and peers are satisfied with your work/leadership/vision? “I’m pretty big on getting feedback on a regular basis. Employee engagement surveys are important to do on a consistent basis but so are peer-to-peer reviews. The comment section is always the toughest to read through but it keeps me grounded on where I really am and what I need to focus on.”

How have attitudes changed women in the workplace from the time you started out until now? Or, has there even been a change? “When I started 21 years ago, there were very few women in transportation. Over the years, I have spent many meetings being the only female in the room. That is changing now.”

Have you had to deal with gender bias in your career? If so, how did you handle it? “I have found most people that are biased don’t have experience working with women and what value we can bring to each other and our company. Because I lead a large part of the organization, I can influence how people think different about ideas, thought and culture. I try to be very active in those discussions.”

Best mentor? “Kirk Thompson, chairman of the board. Not only was he great in developing my strategic thinking but he also influenced me when I was a new mother. I remember being incredibly tired one morning and he asked me why. I told him I was sleeping on the floor in my son’s room to get him to stop coming in my room because I was about to have twins. He said, ‘Shelley, some day you are going to wish Payton was still little wanting to crawl in the bed with you.’ I’ll never forget that. I replay it in my mind often. Life goes by quick so I have to make the most of it.”

What do you want J.B. Hunt to accomplish in the next year? “Looking forward as an organization, we are committed to thinking big. There are several areas we are focused on to enable our future growth: infrastructure, cultural development, and technology.”