Dear Friends,
March is Women’s History Month, and to celebrate, each week I am sharing the story of Arkansas women who shaped our state and nation in powerful ways. Learning about these important leaders will help inspire the next generation of Arkansas women to change the world.
This week, we honor Johnelle DeBusk Hunt, philanthropist, business woman, and co-founder of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc.
Johnelle Hunt pictured in front of J.B. Hunt headquarters in Lowell, AR. Picture courtesy of Mike Kemp Photography.
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Johnelle Hunt was born during the Great Depression to a poultry farmer in Heber Springs, Arkansas in 1932. Today she is worth over $2.8 billion and is considered one of the most successful business women in American history. Throughout her life, Johnelle has proven that hard work and a strong commitment to family, regardless of circumstances, can take you anywhere.
When she was a junior in high school, she met her future husband, Johnnie B. Hunt, and four years later in 1952, they were married. In 1961, Johnelle and Johnnie sold their home and took out loans to start a rice hull packaging company. In 1969 they launched J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc., the trucking division of the rice hull packaging business, by buying five used trucks and trailers.
The company went public in 1983 and now has more than 22,000 employees. Today, J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has grown into one of the largest transportation and logistics providers in North America and is headquartered in Lowell, Arkansas.
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| Johnelle and Johnnie B. Hunt pictured in the early days of their trucking company. Picture courtesy of Hunt Ventures. |
Johnelle Hunt was an integral part of growing the trucking business. She remembers serving as “bad cop,” delivering bad news when her husband wanted to keep good relations. Johnelle was responsible many of the important business decisions including hiring employees and speaking with upset truck drivers and their spouses at all hours of the day.
One year after the death of her husband in 2006, Johnelle resigned from the company, but she remains its major shareholder. Today, at 87 years old, Johnelle is still the heart and soul of the J.B. Hunt empire. In 2012, Johnelle was appointed as the Woman of the Year by the Women's Foundation of Arkansas for her contributions to the community.
Helping the central Arkansas community has always been at the core of Johnelle’s mission. Before being honored by the Children’s Advocacy of Central Arkansas in 2016 as a “Woman of Inspiration,” Johnelle described the importance of philanthropy saying, “We have always been this way, and I learned this from my parents because they went through the Depression. I went to school with children that didn’t even have a lunch to bring, so my parents would help out feeding kids. It’s just a thrill to help people, and there’s a reason why people are put in front of you.”
Johnelle Hunt has made an indelible impact on the state of Arkansas. Her remarkable story has inspired countless other women to become empowered entrepreneurs.
Sincerely,
Representative French Hill
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Atrocities in syrian prisons
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This month marks the eighth anniversary of the Syrian civil war, which has claimed the lives of more than 500,000 men, women, and children. Too often, we fail to understand the human cost of this ongoing crisis. Syria’s brutal dictator, Bashar al-Assad, is waging a genocide on his own people and this past week, I listened to the harrowing story of Omar Alshogre, a survivor from one of Assad’s deadly prisons.
Omar described in detail how he was tortured for years and witnessed his own family die in his arms. As Americans, we must confront this modern-day holocaust and bring an end to Assad’s reign of terror. I was joined by the family of Majd Kamalmaz, a former Arkansas resident who has been detained in Syria for over two years. I’m committed to doing everything possible to ensure Majd is returned home to his family in America.
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(Above: Rep. Hill speaks out in support of survivors of Assad's secret prisons, including Omar Alshogre, pictured third from the right.) |
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(Above: The Kamalmaz family, seated in the front row, joined Rep. Hill to hear from a survivor of Assad's secret prisons. Majd Kamalmaz has been detained in Syria for over two years.) |
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| veterans helping veterans |
| $1,163,095 secured in earned benefits in February |
I am proud to have three combat veterans serving on my district staff. In February, we were able to secure $1,163,095 in earned benefits for central Arkansas veterans. All of them work extremely hard to make sure their fellow veterans get the benefits they have earned serving our country.
If you are a veteran and need help with your VA benefits, please call my Little Rock office at (501) 324-5941 or visit Hill.House.Gov.
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Thank you for taking time to keep up with the work I'm doing on your behalf. If I can be of any assistance to you or your family, please reach out to my office at (501) 324-5941 or Hill.House.Gov.
To keep up with my day-to-day meetings and events, please follow me on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
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