The Log Book: University of Arkansas’ supply chain program renamed to honor J.B. Hunt Transport

The Log Guide is a weekly rundown of human-interest tales associated to the transportation business. This week: The College of Arkansas’ undergraduate built-in provide chain administration program renamed in honor of J.B. Hunt; CFI wraps one other truck for its “She Drives CFI” initiative; and Bendix helps construct a brand new highschool athletic facility within the new headquarters’ group.

College of Arkansas’ provide chain program renamed to honor J.B. Hunt Transport

The College of Arkansas introduced Thursday it has renamed its Sam M. Walton Faculty of Enterprise undergraduate built-in provide chain administration program to the J.B. Hunt Transport Division of Provide Chain Administration as the school and the Lowell, Arkansas-based transportation and logistics firm look to leverage the partnership to develop leaders for tomorrow’s future provide chain wants.

As a part of the announcement, J.B. Hunt additionally stated it will be committing a further $1.5 million towards the event of the renamed provide chain undergraduate program at present ranked because the No. 1 within the nation by analysis agency Gartner.

“Walton Faculty goals to be the chief in provide chain administration schooling, analysis and profession readiness,” stated Matt Waller, dean of the Walton Faculty and holder of its management chair in enterprise. “A present of this magnitude from one of many world leaders in logistics can increase our attain to gifted college students, knowledgeable school and business thought leaders. Collectively, we will advance the business’s optimistic development and follow.”

Over the past two years, J.B. Hunt has donated $5 million to the Walton Faculty of Enterprise to assist the Fayetteville, Arkansas-based college develop into the highest vacation spot for future provide chain professionals. Since 2017, the corporate has gifted greater than $7 million to the college to assist with transportation and logistics initiatives. 

After that preliminary present in 2017, the companions created the J.B. Hunt Innovation Heart of Excellence, bringing college students and researchers collectively to develop expertise options for various provide chains. In 2020, J.B. Hunt made a $2.25 million donation and created a $1 million endowed scholarship to assist range, inclusion and fairness initiatives inside Walton Faculty.

“J.B. Hunt and the College of Arkansas are shaping the way forward for the provision chain, not simply in northwest Arkansas however throughout the nation,” stated Shelley Simpson, president of J.B. Hunt. “Collectively, we’re making ready future leaders who will develop with the business to satisfy evolving provide chain challenges. This may assist us obtain our mission of making probably the most environment friendly transportation community in North America — and finally the world.”

CFI presents feminine driver with customized wrapped trucok

Truckload service Contract Freighters Inc. (CFI) on Wednesday unveiled a brand new firm truck with a big wrap recognizing its “She Drives CFI” program, which promotes higher profession alternatives for feminine skilled drivers.

That is the fourth wrapped truck CFI has created for this system, with every having been awarded to firm feminine driver ambassadors that use them to take part in native occasions, college applications, group engagement alternatives, truck exhibits and Particular Olympics convoys. 

On the unveiling occasion, the truck was assigned to Penny Thomas, who has been driving for CFI for 15 years with over 1.6 million safe-driving miles behind her.

CFI at present employs over 4,000 girls drivers, which represents about 14% of its whole driving workforce. The corporate hopes its “She Drives CFI” wrapped vans will encourage extra girls to leap in an enormous rig and hit the highway.

“These vans acknowledge the skilled excellence and abilities of their drivers and serve to encourage extra girls to decide on trucking as a profession,” stated Greg Orr, president of CFI.

Bendix offers $25,000 to replace native highschool athletics facility

Avon, Ohio-based Bendix Business Car Methods introduced Thursday it has handed the Avon Athletic Boosters’ Challenge SOAR a $25,000 building present to assist modernize the highschool’s athletics constructing right into a 4,400-square-foot construction outdoors of its stadium to accommodate locker rooms, coaches’ workplace, medical coaching room and open group room.

With this donation, the brand new coaches’ workplace might be named after the car programs firm as effectively.

“The brand new athletic facility [plan] is spectacular, and we’re very proud to have joined with different Avon-area companies, households and people in supporting Challenge SOAR and its mission to additional the college’s athletic program,” stated Maria Gutierrez, Bendix director of company accountability and sustainability. “With Bendix’s current transfer to Avon, this was a venture that tied each to our new group and to the native college system, establishing a connection that we hope will flourish and develop within the coming years. Sports activities are at all times a good way to achieve youth and an ideal avenue to show college students about teamwork, self-discipline, management, and plenty of different abilities that we worth as a enterprise, so this venture was a powerful match.”

Challenge SOAR is a subset of the Avon Athletic Boosters, who got here collectively in 2019 to discover a approach to assist the college’s rising athletic expertise. First the group was seeking to construct a two story follow constructing however settled on the one story constructing when labor challenges and building prices started to pile up on them.

After Bendix moved its North American headquarters to Avon, Ohio, in 2021, SOAR turned conscious of the corporate’s dedication to group assist and reached out instantly to assist wrap up the brand new athletics facility venture. 

“The perfect type of tasks are those the place the entire group comes collectively to get one thing performed, and I believe it is a nice instance,” stated Matt Canning, Challenge SOAR co-chair. “We have been in a position to pull collectively the group, companies, the college district, personal donors, and sweat fairness and labor from gamers and oldsters. That’s the mixture that made this occur.”

For Bendix, it represented an ideal introduction to the Avon group and what it hopes to perform sooner or later.

“We keep a seamless relationship with the district,” Gutierrez stated. “We hope to assist different tasks, together with tutorial applications that relate to STEM or sustainability.”

Watch now: What occurred in Northwest Arkansas?

You might also like:

The Log Guide: Loadsmart, House Depot Basis give again to veterans

The Log Guide: St. Christopher reaches $4M milestone of giving

The Log Guide: SuperRigs winner takes Better of Present prize for second time

The FREIGHTWAVES TOP 500 For-Rent Carriers checklist contains J.B. Hunt (No. 4).