“Let me tell you – women can get things done.” – Johnelle Hunt
The women of J.B. Hunt play a crucial role in the success of our business. Day in and day out, they’re developing new technology to support our drivers and carriers, managing key relationships with our customers, growing our business, and so much more, proving women can get things done.
We sat down with Rachel, Vice President of Intermodal in the Midwest region, to learn more about her 13-year career with J.B. Hunt and how the company supports women in the workplace from her experience. Here’s what she had to say!
Providing Endless Career Opportunities
Rachel started at J.B. Hunt in 2008 as an operations manager. At the time, our Intermodal division was seeing significant growth, which opened many opportunities for her and other employees within the business unit. When she first started, Rachel never thought she would build her career in transportation, but she valued the team environment and quickly realized the potential for career growth that J.B. Hunt offered nationwide that still holds true today.
“Throughout my experience at J.B. Hunt, not all of the positions that I have moved into were even existing positions a year prior,” explained Rachel. “So, we were growing so fast, and we didn’t always know that we would have a need for those roles, and they were newly created. And so, I really encourage people [today] to not shy away from those new opportunities, whether that be locally or if that means moving to a new location. The more diverse experience you have of working with different parts of the operation, the more successful you’ll be.”
GROW: Growing and Retaining Outstanding Women
In Rachel’s experience, she has seen more women enter the industry over the past decade than ever before. As more women pursue careers in supply chain, she’s watched J.B. Hunt embrace this change and work hard to support their professional and personal success. GROW is one of the many ways that J.B. Hunt empowers women in our organization by providing networking opportunities and professional development resources designed to support women in their careers.
“I think GROW is a great opportunity for people to get involved and meet people outside of their business unit or their particular department,” shared Rachel. “Not only is it good socially, but also you just learn more about the company, and if there are new opportunities that maybe you wouldn’t have heard of otherwise, you have exposure to that.”
Supporting Women in Trucking
Rachel currently serves as Vice Chair of Women in Trucking (WIT), a nonprofit organization that J.B. Hunt has supported since 2015. WIT encourages the employment of women in transportation and logistics, promotes female accomplishments and strives to minimize obstacles faced by women working in the industry. Rachel is grateful to J.B. Hunt for their ongoing support of such an important mission and appreciates the opportunity to serve a community that is close to her heart.
“I wanted to get involved with Women in Trucking because I wanted to be around a community of people who support [women] in this industry, particularly frontline workers,” explained Rachel. “This industry has been so rewarding for me, I thought there was a lot of value to continue to educate others that this is a path for them.”
Why choose a career at J.B. Hunt?
If you are considering a career at J.B. Hunt, Rachel’s advice would be to go for it. There are so many career opportunities within the enterprise, even if you don’t have prior experience working in transportation.
“I would tell anybody who’s looking at J.B. Hunt for a career that the opportunities are endless,” said Rachel. “I do think that J.B. Hunt is made up of a community of hard-working people, and so if you’re willing to match that energy, you are bound to have success.”
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As an industry-leading supply chain and logistics company, we’re always looking for people with drive to join our team. If you’re ready to change transportation with us, search jobs and apply today!