Arkansas Trucking Association

JB Hunt Invests $2.7 Million in Innovation Center at UA

J.B. Hunt Transport Services announced a $2.75 million investment in the University of Arkansas to create the J.B. Hunt Innovation Center of Excellence. The center will be a collaborative effort between the company, the College of Engineering and the Sam M. Walton College of Business to advance supply chain management efficiency through technology.

“This grant will have an incredible impact on the university and further solidify our stature as an innovative leader in supply chain management,” Provost Jim Coleman said.

“Interdisciplinary research projects are a major focus of ours, and this particular collaboration between industry, faculty and students is a great example of the type of research we continue to pursue.”

The center that allows engineering, computer science and business researchers and students to work with J.B. Hunt employees in finding solutions to real-world problems through innovative design and technology-driven supply chain solutions.

The center's activities will be led by a steering committee made up of 14 members from J.B. Hunt and colleges' leadership teams.

The U of A is a leader in innovation in supply chain management, with the Walton College supply chain management program ranking 14th in the nation in 2016 by U.S. News & World Report. The SCM Journal List™ ranks the supply chain department as 5th globally in empirical supply chain management research.