John N. Roberts III: Arkansas Business Hall of Fame
John N. Roberts III
Executive Chairman
J.B. Hunt Transport Services Board of Directors
After graduating from the University of Arkansas with a bachelor’s degree in marketing in 1988, John Nunnely Roberts III joined J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. as a manager trainee. He served in a variety of positions including electronic data interchange services coordinator, regional marketing manager for the truckload business unit, business development executive for Dedicated Contract Services division and vice president of marketing strategy.
In 1997, at the age of 32, Roberts was selected to lead the Dedicated Contract Services Division. He served as executive vice president and president of the division for 13 years. During his tenure, he increased its revenue from $150 million to nearly one billion dollars.
In 2011, he was named president and CEO of J.B. Hunt, replacing Kirk Thompson who became chairman of the board. While at the helm, Roberts helped the company earn a record $14 billion in annual revenue, increasing its operating income by an astounding 185 percent, quadrupling its stock value and doubling the workforce. In 2022, he stepped down as the president and transitioned from CEO to executive chairman of the board in 2024.
Roberts’ service includes the boards of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Arkansas Children’s Northwest and Dean’s Executive Advisory Board of the Sam M. Walton College of Business. He and his family established the Roberts Family Endowed Study Abroad Scholarship at Walton College in 2017 and are generous supporters of the Fayetteville Public Education Foundation.