J.B. Hunt Transport Services (CCJ Top 250, No. 3) on Monday announced several changes to its leadership team. Chief Operating Officer Nick Hobbs will also serve as President of Highway and Final Mile Services (FMS). Executive Vice President Brad Hicks has been named President of Dedicated Contract Services (DCS). David Keefauver has been named Executive Vice President of People.
As President of Highway Services, Hobbs will oversee the company’s Integrated Capacity Solutions (ICS) and Truckload (JBT) business units. His steady and disciplined approach led DCS and FMS to premier status as providers for private fleet replacement and big and bulky services, the company said. Hobbs recently celebrated 40 years with the company.
As COO, Hobbs will continue to collaborate with all division operators to align the company’s Customer Value Delivery efforts and oversee the company’s maintenance and safety performance, led by Greer Woodruff, EVP of Safety, Sustainability and Maintenance. Eric McGee and Brian Webb will remain in their current roles as EVP of Highway Services and EVP of FMS, respectively, and support Hobbs in the leadership of these business units.
Hicks, having spent more than 25 years working across the company’s DCS segment, will focus on expanding the business unit’s future market size opportunity. Previously serving as President of Highway Services, Hicks also served as Executive Vice President of DCS from 2017 to 2020, strengthening relationships with existing customers and driving new business opportunities, according to the company. In his role as EVP of People, he also led the company’s efforts to support employees through enhancements to our wellness and benefits, career growth and an inclusive culture. Hicks has 28 years of experience with the company.
Keefauver, previously EVP of DCS, has consistently leveraged his extensive operations experience, people leadership skills and focus on operational excellence to drive new growth, the company said. His leadership across DCS served customers with specialized equipment, qualified drivers and unmatched market density. Beginning his career with the company as a manager trainee, Keefauver has over 29 years of experience at J.B. Hunt.
“We are in a position to deliver exceptional value for our customers and shareholders throughout our full suite of services, and these changes align the strengths and experience of our executives to lead and grow these services into the future,” said Shelley Simpson, president and CEO. “As we navigate current market dynamics and prepare for a return to more normal seasonal demand patterns, we anticipate a large addressable opportunity to capture additional market share and see greater returns on our strategic investments.”
The new positions will be effective December 1. All three executives will report to Simpson.
“As we prepare for an eventual turn in the freight market, we have focused our entire organization on being operationally excellent and scaling our long-term investments to enable our company to generate appropriate returns that deliver shareholder value," added Simpson. "The strength and resiliency of our organization is supported by our mode neutral approach and the consistency, tenure and expertise of our people and executive leadership team, and these moves address the potential we see across the company as we move into 2025."
