Leaders from J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. visited the business information systems class at the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas to stress to students how business decisions are enabled and empowered by information systems and technology. 

Jeremy Stobaugh, director of information services, and Ryan Kirkland, director of transportation, spoke to the ISYS 2103 class taught by Hartmut Hoehle, an assistant professor in the Department of Information Systems.

"The students at Walton College are the future leaders of our local industries, so I am always happy to invest my time in their development," Stobaugh said.

Hoehle said it was important for students to hear directly from industry professionals, so they have a better understanding of how technology and data inform decisions made in today's corporations.  

"Technology is the backbone of today's business," Hoehle said. "This course surveys essential information systems and technology fundamentals that are common to most enterprises, addresses information systems components, and follows up by showing how managerial information and other essential information is generated, derived, and presented through the company's information processing and decision support systems."

Stobaugh received a B.S. in computer system engineering from the University of Arkansas in 2000 and was recognized with an early career award from the College of Engineering in 2015. He earned an M.B.A. from Walton College in 2010. He is currently responsible for the development of the company's external web and ecommerce solutions.

"Dr. Hoehle has tremendous passion for incorporating valuable insights from local business leaders into the course curriculum, and I am excited to be a part of this," Stobaugh said. "I am also excited about the potential for further engagement with the students in Walton College."

Kirkland earned his B.S.B.A. in management information systems from Walton College in 1999. He started at J.B. Hunt in 1999 in the Dedicated Contract Services division. In 2009, Kirkland went to work for Liquidity Services Inc., and in 2011 he began working at Transplace. He was there until 2012 when he returned to J.B. Hunt as director of transportation for the Integrated Capacity Solutions group.

"As our customers' supply chains become more complex, information technology becomes just as important as pricing and service levels within the industry," Kirkland said. "Customers expect and deserve fast and easy access to information to help them analyze and support the decisions they make every day. J.B. Hunt invests in both the people and systems needed to make this possible."