On Thursday,a WKU alumnus joined students via Zoom to talk about opportunities in supply chain management and at JB Hunt in an event sponsored by the Management Department of the Gordon School of Business.

According to Jonathan Brand,a Director of Operations for JB Hunt, the field of supply chain management is huge, with opportunities ranging from software engineering to human resources.

Brand said that with an 80,000 person shortage of drivers this year, the transportation industry is in high demand. JB Hunt’s biggest clients right now are Amazon and Home Depot. 

Brand also reflected on his time at WKU and how it influenced his ability to do his job after graduation.

“What I enjoyed most about the classes, is I felt that it did a really good job of making it real world.” Brand said. “It wasn’t just definitions, it was application. “

Brand found his job after graduating and having yielded only one job offer from JB Hunt, he said he started there because he was hungry but stayed because they’ve always been fair.

“When you are an account manager, you are running your own business with the backing of a 10-billion-dollar company,” Brand said. “If you take a step back and realize your part of a 10-billion-dollar business, what you do here matters, your part of something bigger than you.”

Dylan Payne can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @mdpayne_.