J.B. Hunt, Malcom McLean, and Henry Ford will be the first inductees into CSCMP's Supply Chain Hall of Fame.

Eighty years ago, Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson, and Walter Johnson were honored as the finest baseball players of their era when they became the first athletes inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Now, the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) has taken a page from Major League Baseball's playbook and will honor three supply chain pioneers as the inaugural class of its Supply Chain Hall of Fame. They are J.B. Hunt, founder of JB Hunt Transportation Services Inc.; Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor Co.; and Malcom McLean, developer of the modern intermodal shipping container.

CSCMP created its Supply Chain Hall of Fame to honor individuals and groups who have made outstanding contributions to the supply chain discipline. "The Supply Chain Hall of Fame allows us to recognize those who have been at the forefront of this growing and evolving discipline, and to look toward those who will continue to shape it in the future," CSCMP president and CEO Rick Blasgen said in a press release.

Inductees were chosen for their thought leadership, creation or advancement of innovative technologies, and overall contributions to supply chain management. "The 2016 inductees into the CSCMP Supply Chain Hall of Fame represent the pinnacle of innovation and industry leadership," said Kevin Smith, chairman of CSCMP's board of directors, in the release. The formal induction ceremony will be held at CSCMP's Annual Conference, which takes place Sept. 25-28 in Orlando, Fla.