ArcBest announces scholarship program for dependents of employees

Fort Smith-based ArcBest has launched its first Employee Dependent Scholarship Program in partnership with Scholarship America, targeting the dependents of its over 15,000 employees. This program aims to support higher education for the children of ArcBest employees by offering $2,000 per academic year to selected students. For the inaugural year, ten students were chosen from over 60 applicants based on their academic achievements, leadership, participation in school and community activities, educational and career goals, and financial need.

Each recipient can renew the scholarship annually for up to three years, accumulating a total of $8,000, provided they maintain a 2.5 GPA and complete at least 24 semester hours each academic year. The scholarships are available to the dependent children of full-time employees who have been with the company for at least three years, excluding dependents of department directors and above.

Erin Gattis, ArcBest’s Chief Human Resources Officer, emphasized that this initiative aligns with the company’s core value of Growth, extending support to employees’ families and communities. This effort is part of ArcBest’s broader commitment to education as outlined in its Philanthropic Pillar of Education, aiming to enhance the current and future workforce.

The ten recipients of the inaugural scholarships are:

Aubrey Taylor, University of Kansas

Clare Allison, Edgewood College

Eleanor Gordon, University of Texas at Austin

Emily Lockey, Rochester Christian University

Hannah Stanley, Atlanta Technical College

Jami Kurth, Carroll University

Lillian Murray, Folsom Lake Community College

Liset Vallejo, Friends University

Mary Mungroo, The College of New Jersey

Michelle Fernandini, Florida State University

ArcBest, known for its largest subsidiary ABF Freight, reported a full-year net income of $195.433 million in 2023, down 34.4% from $298.209 million in 2022, with a revenue decrease from $5.029 billion in 2022 to $4.427 billion in 2023.