Inducted: 2006
Since launching his co-op career with Hunt Bros. Cooperative in 1950, Frank Morton Hunt, II, has worked to strengthen the cooperative movement. He believes that a cooperative is the best thing for a farmer, and always looks for cooperative solutions to challenges. Throughout his 53-year career, he helped create multiple co-op businesses and served on various boards and committees in the co-op industry.
In particular, Hunt is a respected leader within the citrus industry. He served on Citrus World, Inc.'s Board of Directors for 51 years, including 30 years as its Chairman and President. Under his leadership Citrus World changed from a producer-oriented co-op to a market-oriented co-op that developed a premium brand with a new, national marketing campaign. This campaign, true to Hunt's belief in cooperatives, openly acknowledges the farmer-owners of <em>Florida's Natural products with its slogan, "We own the land, we own the trees, we own the company!"
Hunt also played a key role in shaping the future of the farm credit system when he helped develop the plan to create CoBank by consolidating the 13 existing cooperative banks. After courageously advocating for this proposal, he served on CoBank's board during its formative years and helped guide the organization's strategic direction.