Marj Hiner personifies the “can-do” attitude of Huntington County’s civic leadership. Though a native of the Lafayette area, she has become closely associated with Huntington and Huntington County, first as an influential figure in the trucking industry and later as a trusted confidant of former Vice President Dan Quayle.

At Ball State University, Hiner earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education, preparing for a career in teaching. She spent time in the classroom before moving to Huntington and helping run a truck repair shop owned by her soon-to-be-husband, Homer. In the early 1970s, the Hiners bought four trucks that grew to a fleet of more than 130 vehicles carrying the Hiner Transport banner on freight hauls from coast to coast.  Before long, Marj was going through the chairs of the Indiana Motor Truck Association, and she became just the second woman to head that organization.

Hiner never lost her dedication to the community that helped sustain her business and her family. She helped found the Forks of the Wabash chapter of  the American Business Women’s Association in Huntington, as well as the Huntington County CrimeStoppers program. She was the first female member of the Huntington Rotary Club.

She took leadership roles in dozens of other local organizations, including the Salvation Army. That’s where she met Corinne Quayle, who suggested Hiner for a role in son her Dan’s election campaign. When Quayle and Republican presidential nominee George H.W. Bush kicked off their 1988 drive for the White House, the campaign trail started in Huntington, on a stage set by Marj Hiner. She coordinated a dizzying array of logistical and scheduling details over a sleepless 72 hours. Her efforts helped put Huntington’s best foot forward when it was, briefly, in the world political spotlight.

She has been a member of the Dan Quayle Commemorative Foundation from its inception in 1991 and is now serving her second term as board chair.

In 1988, Gov. Robert Orr honored her as a Sagamore of the Wabash for her distinguished service to the state.

Retired but far from retiring, the Hiners continue a hectic schedule as community volunteers and provide philanthropic support to a number of organizations, including Parkview Health, Huntington University and Ball State, where Marj has served on the foundation board.

“Huntington was really good to us while we were in business,” she notes. “Now, we’re giving back.”