Judy Fourie - I Want to be Aware

by Barbara Petty
November 2009

"I was speaking with a gentleman this weekend and I had asked him if he had lived here all of his life and he replied, ‘Not yet!’"

Such is the charm and humor of Judy Fourie, owner of J. Fourie & Company, a life, health, and disability insurance broker. Judy and I met for coffee earlier this month, and when I asked her if she had lived here all her life, she quietly laughed and told me this joke.

Judy was the seventh in a succession of nine children, born and raised in Apex. Her father owned a grueling timber business, and her mother began working when Judy was 11. She learned very early on to be self-sufficient. "I was taught to never look for handouts or for someone to take care of me… I grew up very independent," she explains. Still in high school she worked in tobacco and at a Winn-Dixie.

Judy married and had children early on, but her independent streak was calling her and she went back to work when her youngest son was 10 months old (she has a total of three children, one daughter and two sons). As life would have it she moved to Raleigh as a single mother, and she says about this difficult time, "At least I had a job, and working saved my life."

She worked for a mortgage company and eventually ended up at an insurance company as office manager. Within two years she was working on getting her own insurance license. Judy worked as an independent contractor for two other agencies before she branched out on her own.

Judy remembers, "The reason for getting my license was because of being an avid book reader. I was reading The Managerial Woman and back in those days, women managers were not very well recognized; the glass ceiling was very much in tact. But the book taught me that how I perceived myself was more important than how others perceived me. I had to think of myself as a manager before others would."

She laughs when she remembers the first few months of being a business owner. "I didn’t really have enough money to start my own business, but it’s like asking, ‘When’s a good time to have a baby?’ If you wait for the planets to line up, you will be waiting forever!"

In 1987 Judy opened her first office, a two-room suite in Cary. Because of the relationships and business contacts she had developed, she was able to cover overhead from day one. And with the exception of two years, she has shown steady growth and profitability.

When asked why she thinks she has been successful, Judy replies. "I have always thought that working was a privilege, and never a chore. And many people have mentored me and helped me over the years, so one of my goals has always been, first and foremost, to help others." She continues, "I want to pay my employees, and I want to have a lifestyle from the business. But I don’t need to be the biggest agency, I just want to be the best. I want someone to have a good experience with me."

Her work ethic and desire to help others has translated over to her community service. A few of her volunteer roles include: Co-Chair of the Development Committee of the Wake Tech Foundation Board; Chair of the Red Cross Ball (2008); member of the Governor’s Task Force for Healthy Carolinians; and Treasurer on the Board of Directors of the Healthy Carolinians Foundation.

Professionally Judy has set the standard for businesswomen locally and nationally. She is a past president of the National Association of Women Business Owners, she is active in the North Carolina Chamber and was Vice Chair of the Health Care Committee. She also served on the Executive Board of Directors of the Cary Chamber of Commerce. Judy is a member of the Women Presidents Organization, Enterprising Women Advisory Board, and the Women Business Owners Network, among others.

A recipient of numerous business awards, Judy was a winner of Business Leader’s Movers & Shakers Award (2009); the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce Pinnacle Award (2007); and Triangle Business Journal’s Women in Business Award (2003). Judy has also received awards in the insurance industry including: Blue Cross Blue Shield True Blue Producer; Aetna Sales Award; and the Triangle Association of Sales Professionals Distinguished Sales Award (2003).

Judy has lead her company by maintaining a focus on what she can do for others and on building trusting, personal and lasting relationships. Her marriage of 32 years to Joe Fourie is a testament to her loyalty and integrity. When asked what was left for her to accomplish she states, "The office is in the middle of reinventing itself right now, trying to streamline operations. And we want to be more competitive, so I still have challenges."

Personally she also has a few goals. Judy comments, "I love to travel. I want to experience more of the world. I am an avid reader, I have a thirst for learning. And I want to be aware, not just go through life, but to notice things. If the sky is blue, I want to notice it!"

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