Stu Johnson - First Investors Corporation Careers - First Investors Corporation Jobs

Stu Johnson > Division Manager

"I have a lot to be thankful for and a lot to be excited about."

Advice to Others:

Figure out what you want and go after it relentlessly and passionately. Don't ever give up. There is no substitute for hard work.

Years With First Investors:

Prior Occupation:

Student

I grew up in a Northern suburb of Chicago and attended college at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where I majored in Computer Engineering. After finishing my junior year of college, I had my life all planned out ahead of me. I was going to move back to my hometown to build a life surrounded by friends and family. I was going to get a great job in the computer industry, which was booming at the time. I was going to marry a girl from my hometown with whom I had a serious relationship. Over the course of the next year I realized that life doesn't always care what your plan is. My girlfriend and I broke up. Over the summer, I worked as an intern in my field of study and hated it. Three months before I was ready to graduate, the terrorist attacks of September 11 happened. The tech bubble burst and the economy went into recession. I couldn't find any companies in my field that would hire me.

I graduated and moved back home trying to put together a new plan for the rest of my life, but I couldn't think of anything. I didn't know what I wanted to do for a career and I didn't know where I wanted to do it. I did know that I was getting really tired of winters in Chicago. On a whim I packed up my car and drove 26 straight hours, only stopping for gas and food, out to Tempe, Arizona, where it never snows. I knew one person that lived there who attended Arizona State University (ASU). My friend offered his couch as a place for me to sleep while I attended the ASU career fair. The fair is where I ran into First Investors and met Dennis Snoozy. I interviewed in the Phoenix office and was excited about the opportunity to be compensated based on my own work ethic and talents, to work in an exciting field like the investment industry, and to be able to pursue a career in management. When Dennis called me and told me that he was offering me the position I was extremely excited. What was originally supposed to be a two-week trip turned into a five-year journey.

During the five years I spent in Phoenix, I learned so much and got to know so many great people. When I left Illinois I was leaving all my family and friends behind. The people in the Phoenix office filled that gap and became my new friends and family. I will be forever thankful to Dennis for giving me the opportunity with First Investors as a representative, then as an assistant manager, and now as a manager of my own office. I truly appreciate that he taught me how to be successful and make the most of each of the opportunities that he has given me. Dennis has not only played the role of manager to me, but he also been a friend, mentor, and someone that I know will always be there for me no matter what. The relationship that I have with Dennis is one that made me want to be a manager so that I could have the same impact on the lives of the individuals that I mentored and managed.

I think that some of the most important things I learned from Dennis over the years have a lot to do with the phrase, "When life gives you lemons, turn it into lemonade." To quote Jack Canfield in his book The Success Principles, "If you want to create the life of your dreams, then you are going to have to take 100% responsibility for your life as well. Taking 100% responsibility means that you acknowledge that you create everything that happens to you. If you want to be really successful, then you will have to give up blaming and complaining and take total responsibility for your life—that means all your results, both your successes and your failures. It is only by acknowledging that you have created everything up until now that you can take charge of creating the future you want." It is very easy to get down when things don't go your way, but the only way to change it is by doing something about it. Take any lemons that you get and turn them into lemonade. I am a perfect example of this. I felt like I had been given a lot of lemons right before I was ready to graduate from college, but if it wasn't for those lemons I never would have found First Investors, I never would built the career that I have, I never would have met so many great people and built those friendships that will last for the rest of my life, and most importantly, I never would have found the most important person in my life, my new wife Kristin.

I have a lot to be thankful for and a lot to be excited about. Kristin and I are building a great team in with great people. The representatives in our office are very talented, hard working, and like to have fun. We really enjoy working with them and I look forward to watching their careers continue to blossom as our office continues to grow and compete with the other offices in the Company.

Recent times have been unnerving for individual investors. A severe recession, a steep stock market downturn, unprecedented volatility, and high-profile investment scam stories have damaged the public's confidence in our nation's financial institutions, and left people wondering what to do. This loss of trust and direction comes at a time when Americans are more responsible than ever for securing their own financial future.

First Investors can help individuals accomplish that goal. We have been in business since 1930, and have successfully navigated many difficult economic periods in our nation during that time. We understand that economic slumps and recoveries are inevitable...and we know how to help people plan for both.

Using a face-to-face approach to customer service, our registered representatives work with clients to establish a disciplined approach to achieving their long-term financial goals, whether they involve saving for a college education, purchasing a home, or building a retirement nest egg. We have more than 80 years of success stories, working with people from all walks of life.