Judith ("Judi) Kay Hofer (February 16, 1940 — December 14, 2013) was an American businesswoman. A native of

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, she rose to be a top executive in

The May Department Stores Company The May Department Stores Company was an American department store holding company, formerly headquartered in downtown St. Louis, Missouri. It was founded in Leadville, Colorado, by David May in 1877, moving to St. Louis in 1905. After many ch ...

, which was sold to

Macy's Macy's (originally R. H. Macy & Co.) is an American chain of high-end department stores founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. It became a division of the Cincinnati-based Federated Department Stores in 1994, through which it is affiliated wi ...

in 2006 for a total of $1.2 billion.

Early life

Hofer was born in at Tuality Hospital in

Hillsboro, Oregon Hillsboro ( ) is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and is the county seat of Washington County. Situated in the Tualatin Valley on the west side of the Portland metropolitan area, the city hosts many high-technology companies, ...

, on February 16, 1940, to Frank E. and Helen L. Hofer. She was one of five siblings growing up on a farm. At the age of 15 she started a long career at

Meier & Frank Meier & Frank was a prominent chain of department stores founded in Portland, Oregon, and later bought by The May Department Stores Company. Meier & Frank operated in the Pacific Northwest from 1857 to 2006. History Summary Meier & Frank was f ...

, then a

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

-based department store chain. Hofer kept working for the company during college at

Portland State University Portland State University (PSU) is a public research university in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in 1946 as a post-secondary educational institution for World War II veterans. It evolved into a four-year college over the following two decades ...

and

Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering co ...

Career

Meier & Frank was sold to

in 1966. In March 1972, she was put in charge of a new young adult store inside one of the Meier & Frank department stores and was known for her fashion in

. After moving to

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

, to work for the Emporium, she returned to Meier & Frank in 1978. She was named as president of Meier & Frank in August 1981, the first woman to hold that post within the May Company. As president she raised sales and renovated stores. In January 1983, Hofer was then promoted to president of May Company's California operations, taking over in March. She was named to the board of directors of Greyhound in August 1984. Hofer was also named by '' Savvy'' magazine as one of the top 10 businesswomen while in charge of May's California division. In February 1986, Hofer was promoted to president of

Famous-Barr The Famous-Barr Co. (originally Famous and Barr Co.) was a division of Macy's, Inc. (formerly Federated Department Stores). Headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, in the Railway Exchange Building, it was the flagship store of The May Department Sto ...

, another department store chain owned by the May Company. She returned to Oregon and Meier & Frank in 1991. As president again, she continued to face sexism as she was not allowed to join the

Waverley Country Club The Waverley Country Club is a country club located in Clackamas County, Oregon United States. Chartered in 1896, the club was the second private golf club established west of the Mississippi River. History The club was established in April 1896, ...

at the time, which excluded single women from membership. Hofer left for Boston, Massachusetts-based

Filene's Filene's (formally William Filene & Sons Co.) was an American department store chain; it was founded by William Filene in 1881. The success of the original full-line store in Boston, Massachusetts, was supplemented by the foundation of its off-p ...

in 1996, where she oversaw changes in the design of the fragrance and cosmetic sections. Hofer then returned to

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

, to head May's merchandising division in 2000 before retiring in 2002.

Later life

Hofer returned to Oregon in 2002 when she retired. She did not marry and had no children, so in 2004 she auctioned off many in her extensive doll collection to raise money for Legacy Emanuel Children's Hospital (now

Randall Children's Hospital at Legacy Emanuel Randall Children's Hospital is the children's hospital at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. Formerly Legacy Emanuel Children's Hospital, it was renamed in 2011 during construction of the new 165-bed patient to ...

) and a tutoring organization. Hofer was diagnosed with

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...

, but died of cancer at her home in Southwest Portland on December 14, 2013, at the age of 73.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hofer, Judi 1940 births 2013 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American businesswomen 21st-century American businesspeople American businesspeople in retailing American retail chief executives American women chief executives Oregon State University alumni Portland State University alumni Businesspeople from Portland, Oregon Businesspeople from St. Louis People from Hillsboro, Oregon Women corporate directors Deaths from cancer in Oregon 21st-century American businesswomen