October 5, 2020

Meet Our Founding Father: Governor Foster

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In 1980, Murphy J. “Mike” Foster, Jr. was a successful business person in Franklin, Louisiana. He experienced the collapse of the workers’ compensation market in our state in the late 1980’s and with it, the inability of employers to be able to consistently secure workers’ compensation insurance that is required of their businesses. Because of this experience, he ran for a seat in the Louisiana Senate for the very reason of solving this pressing issue.

When elected to the Senate, he remained true to his word and the promises he made in his campaign. Mike Foster immediately engaged Senate counsel to research all of the state workers’ compensation state funds.  Armed with that information and the foresight to know what was most needed in a workers’ compensation insurance company that would be best for both Louisiana employers and employees, Mike Foster authored the constitutional amendment and legislation that created LWCC as a private mutual insurance company setting it up for sustainable future success.  

Governor Foster served as a board member from 1991–1997, where after he took time away from the corporation to run for and be elected to two terms as Louisiana Governor from 1996–2003. Despite his time away from the corporation, he was always a friend and supporter of LWCC during his tenure as Governor and encouraged growth for the company and the state of Louisiana.

In his two terms as the 53rd Governor of the State of Louisiana, Governor Foster remained a tireless champion of business and economic development. Among his many notable accomplishments as Governor, he created the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, worked to expand the TOPS program, and appointed a lead agency to coordinate the state’s participation in the Atchafalaya Basin Project.

LWCC later welcomed back Governor Foster as a board member in 2011, and elected him as Chairman of the Board in 2014, where he served a two-year term.

His passion and commitment have helped shaped the reputation and remarkable successes that LWCC has attained on both local and national fronts.

Our entire LWCC family, including our Board of Directors, management, and employees, owe a debt of gratitude and offer thanks and appreciation to Governor Murphy J. “Mike” Foster, Jr. for his steadfast commitment and many years of support and service. We would not be who we are or where we are if not for Governor Foster’s unwavering leadership, steadfast commitment, and loyalty to both our company and our state.

“Since its inception in 1991, our company has recognized Mike Foster as the Founder of LWCC. He experienced firsthand the problems businesses and injured workers faced when companies could not keep their workers’ compensation coverage. He saw the need to stabilize a failing workers’ compensation market and he became frustrated by the lack of a solution. To that end, he envisioned a private company that would always be a ready and available insurance market for Louisiana’s businesses, one driven to provide the best possible care for individuals who were injured on the job, and capable of being a catalyst for safety in the workplace. He never wavered on any of these objectives, and never prioritized one over the other. The mission lives on and the story speaks for itself. Mike Foster’s legacy will live on in the works of LWCC.”-Kristin W. Wall LWCC President & Chief Executive Officer
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