The sign reading “Judith A. Piccolo Notary Corporation” has been a fixture in Langley City for the last 30 years.
Located on Douglas Crescent near City Hall, the exterior may not be attention-grabbing, but Piccolo’s story is anything but mundane.
Judith (better known to everyone as Judi) has five generations of clients and a client base of over 100,000 people, which includes everyone from movie stars to athletes. The exciting part of this line of work is that you never know who will walk through the door next. Don’t think about asking Piccolo for any famous names, though, as trust and privacy are paramount to her practice.
Piccolo first began her career working for the National Harbours Board in the early 1970s in the lease department. Following that, she had her first foray into the world of law as a paralegal, doing conveyancing, corporate, and estate law, building a decade of groundwork that would prove invaluable to her practice. And while Piccolo certainly had the intellect, she was also a former Miss Burnaby and modeled on a part-time basis for several companies.
Following this, Piccolo took some time to start her family. After becoming a single parent to two sons, Piccolo returned to work at Langley’s Senior Notary Public with John Jeffery, who was one of the founders of the City of Langley. After two years, John offered her an opportunity to take over his practice.
Hard work and determination eventually paid off when Judith A. Piccolo Notary Corporation first opened in June 1988. Piccolo was waiting with nervous excitement for her first client to enter the office, which quickly turned into being so busy that for the first two years she was working 14 hour days, seven days a week — not something she’s interested in repeating.
Thankfully, she has an amazing team to help her now. She cites the importance of a successful business to having great, efficient, and compatible staff.
Zoe, Cheri, Catheigh, Sandi, and Piccolo’s husband Bill are an indispensable and motivated team, making each day at work enjoyable. Piccolo cares about her staff and clients and has said there is nothing better than the enriched feeling she gets when she can help someone, which is a position she feels incredibly fortunate to be in.
Along with a fulfilling career, Piccolo keeps busy in her personal life. She lost her father when she was 15 and knew how it felt to raise a family as a single parent. There were certainly challenges, but Piccolo endured and became a coach for her sons’ baseball and soccer teams, a cub leader. She was also the first woman to become a member of the Rotary Club of Langley, as well as a director and secretary.
These opportunities opened her up to making lifelong friendships. Piccolo also served as director of the Langley Lodge for many years and is a current member of the Langley Chamber of Commerce.