CAMPANARO
hond 22 • July 2022
top producer By Zachary Cohen
In the early 2000s, Shonda Campanaro spent her days as a stay-at-home mom and a caretaker. She was home with her daughter, Kaleigh, for the first eight years of her life; in the last two years, she was also the primary caretaker for her best friend and second mother, Mae-Mae, during her battle with cancer. When Mae-Mae lost her battle with cancer in 2007, Shonda found herself at a crossroads. Her daughter was in school full-time by then, and Shonda was left with more time on her hands than she had in nearly a decade. “I found myself wanting more,” Shonda recalls. “My daughter was now old enough to be in school for a full day. I had her in private school, and it was getting more and more expensive each year. So I knew in order to give her the future she deserved, I was going to have to find a way to financially support the things that were important.”
Real Estate with Heart
That’s when Shonda turned toward real estate. She had long been fascinated with the profession, and she was drawn to the unlimited earning potential and potential for a healthy work/life balance.
“I wanted to be my own CEO. I refused to settle for a job I didn’t enjoy, like a nine-to-five office or corporate job. I just knew that was never going to make me happy. I wanted something that would allow @realproducers
me to continue spending time with my family, but that still challenged me and allowed me to grow personally and professionally,” Shonda explains. “Real estate seemed perfect to me … It was a career my daughter would be proud of me for pursuing. That was the most important thing to me, setting a great example for my daughter.” In 2007, Shonda officially began her journey to becoming a top agent. SETTLING IN
Early in Shonda’s career, she met a single mom struggling financially. She was saving money to purchase a home but had zero credit and had never financed anything before. She called a few agents, but no one would help her because she couldn’t buy at that time.
As Shonda got deeper into her work, she continued to fall in love with her new career. She has a passion for meeting new people. She relishes in the adventure and challenge of each day. She’s hardworking, warm, and relatable. “Although my clients consist of buyers in many price points and many stages of life, I always approach each client with the mindset that I am helping make a difference in someone’s life, no matter how big or small it seems,” Shonda says. “I don’t ever want anyone to feel unimportant. It’s important to me that my clients feel confident in me and the real estate process and know that I have their best interest at heart.”
THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT
Today, Shonda leads the Campanaro Group with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Network Realty. In 2021, the team closed 52 transactions for over $22 million. Outside work, Shonda continues to live a rich family life. She and her husband, Mark, have two children, Kaleigh (23) and Aaron (8). They enjoy eating out at local restaurants and just about anything outdoors, from beach-going to biking to fishing. They recently purchased an RV and are looking forward to new adventures.
“This lady really resonated with me because it reminded me of my mom and what it must have been like for her being single with four small children,” Shonda reflects. “I was adamant that I was going to help my client purchase a home. I connected her with a great lender that was able to walk her through some steps on building her credit quickly. It wasn’t a short or simple process, but when we eventually got to the closing table, the look on her face was priceless.” At that moment, Shonda knew she had chosen the right career path. Her interaction with this single mom also provided a blueprint for her business. She would lead with heart, care, and compassion.
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I wanted to be my own CEO. I refused to settle for a job I didn’t enjoy...
realproducersmag.com
The Campanaro Group: Diane Wilson, Shonda Campanaro, and Judy Rycraft.
Jacksonville Real Producers • 23
