Department of Marketing

Alumni Spotlight – Brecken Campagna

Brecken Campagna
Clemson University ’02

Favorite memory as an undergraduate student?

I don’t think I can pick just one! From moving in to the Shoeboxes for freshman year to making life-long friends living in Calhoun Courts, to attending all the football games on the Hill, to being an officer of the Clemson Chapter of the American Marketing Association under Professor Gaubert’s guidance, I had so many wonderful experiences as a Clemson student.  But my most vivid memory is that of graduation – the one and only time the commencement service was held outdoors…in Death Valley…while the field was under construction…and during the worst lightning storm I can remember. We all had to evacuate the stands and go “underground” into the concourse area, where our diplomas were literally being handed out from the concession stands. Although I didn’t get the chance to walk across the stage and receive my diploma, and though it was not exactly the way I imagined ending my time as a Clemson student, life (and apparently, graduation) is like the weather – unpredictable. And it certainly makes for a great story to tell!

Can you share your career journey since graduating from our college?

I met my husband, Stuart, while on vacation in Hilton Head Island during the summer between my sophomore and junior year at Clemson. We long-distance dated until I finished school, and he made the 5 hour commute back and forth from Hilton Head to Clemson many weekends for home games (during which time I made a Clemson fan out of him!). After graduating in 2002, I secured an internship with the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce’s Visitor & Convention Bureau, which then turned into a full time position traveling to conventions and marketing Hilton Head Island as a premier vacation destination. Not a terrible first job by any means – experiencing life on a resort island in order to promote it!  During that time, Hilton Head became my home, and Stuart and I were married in 2004. Both of us have a strong entrepreneurial spirit, and it wasn’t long before we decided to start our own business together in a field we were both passionate about – animal/pet care. What began as a side hustle soon turned into a full time job for both of us as we established our pet sitting company, “PetPals”! Over the course of about 5 years, we grew from just the two of us to having 5-7 employees covering all of Hilton Head Island and Bluffton. We dreamed of bigger things, though, and we eventually made the decision to sell the business and fulfill our ultimate goal of designing and constructing a premium, resort-style, dog boarding and daycare facility (kennel, in layman’s terms), named Southpaw Pet Resort. We were able to build Southpaw into a world-class facility with 10 employees and between 30-50 dogs in our care at any given time. It was truly a labor of love, and just this past November (2023), after almost 15 years, we sold our ownership to another party in order for Southpaw to continue to grow as we shift our focus to whatever life holds for us next. Our next business venture will be opening the first locations of Hydrate IV Bar – a national franchise of IV therapy spas – on the East Coast, beginning in Hilton Head Island and Charleston. I am extremely excited about this new career opportunity, and we are hoping to have our first location up and running by the middle of 2025. Stuart and I are also fortunate to have two beautiful daughters, Collan and Decklyn, who are now 18 and 12 and are huge Tiger fans as well! 

What are some of the challenges you faced during your transition from college to the professional world?

I honestly feel like it was a pretty smooth transition and that my marketing major prepared me very well for the professional world. The biggest challenge was probably not being able to set my own schedule, which is why entrepreneurship is especially appealing to me! I very much enjoyed my time in the professional world, but at my core, I am a very self-driven individual, and I love the challenges and diversity of entrepreneurship without the constrictions of a traditional workplace.

What piece of advice would you give to college students?

Find something you love, and make that your life’s work. With a marketing degree, the options are almost limitless. It’s so much easier and more engaging if you are marketing, selling, or running a business in something you’re passionate about. For example, I worked for a short time as a sales rep for a medical device company, and although it was a very good job, the product itself was not something I was particularly interested in. As a result, the job wasn’t very fulfilling for me, and it didn’t take me long to decide to move on to something else. That being said, it was still a great building block and gave me the experience I needed to be more confident in my sales abilities, which became a valuable asset moving forward.

What is something you committed to that would make you proud of yourself?

I am incredibly proud of the pet care business that my husband and I built, and that we didn’t give up on our dream when faced with incredible obstacles. When we first conceived of opening an upscale, boutique-style kennel, luxury pet boarding was not nearly as common as it is now, and many people thought the idea was beyond crazy. Despite having what we were told was a very thorough and well-researched business plan (thank you, Marketing Department), we were turned down by multiple banks and private investors due to the perceived risk of the proposal. Then, once we finally secured private investors, the 2008 economic downturn occurred, and we lost several backers before the project ever got off the ground. After going back to the drawing board and downsizing the original scope of the plans, we were able to get back on track and build our dream kennel. By the end of our first 6 months of operation, we were full all the time, and we continued expanding the facility with great success over the following years. The business that many people told us was nothing more than a pipe dream became the most highly demanded pet care facility in our area. I am so incredibly proud of the hard work, dedication, and sheer stubbornness it took to turn our dream into a reality, and that we fought for what we believed in even when others said it couldn’t be done.

Who have you elevated or lifted up during your time as a student or in the professional world?

As a small business owner, over the years I have been able to witness many of my employees move on and up in their careers in animal care and welfare. Our business was a stepping stone for many young people on their way to becoming vet techs, animal trainers, or future managers or kennel owners themselves. It was my immense pleasure to guide and grow with my staff members as they gained experience and learned the profession of animal care, as well as customer service and the importance of holding high standards for themselves as well as the business they work for. 

How did your college experience, both academically and socially, contribute to your personal and professional growth?

My entire Clemson experience was very much an influence on how I built and ran my business. It was very important to me that our staff felt like they were part of a family, that the lines of communication were always open, and that we worked together as a team to better both the business and ourselves. I feel that this is a direct correlation to both my academic and social experience at Clemson. I loved the cohesiveness and closeness of the Clemson student body, whether it was in the academic or social arena, and especially as we all came together as Tiger Fans! In addition, the professors and staff were always available to guide us and support us, while also encouraging us to becoming the best version of ourselves.