The Tower Summer 2021 - 15

Alumni Spotlight SHAUN MAGNER '04
Shaun Magner may have started in the carpentry trade because he watched his grandfathers
and uncles, who were heroes to him a young boy, build successful careers as carpenters.
However, as he grew up and got a job working in the trade after high school, he realized
that he had a passion for carpentry and decided that the right path for him was to pursue
a formal education. Growing up in Lancaster County, he knew Thaddeus Stevens College of
Technology had a great reputation and learned that, if he received an Associate degree there,
he could apply credits toward higher education down the road if he so chose. Encouraged by
this opportunity, he enrolled in the Carpentry program at Stevens.
t turned out that Shaun did not pursue a higher degree,
but the experience and people that he met while at
Stevens changed his life.
The summer between his freshman and sophomore year,
he helped his freshman carpentry instructor, Mr. Dan Noel,
put an addition on his house. However, partway into his
sophomore year, Shaun quietly withdrew from Stevens due
to a painful family situation. His parents divorced, his father
had serious health issues, and the family was experiencing
dire financial difficulties. Shaun remembers the exact day
when, sitting in class, he had an epiphany that he needed
to immediately withdraw from school and help contribute
instead of being a financial burden to his father.
Upon hearing of Shaun's decision to withdraw from Stevens,
Mr. Charlie Byers, Shaun's second-year instructor, advocated
for him to obtain approval that his tuition payments be
deferred until after graduation so that he didn't have
financial burden standing in the way of completing his
education. It was monumental to both Shaun and his dad
that he could now complete the education he had started.
Later that same year, Mr. Noel introduced Shaun to a
custom builder that would become his first employer after
graduating from Stevens in 2004. While at that company,
a co-worker introduced him to a book, " Rich Dad Poor
Dad " by Robert Kiyosaki, which offered Shaun a paradigm
shift in how he viewed money, business, and life in general.
Another co-worker later recruited Shaun to join him at
a different company, where management offered him
an opportunity in sales for an industry-leading building
material manufacturer. There, he found his groove. Shaun
excelled as he continued to leverage his experience in
both the carpentry trade and sales in order to climb the
proverbial ladder.
While he enjoyed the job, he came to realize that he was
not a " company man, " and started seeking ways to replace
his income so that he could take back control of his time.
He began learning as much as he could about investing
in real estate. He found mentors doing exactly what he
wanted to do and reached out to them. He learned, and he
took action.
I
Shaun Magner is now the principal of Monument City
Group, a collective of real estate investment companies
based in Baltimore, Maryland. His companies own and
manage a portfolio of rental holdings, they redevelop
residential properties and they provide loans to real estate
investors.
Shaun has been a featured guest on numerous podcasts, a
keynote speaker at countless industry conferences, and has
spent years as a coach and speaker for the nation's top real
estate investment education company.
When asked what message he would like to convey to
students at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology
today, Shaun said, " This education and the connections
you make here can take you places you've never imagined.
My carpentry background gave me an edge when selling
building materials to tradespeople, and it gives me a leg up
in my real estate businesses when managing contractors
and budgeting and managing projects. All of this makes
my education at Stevens truly invaluable! "
Shaun and his wife, Erica, are the parents of a son, Rane,
and reside in Baltimore, Maryland.
Summer 2021  15

The Tower Summer 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Tower Summer 2021