Like so many immigrants before her, Shadabadi has found opportunity and a new life in the United States. Following her father’s tragic death in a 1985 truck accident, Shadabadi, her mother, and her brother moved from Tabriz, Iran, to join family in San Jose, Calif. She learned English in a year, graduated from high school at 16, and entered real estate at 24. The same drive recently helped her beat out 24 other candidates to become team leader of the Keller Williams San Diego East Market Center. There she oversees 100 sales associates and plans to double that number in 2007.
Wearing many hats: Shadabadi still commutes from San Diego to Sacramento on weekends to spend time with family—and to sell real estate. As partners in A&H Design and Construction, she and her husband work with buyers to purchase land and build everything from custom residences to medical buildings. She also remains involved as half of the Keller Williams/Fair Oaks Casa Bella Team with partner Vida Sheik. Her combined sales activities netted Shadabadi a closed volume of $16 million in 2006.
Reaching out to the world: “My dream is to help people in developing countries become self-sufficient,” she says. In 2005 she used $250,000 of her earnings to plan and fund the development of an elementary school in Varamin, her family’s hometown in Iran. The school serves about 300 students.