Susannah Broegler

My Story

I was born and raised in Suffolk, Virginia . My parents were divorced and my dad lived in Norfolk, so that’s where my sister & I spent our weekends. After graduating from Nansemond Suffolk Academy, I went to Virginia Tech and studied hospitality & tourism and business, graduating in 1999. I'm a diehard VIRGINIA TECH fan to this day. We enjoy season football tickets, and our family recently endowed a football scholarship in my dad's memory. I've lived in Norfolk for the last 25 years, moving to Lakewood in 2016 with my wife of almost 20 years, Sara. She's a transplant from Arizona, courtesy of the United States Navy. After serving for almost 10 years, she's now a government contractor working as an aviation mechanic. We laugh that she makes jet noise. Together we've been in dog rescue for the last 10 years. We recently started our own rescue, Compact Canine Rescue, in 2021. Our rescue is a 501(c)(3) serving the Mid-Atlantic area based out of Norfolk, Virginia. We are "Compact" Canine Rescue, so we accept all breeds, 20 pounds or less. Sara and I have fostered over 200 dogs through our home personally.  It's truly one of the most rewarding things I've ever done in my life.

I also donate 10% of every mortgage commission to the dogs of Compact Canine Rescue.

When we're not watching the Hokies play or tending to our pack of rescue pups, we enjoy entertaining friends, dining out and watching professional wrestling.

My Community

Both the Norfolk community and the Lakewood neighborhood are very important to me.  I serve on the civic league board for Lakewood and I'm the chairman of the social committee. I've met so many nice people in our neighborhood and have enjoyed hosting multiple events for my neighbors throughout the year.

Truly with so much to do in Norfolk, we rarely leave. All our favorite bars and restaurants are within a couple of miles and on any given night, it's easy to catch us at MJ's for singo or Coach House for delicious dinner & cocktails.

And even though Norfolk is relatively small there's always so much to do between the breweries, the restaurants, the live music venues, and so on. It's truly an amazing little city. 

Our rescue even has strong ties to the city. We enjoy a strong partnership with the Norfolk Animal Care Center. We're so thankful for all the good work that they're doing to help pets in need. We often co-sponsor fundraising events and take lots of transfers from the shelter.

My Career

After I finished at Virginia Tech, I started in the restaurant business. After a few years in restaurant operations, I transitioned into foodservice sales, working for both Sysco and Performance Food Group as a district sales manager. While I really enjoyed my time in the restaurant business and met a lot of amazing people and ate a lot of amazing food, I decided in 2021 that I wanted to make a change.

This was about the same time that I decided to start Compact Canine Rescue. I wanted to get into a business where I could help people and help dogs in need at the same time. I've always loved sales, so I decided on selling mortgages and I'm so glad I did. I love it. Helping people with such an important life milestone like purchasing a home has been incredibly rewarding. And the connection with the dog rescue has been amazing. I'm financing loans and forever homes, with 10% of every mortgage commission going to support the dogs of Compact Canine Rescue.