Cameron Curriden & Jacquelyn MacKenzie

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When Cameron Curriden and Jacquelyn MacKenzie formed CJC Esteemed Partners, a Texas-based real estate investment firm, they had two goals -to leave people and the environment better than how they found them and to build the largest real estate company in the world, founded on the values of integrity, excellence, and growth. Cameron had built 3 businesses; very successful business using the same model before, and then went into the world of finance and then, together they formed CJC Esteemed Partners. They are well on their way to fulfilling both, with partnerships with large funds, entertainers, and athletes, and an investor network in the 100's of thousands. New players in the game of finance, they've wasted no time making their mark in the state of Texas with a company that specializes in offering real estate investors exclusively curated off-market commercial and multifamily properties. With fresh eyes, determination, and boundless energy, they are blazing a new path for elite investors to give them a competitive advantage and substantial returns. Their dedication to this mission has propelled the company, and its leaders, to extraordinary heights, with $500 million in the first quarter of its existence. "We're in this for the long run; and what we do now will echo throughout the future and change real estate forever," says Cameron.

With Cameron as CEO and Jacquelyn as COO, the two founded CJC Esteemed Partners in October 2019 in Houston, Texas, as an unconventional real estate investment firm. The company focuses on Class A, B and C multifamily and commercial real estate, locating, buying, and selling highly desirable properties before they hit the market, giving their clients returns in large off-market real estate investments. They take unique approach, with priority placed on finding ways in which to help both sellers and buyers get what they want and reach their goals. "People are caught in traditional ways and what they know in all industries. We use a new model. What sets us apart is we don't go the traditional route. Each client's needs are unique. There is always a win-win situation in every deal where everyone walks away happy, and to get there, sometimes you have to think differently, in a nontraditional way," says Jacquelyn.

Comprised of a team of a dozen highly specialized real estate professionals, marketing experts, and attorneys, the firm caters to elite investors, asset managers, and funds who wish to place their capital with substantial and safe returns. "We have an unbeatable team. Our marketing team has worked with Nike, Apple, Under Armour, among other giants. Our attorneys create air tight contracts that allow us to do things unconventionally, while abiding by all state or country laws - and that is where we thrive. We can serve the buyer and seller in a multitude of ways, with integrity and excellence," Cameron shares.

CJC Esteemed Partners started not long after Cameron and Jacquelyn met at a personal development seminar, where they found that not only did they share similar life journeys, but also that their respective experience and skills in real estate, sales, and project management were the perfect recipe for success. "We match up so incredibly perfectly. We both have extremely varied backgrounds and have done a multiplicity of different jobs and careers, and we know how to build businesses and improve existing businesses. That's what we've both done for years," Cameron explains.

At the time, Jacquelyn was a successful business owner, public speaker, and the author of the best-selling book, Jacquelyn- The Prophet of Profit, a single mom who had risen from the depths of financial ruin after a divorce to the pinnacle of success. Long before this journey, she had begun her career as a 19-year-old receptionist for a construction management company. Through 11 years, she worked her way up the ladder from project coordinator working with engineers on large commercial and institutional projects to project manager for multi-million-dollar construction projects. 

After taking time off to raise her growing family of three boys and endure a divorce in the meantime, she knew she needed a job with the flexibility and freedom to focus on them, and the money to support them. "When you're going through all of this, you're not at a high in your life. I had heard of Bob Proctor, and when the movie, The Secret, came out, I was intrigued. I started studying his material and then was mentored by him and became his number one consultant in the world," she shares. With an entrepreneurial mindset and sheer determination, she entered the field of coaching with zero dollars to her name. "I came from nothing, I don't have a fancy education, but I work hard. I went from $400 to hundreds of thousands of dollars in a short period of time and have coached 1000's of people since then. I later met Cameron at a seminar we were both at. He had heard about me and seen me on stages and eventually we crossed paths and he asked if he could fly to Toronto to take me out for lunch." 

 

Getting into real estate was always a goal of Jacquelyn's. She started studying how to create long term wealth and all of the experts she was studying were suggesting investing into real estate. She wrote it out on her goal card and started the process. "When you have the right mindset in place, you can accomplish anything. It's the same principles that can be used to start anything, but you have to first get your mind right, then comes drive, then comes discipline." 

Cameron shared Jacquelyn's drive to succeed, but he also shared a similar "rise of the Phoenix" background, propelling himself from homelessness to a millionaire in 18 months. After an average childhood, he started in the hospitality industry and house remodeling. When he dropped out of college in his first year, he took a position to run a marketing company in Florida, and helped it grow from 9 to 360 employees in four years. "It taught me a lot about people and human nature - how to distinguish when people say they're going to do things and those who actually follow through," he shares. Through this time, he was wayward and didn't have a lot of goals and direction. Then life took a dark turn. When this and an international investment job ended, Cameron found himself homeless for six months, living in a tent behind a Walmart parking lot and then a group home in Texas. "Not a great place to live," he recalls. 

The experience led to startling self-discovery and an endeavor that would change his life. "I took a deep look at myself and said it would never happen to me again - or the people I care about. I made the decision to become the best version of myself and live life as a deep expression of gratitude. I became extremely disciplined and learned persistence and went to work on building my character." Determined to change his life, he worked odd jobs while living in the group home, and rode the bus and read about how successful people live. Then he discovered Bob Proctor - and would take the bus to the library to use the computer and read. He Googled "how to make money with no money" and real estate popped up and the journey started.

Cameron's foray into real estate stood as a burnt-down house that he bought under contract and sold to investors - while still homeless. When he realized houses weren't going to get him where he wanted to be, he moved into commercial real estate. After six months, in 2017, he moved into a small apartment with nothing but an air mattress and the goal to earn $100k a month. After two months, he executed his first deal and made $128k, and his career took off, his first 18 months in real estate writing over $100M in deals. He retired his parents, donated to his church and favorite causes, took his family on trips and bought one of his dream cars and houses, as well as continued to develop his integrity, character and himself as a person. Once he had the money, he realized there is so much more to life than that. He learned about the world of real estate and investing through the school of hard knocks.  “Failure is a big teacher. The business was born not out of existing knowledge of real estate, but a study of human nature, personal development and an unrelenting passion and drive to succeed.”

Hailing from inauspicious beginnings, some might call them an unlikely success story, some might see their triumphant rise as destiny, some might call their chance meeting the work of fate. But one thing is for sure—there is no stopping them now. CJC Esteemed Partners has plans to expand beyond Texas, with a development branch and the acquisition of more assets, asset management, and large partnerships to benefit not only their clients, but also those less fortunate. The company donates a percentage of every deal to nonprofit organizations and has been involved with massive humanitarian projects in Africa, South America, and other regions.