Michael Campo ’01

Campo’s opened in Philadelphia in 1947 as a small grocery store and butcher shop. Today, Campo’s continues to grow as a staple of Old City, though now instead for its cheesesteaks, hoagies, and specialty sandwiches. 

Michael Campo ’01, alongside his father and sister, currently manages the family business, carrying on the legacy that his grandfather started 75 years ago. “I’m honored to have inherited this company that has such a long history of hard work and dedication,” he says. 

As Campo’s celebrates this significant anniversary, Campo finds inspiration from his alma mater. “The Prep gives hope to 75-year-old companies that with strong traditions, hard work, and a good reputation, you can endure,” he says. 

It’s not surprising that Campo draws parallels between the Prep and his family business. Growing up, he hardly spent time elsewhere. He remembers doing homework with his sister in the back of the restaurant as his father manned the kitchen. Dinner those nights was often an order that a customer failed to pick up, Campo recalls. As he got older, he began working night shifts after school. He got ready for the prom at the family shop. More recently, the Prep has come to him, in the form of students enjoying Campo’s for lunch while on field trips of Old City led by former Religious Studies Teacher Mr. Ken Kania or history teacher Mr. Bill Conners ’80. Campo’s has also generously supported the Prep Online Auction for many years.

As family endeavors often do, Campo’s has become much more than a business. The shop’s website reads, “Our business is more than just hoagies and cheesesteaks. It’s personal…and it shows.” Campo credits his time at the Prep for preparing him to carry on this type of legacy.  “Getting my education at the Prep got me to where I needed to be in terms of the shared values between the Prep and our company — family, commitment, and work ethic,” he says.