MEREDA Recognizes Five Outstanding Professionals in Awards Ceremony

L-R:  Mark Stasium, Brandon J. Mazer, Shelly R Clark, Jonathan Culley, Catherine Culley, Marieke Thormann, Shannon Richards

PORTLAND, Maine — On February 27, 2025, the Maine Real Estate and Development Association (MEREDA) recognized five remarkable individuals for their significant and lasting contributions to real estate development in the state of Maine. The awards were presented at this year’s Forecast Conference at the Holiday Inn By the Bay, which was attended by over 800 real estate professionals.

Catherine and Jonathan Culley were selected for this year’s Robert B. Patterson Jr. Founder’s Award, for their meaningful contributions to MEREDA and commitment to developing housing in the state of Maine.

Catherine and Jonathan are co-founders and partners of Redfern Properties, a socially and environmentally-conscious real estate development firm focused on mixed-use and multi-family housing. Catherine provides vision and project management on all of Redfern’s developments as well as a keen focus on sustainability issues. Meanwhile, Jonathan is managing partner and responsible for overall activities at the firm. Together, they have developed much needed housing for the state of Maine with projects such as West End Place, The Hiawatha, Erlang, 89 Anderson, Redfern Mews, The Nightingale, and most recently The Casco.

Their many successful projects have been a collaborative effort, highlighting the strength of local vendors in architectural, engineering, construction, brokerage, and banking services. They are also active in the community, with Jonathan serving as a past Board Chair of Avesta Housing, and currently serving on the boards of the Quality Housing Coalition, Waynflete School, and as a founding member of the new Hearts of Pine semi-pro soccer league.

Beyond their commitment to greater Portland, Catherine and Jonathan have also been strong supporters of MEREDA. Always willing to share their knowledge and expertise, their work demonstrates how to develop housing projects that also improve an overall quality of life. The Culleys truly provide an exceptional model of responsible development in action. Their contributions to Maine are invaluable to all MEREDA members.

The MEREDA Public Policy Award is presented each year to an individual whose efforts have made a significant impact on public policy changes that benefit responsible real estate development and ownership in Maine.MEREDA presented the 2024 Public Policy Award to Brandon J. Mazer.

As Chair of the Planning Board, Brandon was instrumental during the recent rewrite of the City’s land use code, a project known as ReCode. Throughout the complex and technical process, Brandon served as both a leader and conduit between the many parties involved, including the City Planning Department, the City Council, and city stakeholders. Brandon’s exceptional commitment to Portland highlighted the strength of its community and residents, and his leadership serves as a model for lawmaking. We applaud Brandon for his part in making an impact – thanks to his efforts, the City Council recently adopted the recommendations from the ReCode process and passed a significantly modernized land use code. This is a win that will create many exciting opportunities for responsible development in Portland.

Brandon is an attorney at Perkins Thompson, where he is focused on municipal and business law. He currently serves as Corporation Counsel for the City of South Portland. Prior to joining Perkins Thompson, he served as General Counsel for Shipyard Brewing Company for over seven years. He has served on the Portland Planning Board since 2017, serving as Chair for over four years. During his tenure on the Planning Board, Brandon has helped approve over 1,600 units of housing. Brandon is also on the Board of Trustees for the Maine State Music Theatre and the Board of Directors for Special Olympics Maine.

The Volunteer of the Year Award is awarded to those who generously share their time, talents, and energy with MEREDA. This year we honor the contributions of Marieke Thormann.

Marieke is the Vice President of Development at Fathom Companies, a hospitality and real estate management company. A licensed Professional Engineer, she brings over a decade of experience with multi-million-dollar construction and development projects ranging from boutique hotels and mixed-use urban high-rises to institutional offices and schools. As an engineer, Marieke is known for her strong problem-solving skills that empower her to collaboratively resolve complex challenges. Her recent developments include the Canopy Portland Waterfront Hotel, master development plans for The Pearl Street Riverfront District in Biddeford, a hotel development at 385 Congress Street in Portland, and the planned renovation of the historic Time & Temperature Building in Portland.

We are grateful for Marieke’s many contributions to MEREDA. Participating on MEREDA’s Conference Committee, she jumped in with both feet, devoting time and energy to both help craft MEREDA’s 2024 Spring Conference and participate as a moderator in the program. From taking the lead on several recent Morning Menu breakfast events to helping secure speakers and moderating one of the panel discussions at the 2025 Forecast Conference, Marieke has gone above and beyond for MEREDA. We are truly grateful for the expertise and time she has shared with our organization this past year.

The President’s Award is given by MEREDA’s current President in recognition of someone who has made significant contributions on MEREDA’s behalf. This year’s President’s Award goes to Mark Stasium for his balanced leadership and trusted support of MEREDA’s efforts.

Mark has made many contributions to MEREDA over the years. He currently serves on MEREDA’s Board of Directors, as well as the Executive and Conference Committee. Mark also serves as MEREDA’s Treasurer. His friendly and thoughtful personality naturally lends itself to this leadership role. As the Treasurer, Mark has been tasked with managing the budget, advising the Executive Committee and Board, providing monthly and annual reports, as well as planning and spending recommendations. Genuinely attentive and responsible, MEREDA is grateful to have had his input and guidance over the years. Mark also received MEREDA’s 2020 Volunteer of the Year Award for his commitment and contributions to MEREDA.

Mark is the Director of Commercial Real Estate Banking at Camden National Bank. With 30+ years of experience in commercial lending and commercial credit, he manages a team responsible for originating commercial real estate loans and managing Camden’s commercial real estate loan portfolio, primarily in Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts.

MEREDA congratulates these award winners, and thanks every volunteer whose contributions of time and talent make the association’s continued success possible.