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Call us:
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Have you ever wanted to be a fly on the wall listening in on a conversation between Maine’s real estate industry leaders? You’re in luck – MEREDA now has a podcast: MEREDA Matters! This is not your typical Q&A session. This is a podcast that puts you in the room with the people who are driving responsible development in Maine. It’s dynamic and we don’t know where each conversation will go, but with MEREDA President Craig Young and other MEREDA members leading the conversation, you’re sure to learn something new each episode. MEREDA Matters gives you insider conversations that highlight the people, stories, and relationships behind the real estate and development deals in Maine. Listen to a new conversation each month!
“I’ve been a part of MEREDA for years, and what has always stood out to me is the people. At every MEREDA event, I always have a great conversation with someone. The MEREDA Matters podcast is about sharing those great, insider conversations. We rub elbows with these folks professionally, but what makes them excited to get up in the morning? What are they putting in their coffee? What matters most to them? Let’s get into it together!”
Craig Young, MEREDA President
New Trends in Housing Design: A Conversation with Ryan Senatore, AIA LEED AP, & Will Savage, P.E.
Will Savage, President of Acorn Engineering and Ryan Senatore, Principal of Ryan Senatore Architecture, sit down with MEREDA Vice President Shannon Richards and MEREDA President Craig Young for the ninth episode of MEREDA Matters – the podcast that puts you in the room with the people who are driving responsible development in Maine. Frequent collaborators, Savage and Senatore discuss some of the high-profile projects they are working on throughout the state, including Maine’s tallest building at 201 Federal Street. The group explores new design trends in housing such as smaller unit sizes, enticing common spaces, and desirable building amenities. Savage and Senatore also talk about their collaborative design process and share their approach to incorporating affordable housing units and energy efficiency into their buildings. The discussion on design continues as the group looks at how the recent rise of in-migration to Maine from larger cities has impacted housing and how the labor shortage has driven the use of different building materials.
What are Will and Ryan’s favorite spots in Maine to take a vacation? Listen to the episode to find out!
A Conversation with Josh Miranda, Owner of the Miranda Restaurant Group
Josh Miranda, Owner of Miranda Restaurant Group, sits down with MEREDA Board Member Josh Soley and MEREDA President Craig Young for the eighth episode of MEREDA Matters – the podcast that puts you in the room with the people who are driving responsible development in Maine. Miranda, a Portland-native, talks about how he got his start working in restaurants at age 14 and how he’s always been comfortable behind a bar. After a successful career opening up bars and restaurants for other hospitality groups in other states, Miranda shares how he ventured into the Portland scene with immersive concepts for his own businesses and how he is driven by his desire to create spaces where people can escape and have an experience. The group discusses the origin stories of Miranda’s three current businesses, the talented team who are a part of his vision, and his approach to providing an opportunity for his staff to have a true work/life balance. With a new restaurant and bar set to open in the iconic Bull Feeney space this summer and another bar in the works, Miranda discusses his goals for the future.
Where is Josh Miranda’s favorite place to escape? Listen to the episode to find out!
A conversation with Sonja Trauss, YIMBY Activist and Responsible Housing Advocate
Sonja Trauss, Executive Director of Yes in My Back Yard (YIMBY), sits down with MEREDA Vice President Shannon Richards and MEREDA President Craig Young for the seventh episode of MEREDA Matters – the podcast that puts you in the room with the people who are driving responsible development in Maine. Trauss lives in the Bay Area in California and shares her journey from high school math teacher to housing activist. What started as Trauss ranting with friends about the lack of housing in San Francisco evolved into two advocacy organizations, YIMBY and YIMBY law, with 18 employees and 43 chapters in 19 states. Trauss sees herself as an activist for the end user of housing developments – the housing consumer, and discusses her organizations’ approach to promoting housing creation with advocacy, organizing, and focused legal action that requires cities to honor their own existing zoning laws rather than create subjective barriers for housing creation. The group also discusses ways for people to get started as a housing activist such as the very effective action of calling elected officials and showing up to local planning board meetings to make a public comment in favor of housing.
Deirdre Wadsworth, President of Hardypond Construction, sits down with MEREDA Vice President Shannon Richards and MEREDA President Craig Young for the sixth episode of MEREDA Matters – the podcast that puts you in the room with the people who are driving responsible development in Maine. Wadsworth discusses the type of projects Hardypond specializes in, and how they are often completing renovations on buildings that are occupied. As one of three women in Maine to own a commercial construction company, Wadsworth talks about her journey from sweeping floors at the jobsite as a kid and hating construction to earning an MBA and taking over her dad’s company in her thirties. Wadsworth goes on to share her management style and how hiring a business coach was one of the best things she did when she decided she wanted to run Hardypond.
The group discusses the challenges in construction, such as material pricing and delays, and how this new norm requires a focus on scheduling and ordering materials upfront. The group also talks about how much has changed for women working in the industry over the last decade and why it’s so important to include women’s perspectives in development and construction.
What is one of the best books Deirdre has read recently? Listen to the conversation to find out! https://mereda-matters.simplecast.com/
Brit Vitalius, President of Rental Housing Alliance (RHA) and Principal at Vitalius Real Estate Group, and Jessica James, Principal at Longfellow Communications, sit down with MEREDA Board Member Gary Vogel and MEREDA President Craig Young for the fifth episode of MEREDA Matters – the podcast that puts you in the room with the people who are driving responsible development in Maine.
Vitalius and James discuss the RHA’s Rent Control Amendment, a grassroots effort to enact a critical change to Portland’s rent control that would allow landlords to reset the rent in vacant units to market rate. The pair discusses how the amendment, which is on the upcoming June 13th ballot, would have a significant positive impact on both existing tenants and rental housing providers. Vitalius shares the history of the Rent Control ordinance in Portland’s elections and outlines some of its unintended consequences. For example, since the ordinance passed in 2020, many tenants have seen more rent increases as landlords try to keep pace with the market. James discusses the issue of having voters trying to parse complex policy and the burden it places on rental housing providers. Vitalius explains how the Rent Control Amendment will maintain all the current protections for tenants and argues it is what’s best for housing development in Portland. The group discusses the problems with the referendum process in Portland and finishes the discussion by urging people to get out and vote on June 13th.
Is it Brit or Jessica who enjoys a dirty vodka martini at the end of a busy day? Listen to the conversation to find out! https://mereda-matters.simplecast.com/
Our fourth episode with co-hosts Shannon Richards and Craig Young, features guests Catherine Culley, Partner and Co-Founder of Redfern Properties and Erin Cooperrider, Principal of NewHeight Group.
Erin and Catherine sit down with MEREDA Vice President Shannon Richards and MEREDA President Craig Young for the fourth episode of MEREDA Matters – the podcast that puts you in the room with the people who are driving responsible development in Maine. As two successful women in development who, together, have brought over 1,000 housing units to market, Cooperrider and Culley share how they started working in development and their experience working in a male-dominated field. Culley shares how she went from flipping her own house to working on some of the most substantial projects in the state of Maine, with 500 units currently under construction. For Cooperrider, after earning her degree in journalism she ended up in the development world after moving to Maine, eventually serving as the Development Director for Community Housing of Maine for 17 years.
Both women talk about their ambition and what they feel women bring to the table in the development world. Discussing their joint venture, the transformation of Mercy Hospital’s State Street campus, Cooperrider and Culley share how the project came together and their take on the impact of the new Inclusionary Zoning mandate. Where is Catherine Culley and Erin Cooperrider’s favorite place to grab a bite to eat in Maine? Listen to the conversation to find out! https://mereda-matters.simplecast.com/
Our third episode with co-hosts Craig Young and Paul Peck, featuring guests Dan Brennan of MaineHousing and Kevin Bunker of Developers Collaborative.
Our second episode with co-hosts Craig Young and Paul Peck, featuring guests Scott Kelley and Karl Strand of Boyne Resorts.
Check out our 1st Episode featuring Kevin French, Chairman, CEO, Landry / French Construction, Co.
