Real estate luminaries honored with 2017 awards

At its annual conference, the Maine Real Estate & Development Association (MEREDA) presented its 2017 awards to five luminaries from Maine’s real estate and development industry.

The Robert B. Patterson, Jr. Founders’ Award was presented to Lawrence Wold, of Freeport, president in Maine for TD Bank, for his significant contributions to the real estate industry over many years. A longtime member of MEREDA’s board and leadership team, Wold spearheaded a new member recruitment initiative for MEREDA. Fourteen years later, the TD Bank Membership Recruitment Matching Funds Program continues to help introduce new members to the organization and has made a lasting difference in the organization’s growth and success. A very active member of the southern Maine community, Wold has 30 years of commercial lending experience in Maine.

Shelly Clark honored for 20 years at MEREDA

At its annual conference earlier this month, Shelly Clark was honored for two decades of service to the Maine Real Estate & Development Association (MEREDA), the trade association that advocates for responsible development and ownership of real estate throughout the state. Clark, who serves as the organization’s vice president of operations, was invited on stage for the presentation, where she was surprised by approximately two dozen of MEREDA’s board presidents from through the ages, while the more than 700 in the audience offered a standing ovation.

Morning Menu Breakfast Event: “Darkness into Light: Cannabis and its impact on Commercial Real Estate in the Post-Prohibition Era.”

Industry experts suggest that no new-to-market use has had as large an impact on Maine’s commercial real estate landscape in recent years as has cannabis cultivation. Starting as a niche industry five years ago, the marijuana growth business has morphed into a well regulated and complex professional system in some respects and an unregulated and “wild west” environment in others. Rapid growth has put a significant strain on Maine’s existing industrial inventory and regulatory systems (both state and municipal). And with the 2016 election legalizing adult use recreational cannabis, further stressors are anticipated.

Morning Menu Breakfast Event: Maine Legislative Update: MEREDA’s Top Policy Initiatives and How You Can Help

Every year, the Maine Legislature and Governor consider over a thousand bills, and chances are high that some of them threaten to impact your business. Savvy business leaders today stay informed of the current issues, and know how to engage individually and through MEREDA to influence the outcome of issues that could impact their business. Additionally, MEREDA continues to propose policy changes to improve the real estate development environment in Maine in big and small ways, helping to pave the way to your business success. Come to this session to learn more about how to be informed about the issues that matter, and how to engage effectively individually and through MEREDA to influence the outcome of those issues of import.

Surprises expected in reveal of Maine’s real estate performance on Jan. 19

The economic indicator that measures the health of Maine’s real estate sector will be revealed on Thurs., Jan. 19 at a day-long conference of the Maine Real Estate & Development Association (MEREDA), expected to draw more than 700 from the industry. “We expect this edition of The MEREDA Index to reveal changing market conditions and emerging trends for the first time in a while,” said Paul Peck, president of the board of MEREDA and an attorney at Drummond & Drummond.

Maine Real Estate & Development Association Elects Michael Lane to its Board of Directors

Michael Lane of Richmond, partner at Preti Flaherty, has been elected to the board of directors of the Maine Real Estate & Development Association (MEREDA), a statewide organization of commercial real estate owners, developers and related service providers.

Mike practices with Preti Flaherty’s Real Estate Group. He has represented clients in all aspects of real estate and land use law, including acquisitions, dispositions, obtaining federal, state and local regulatory approvals; commercial and public financing; title and conveyancing matters. Mike has built a strong timberlands practice representing mills, land management companies and industrial land owners in complex timberlands transactions, including acquisitions, sales, operating agreements, wood supply agreements, underwriting timberland titles, Land Use Planning Commission (LUPC) development compliance and permitting.

MEREDA’s Morning Menu: Sustainable Stormwater Infrastructure = Sustainable Growth Perspectives on Stormwater Service Fee Programs and Credits

Join MEREDA for breakfast on November 10th at the DoubleTree Hotel in South Portland for a panel discussion that will focus on the City of Portland Stormwater Service Charge – why it is needed by the City and what measures property owners can take to qualify for credits. Participants will also learn what fees/credits other municipalities in Maine such as Bangor and Lewiston, and in other areas of the United States have implemented and/or are planning, and hear first-hand how property owners have successfully improved the quality of their stormwater runoff while reducing their stormwater service bills.

Aging, Housing and Construction Sector Leaders Press Release List of More Than 160 State Legislative Candidates Supporting Pledge to Press Release Senior Affordable Housing Bond

More than 160 candidates for the 128th Maine Legislature – Democrats, Republicans and Independents alike – have signed a pledge to support legislation which would Press Release the proceeds of the voter-approved Senior Affordable Housing Bond, if Governor LePage fails to do so by the time the next legislative session begins.

MEREDA’s Morning Menu: The High Cost of Construction: Avoiding Surprises

Join MEREDA on October 26th for breakfast as Greg Patterson of PATCO Construction and Paul Lewandowski of Lavallee Brensinger Architects discuss how to better understand and manage the construction costs for commercial projects.  Discussion topics will include right-sizing the building, the escalating cost of labor and materials and sharing insider knowledge and success stories.

MEREDA’s Morning Menu Visits Bangor: Complete Streets: Can We Drive, Walk, and Bike in Harmony?

Narrowed vehicle lanes, "Share the Road" signage, multi-use paths, traffic calming, flashing pedestrian crossings – have you heard these terms and wonder what it means here in Maine and the Bangor region?

Join the Maine Real Estate & Development Association (MEREDA) for breakfast on October 4, 2016 from 7:30 – 9:00 AM at the Hollywood Casino Bangor to hear from experts on how the "Complete Streets" doctrine is being implemented statewide and in the Bangor Region to balance transportation needs of our community.