An Increase in the MEREDA Index Provides Encouragement for the Real Estate Development Community

The MEREDA Index is the leading way our industry tracks changes in Maine’s real estate markets. It’s a composite of nine measures reflecting activity in both new development and existing properties, in commercial and residential markets, as well as construction employment. 

Maine’s Growing Food Economy & Its Impact on Real Estate

Over 280 industry professionals gathered this week to discuss the commercial real estate implications of Maine’s booming food and beverage economy. Maine has become a culinary destination, known for not just lobster, but beer, coffee, organic produce, sea and freshwater products. An exploding foodie culture means a growing need for production facilities, enhanced supply chains, specialty storage and many other real property infrastructure assets, old and new.

Maine Real Estate & Development Association to Host 3rd Annual “Strikes for Scholars” Bowl-A-Thon Fundraising Event

The Maine Real Estate & Development Association (MEREDA) is proud to host its 3rd Annual “Strikes for Scholars” Bowl-a-Thon Fundraising Event at Bayside Bowl in Portland on Thursday, April 30th from 5-7 pm. Strikes for Scholars will support scholarships for Maine students enrolling in the building trades, architecture, engineering, construction, or business programs at Maine’s community colleges. Partnering again this year with the Maine Community College System, MEREDA’s goal is to raise enough to fund at least one $1,000 scholarship at each of the state’s seven community colleges and to support Maine students as they prepare for careers aligned with MEREDA’s mission of responsible development and ownership of real estate in Maine.

MEREDA will Host its Annual Real Estate Spring Conference on May 12 in Portland

Food and real estate are inextricably connected in many more ways than just seed and soil, and the Maine Real Estate and Development Association’s 2015 Spring Conference will feature leaders in food/beverage industries. Coffee, beer, organic produce, sea and freshwater products and an exploding foodie culture here and outside of Maine mean there is growing need for production facilities, enhanced supply chains, specialty storage and many other real property infrastructure assets, old and new. Maine’s organic and specialty foods industry is growing and a supply line of food products leads from Maine to the rest of the world, while a steady supply of customers come here to eat and drink, and underneath it all is real estate.

Maine Real Estate & Development Association Elects Jennifer Sirois to Board of Directors

Jennifer Sirois of Saco 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.

Jennifer Sirois is a Relationship Manager for the Commercial Real Estate lending group at TD Bank, N.A. She has been with TD Bank since 1998, working in retail, Private Banking, and Commercial Credit Underwriting prior to moving into Commercial Real Estate in 2008. Jen has been a Board Member of the Risk Management Association since 2005, Board Member of Junior Achievement of York County since 2009, and is a member of the Young School Construction Committee for the Saco School Department.

Maine Real Estate Industry Leaders Recognized at MEREDA’s 2015 Forecast Conference

A record of over 750 of Maine’s real estate professionals gathered recently to hear experts give statewide economic projections for 2015 at MEREDA’s annual Forecast Conference, sponsored by TD Bank, in Portland.

In addition to a daylong event featuring economic overviews by region and by industry, the 2015 MEREDA Forecast Conference included an awards ceremony to recognize four outstanding industry professionals.

Maine’s Real Estate Industry Leaders Project “A New Normal” for 2015 at MEREDA’s Annual Forecast Conference

PORTLAND, Maine – A record of over 750 of Maine’s real estate professionals gathered recently to hear experts give statewide economic projections for 2015 at the Maine Real Estate &Read More

Maine Real Estate & Development Association (MEREDA) Announces Membership & Marketing Committee Chair

The Maine Real Estate & Development Association (MEREDA) is pleased to announce that Jason Favreau of Westbrook will chair MEREDA’s Membership & Marketing Committee.

Jason Favreau, CPA MST, is a Principal in the Tax Services Group at BerryDunn and specializes in providing consulting and compliance services to clients in a variety of industries including real estate development, hospitality, and long-term care.  He has extensive experience providing proactive advice regarding complex closely-held business tax matters in order to determine the best tax strategies and structure to optimize tax benefits. 

MEREDA’s Morning Menu Breakfast Event – “Age-Friendly Communities: Adapting to Maine’s Changing Population”

Maine communities face a formidable challenge: How to meet the needs of their aging residents. As our state grows ever older (and Maine is already the oldest state), the need to make our towns and communities more age-friendly becomes more and more important.   Join MEREDA for breakfast on December 11 at the Portland Regency Hotel as AARP Representatives discuss Maine’s changing demographics and the age friendly community approach.  In addition, Speaker of the House, Mark Eves, will share with us details of his Senior Housing Bond Initiative to address the fundamental mismatch between Maine’s housing supply and Maine’s housing needs. 

MEREDA’s Morning Menu – Environmental Issues in Business Transactions: Practical Problem Solving, including the Maine Voluntary Response Action Program

Make your Deal Work – Avoid Environmental Pitfalls and Delays After several decades of living with environmental liabilities, most developers and brokers understand the road map through environmental issues, andRead More