MEREDA Matters

What happens when the big ideas from MEREDA’s Fall Conference meet the realities of actually getting housing built? In this episode, Elizabeth Frazier and Jason Howe recap the conversation with Maine’s gubernatorial candidates and dig into what they heard and what they didn’t. All three candidates agreed that Maine is facing a housing crisis, but the real differences emerged around how to address it. The discussion takes a closer look at the barriers developers continue to face at the local level, the challenges of building housing for Maine’s middle-income workforce, and the question that remains at the heart of the crisis: How do we move from talking about housing to actually getting it built?

After 28 years and owning one of Maine’s largest commercial real estate portfolios, Jim Howard remains a name you might not know.

On the latest MEREDA Matters, host Justin Laverriere and co-host Andrew Silsby, President and CEO of Kennebec Savings Bank, sit down with the founder of Priority Group to unpack the quiet playbook behind 62 property companies across Maine and New Hampshire. They trace Howard’s path from running Home Vision Video in the 1990s to building 31 Rusty Lantern Markets with John Koch and investing $90 million in the 15-year redevelopment of Brunswick Landing, where his work helped create 825 jobs and made Priority the largest private property owner on the former Naval Air Station. The conversation digs into why Howard stopped putting projects out to bid a decade ago and what kind of long-game discipline keeps the same contractors and bankers working with him for decades.

Whether you’re a developer working on a first commercial deal or a banker curious about how lenders earn long-term clients, this conversation is a master class worth your time.

What does AI actually mean for the people who build, design, and invest in the places we live and work — and what's hype versus reality? In this episode, we sit down with Steve Weikal, industry chair of MIT's Real Estate Transformation Lab and managing partner of the MET Fund, alongside Maine-based architect and Woodhull founding partner Caleb Johnson, for a wide-ranging conversation that's equal parts big-picture thinking and boots-on-the-ground practicality. From the surprising staying power of century-old mill buildings to the looming question of what happens to today's data centers when the tech moves on, the conversation challenges some of the most fashionable assumptions in real estate right now. Steve and Caleb dig into how AI is reshaping the office market and why placemaking matters more than ever in a work-from-anywhere world. Whether you're a developer, architect, investor, or just someone trying to understand where all of this is heading, this conversation will leave you thinking differently about the built world around you.

Maine is in the midst of a housing affordability crisis, but the issue is far more complex than rising prices. In this episode of MEREDA Matters, Dr. Chris Herbert of Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies and Elizabeth Frazier, Partner at Pierce Atwood sit down with MEREDA President, Shannon Richards to unpack why the system is strained, where the bottlenecks really sit, and what it will take to build our way to something more sustainable. From the cost pressures baked into construction and land markets to the promise (and limitations) of zoning reform, small-scale infill, ADUs, and new industrialized building technologies, this discussion connects national research to Maine’s on-the-ground reality. The takeaway? There is no single fix, but there is a path forward. If you care about the future of Maine’s communities, workforce, and neighborhoods, this is a conversation worth leaning into.

Corinne Watson, Co-Founder of Tiny Homes of Maine, and Kevin Hancock, Managing Owner of Hancock Lumber, sit down with MEREDA Vice President Jenn Small for MEREDA Matters - the podcast that lets you listen in on conversations with the people driving responsible development in Maine. In this episode, Watson and Hancock talk about their partnership and plans for scaling Tiny Homes of Maine. Now located in Dyer Brook, Maine, Watson founded the company with her husband to support their belief that everyone deserves a home. After a fire burned down their facility in 2023, Hancock reached out to Watson to help. Aligned in what they cared about and their vision for scaling up the operation, the two forged a new partnership with their two businesses. Their conversation goes on to explore the process for buying a tiny home, and the two pieces of legislation – LD-1981 and LD-1530 – that Watson facilitated which helped open the floodgates for more tiny homes in Maine. The group also discusses commercial uses of tiny homes, how Tiny Homes of Maine are unique products – made in Maine with Maine materials – and how Watson developed a Lean Manufacturing Process to reduce the cost and production timeline. Listen to the episode to learn more!

Andrew Silsby, President and CEO of Kennebec Savings Bank, and Tim Soley, President and CEO of East Brown Cow, sit down for MEREDA Matters - the podcast that lets you listen in on conversations with the people driving responsible development in Maine. In this episode Silsby sits in the interviewer chair and asks Soley about his path to real estate development and his passion and drive for the work. Solely goes on to discuss why he likes working with community banks for financing projects because of their long-term focus, as well as how he builds and maintains relationships with banks. The conversation continues with an exploration of East Brown Cow’s Old Port Square Project and vision for community development in Portland, their commitment to sustainability and drive for preserving the historic character of the Old Port, as well as how Soley navigates the different economic cycles as a developer. Solely also shares some advice for up-and-coming developers and his view on making mistakes and being a contrarian. Listen to the episode to learn more!

Bob Montgomery-Rice, President and CEO of Bangor Savings Bank, and Matthew Lewis, Director of Four Directions Development Corporation, sit down with MEREDA President Shannon Richards for MEREDA Matters - the podcast that lets you listen in on conversations with the people driving responsible development in Maine. In this episode, Montgomery-Rice and Lewis share their insight on the development landscape in the Bangor area. Lewis, a member of the Passamaquoddy Tribe, provides an overview of his non-profit, which is a Community Development Corporation (CDC) and Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), enabling them to provide capital and resources in areas that are difficult for banks to access. Lewis goes on to share how historically Tribal communities have faced barriers to accessing capital, and how Four Directions pioneered a program for home ownership in Tribal Nations. The group goes on to discuss the need for creativity and collaboration in finding solutions to difficult problems like the housing crisis. Montgomery-Rice highlights a success story in Bangor – the Cedar Falls Mobile Home Park – as an example of the opportunities for innovative solutions. The group also delves into the current legislative session; how their work helps provide people access to owning property, which is crucial for wealth-building; and how the Bangor area has development opportunities at a lower price-point than the Portland market. Listen to the episode to learn more!

Michael Barton, Managing Director of Real Estate Development at Reveler, and Jason Howe, Partner and chair of the Real Estate and Finance Practice Group at Preti Flaherty, sit down with MEREDA President Shannon Richards for MEREDA Matters - the podcast that lets you listen in on conversations with the people driving responsible development in Maine. In this episode, Barton and Howe share their insights on Portland’s ReCode. State Law requires that municipalities review and update their zoning on a regular basis and the goal of ReCode was to create a unified development code to serve the future of Portland. The group discusses what changes and opportunities resulted from this process. Describing how the ordinance went from 800 pages to about 300 pages, Barton and Howe talk about how the finished product is a functional roadmap that is much more streamlined. The group goes on to discuss their big takeaways from the new code, including the elimination of the single family zone, opportunities to develop off peninsula to take advantage of existing infrastructure such as transportation lines, and the increased building height limits. The conversation then turns to the housing crisis and how ReCode could help encourage more development. Listen to the episode to learn more!