MEREDA Takes a Hard Look at the Housing Crisis. How do we crack the code

September 15, 2025 - Ask anyone you know about the biggest challenge faced by Maine residents, businesses, and public officials and you will hear the same answer: Housing. Universally, we are challenged by the lack of it, the cost of it, and the inability to improve the situation.

Maine Real Estate & Development Association (MEREDA) will convene a curated group of Maine commercial and real estate professionals to discuss these challenges in the context of real and recent projects. Two panels will look specifically at barriers developers have faced and innovative solutions currently being explored.

"The housing problem in Maine has reached an inflection point and MEREDA is committed to action," explains Shannon Richards, founder of Hay Runner and MEREDA's volunteer president. "We are bringing solutions to the table at the State level and working with municipalities and stakeholders to make changes that will help create more homes in Maine."

The focus of the morning will be established by keynote presenter Dr. Christopher Herbert, Managing Director of the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies. Dr. Herbert will provide a national perspective and insights on our situation in Maine. Following the keynote, Ken Entenmann, Chief Investment Officer and Chief Economist, NBT Bank/NBT Wealth will provide a mid-year update on the national and local economy.

Elizabeth Frazier, Partner at Pierce Atwood, will moderate a conversation on municipal challenges faced by developers, and to close the session, Dr. Herbert will lead a discussion on innovations in housing development. Our panelists include: Vanessa L. Farr from Haley Ward; Hope Eye from Eastern Maine Development Corp.; Benjamin R.K. Breadmore from the Town of Holden; Rebecca Hatfield of Hancock Lumber; Kyle Barker of Primary Projects; and Chris Marshall from GreenMars.

MEREDA's Fall Conference is geared towards builders, developers, brokers, attorneys, architects, engineers, municipal leaders, bankers, and accountants, to name a few. Continuing Education credits are approved.

According to Shelly R. Clark, MEREDA's Executive Director, MEREDA's Fall Conference will be held at the USM's Hannaford Hall on October 23rd from 8:30am to 12:30 pm, with the program beginning at 9am. Registration is available at MEREDA.org.

For more information, please contact: Shelly R. Clark, Executive Director at gro.aderemobfsctd-2ded7e@ofni

Event sponsors include:

Gold Sponsors: NBT Bank, PretiFlaherty

Silver Sponsors: Albin Randall & Bennett, Daigle Commercial Group, Efficiency Maine, Evernorth, Feldman Geospatial, Katahdin Trust Company

Bronze Sponsors: Pierce Atwood, Recovery Insurance Adjusters

Media Sponsor: Mainebiz