Maine Real Estate & Development Association

What Maine Real Estate & Development Association does

Maine Real Estate & Development Association (MEREDA) is a 501(c)-style nonprofit trade association headquartered at 6 City Center, 3rd Floor, Portland, Maine. Founded in 1985, the organization represents hundreds of Maine real estate professionals across developers, brokers, builders, attorneys, architects, engineers, municipal leaders, bankers, and accountants. Its core mission is to promote fair and responsible real estate development throughout Maine and to advocate before state lawmakers and government officials on issues affecting the industry, with particular emphasis on housing supply, workforce housing density, historic tax credits, and streamlined permitting.

MEREDA's product surface is a portfolio of member services rather than a unified software platform. It publishes the MEREDA Index, a market-data tool that has reached 19+ editions tracking changes in Maine real estate markets. It produces the MEREDA Matters podcast featuring Maine industry leaders and sponsored by Kennebec Savings Bank, Bangor Savings Bank, and Clark Insurance. It distributes the weekly Maine Real Estate Insider e-newsletter through media partner Mainebiz. It operates three core event programs: the annual Forecast Conference (nearly 1,000 attendees in 2025 and 60+ Member Showcase exhibitors), the Notable Night awards ceremony recognizing seven exemplary development projects per year, and the recurring Morning Menu breakfast education series. It also runs an online member directory and a documents/resources library. The organization does not develop or deploy proprietary technology products.

MEREDA's revenue model is membership-driven and event-driven. Recurring revenue comes from membership dues across tiers (including Cornerstone and Sustainer sponsorships from members such as TD Bank, The Boulos Company, Developers Collaborative, JB Brown & Sons, Bangor Savings Bank, Pierce Atwood, Drummond Woodsum, and others), supplemented by annual and one-time event sponsorships and registration fees. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is primarily direct — website applications, industry networking, and event presence — within a strictly regional Maine footprint. MEREDA is governed by a Board of Directors with Shelly R. Clark serving as Executive Director and Shannon Richards as President; the association is member-owned with no parent company or external investment.

Name

Maine Real Estate & Development Association

Legal name

Maine Real Estate & Development Association

Website

https://mereda.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MEREDA is a nonprofit trade association serving hundreds of Maine real estate professionals through advocacy, annual conferences, awards, market data (MEREDA Index), podcast content, and member services across the state.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: MEREDA generates revenue through membership fees from real estate professionals, developers, builders, brokers, attorneys, architects, engineers, municipal leaders, bankers, and accountants.
2. Event Sponsorships: The association generates revenue through event sponsorships including the annual Forecast Conference, Notable Night celebration, Morning Menu breakfast events, and other industry programs.
3. Event Registrations: Revenue from registrations for conferences, training programs, and networking events.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

MEREDA is a nonprofit trade association that delivers legislative advocacy, industry events, market intelligence, and networking services to Maine real estate professionals. Its core deliverables include the annual Forecast Conference, Notable Project Awards, Morning Menu education series, MEREDA Index market data publication, the MEREDA Matters podcast, weekly Maine Real Estate Insider e-newsletter, and direct advocacy representation before state lawmakers on issues affecting real estate development in Maine.

Product overview

MEREDA (Maine Real Estate & Development Association) is a professional association serving Maine's real estate and development industry. Rather than a unified software platform, MEREDA offers a portfolio of member services including the MEREDA Index (a market tracking tool for Maine real estate), the MEREDA Matters Podcast (industry interviews), the Notable Project Awards program (project recognition), the annual Forecast Conference (industry event), the Morning Menu breakfast series (educational events), and the Maine Real Estate Insider newsletter (weekly content). These services work together to promote fair and responsible development and advocate for the industry before state lawmakers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Membership Annual or recurring membership tier providing Maine real estate professionals with advocacy representation, networking access, event discounts, member directory listing, and inclusion in industry programs.
• Forecast Conference Annual multi-day conference providing economic outlook presentations, industry panels, networking, and a Member Showcase exhibiting over 60 local businesses for Maine real estate and development professionals.
• Notable Project Awards Annual awards program recognizing Maine commercial development projects, with the 2025 cohort including 7 projects from M&R Development, Estabrook Farm & Greenhouse, Avesta Housing, East Brown Cow, SMRT Architects & Engineers, and others.
• Morning Menu Breakfast Series Recurring breakfast events providing educational presentations on real estate development topics (building codes, tax provisions, affordable housing, market analysis) combined with networking for MEREDA members and non-members.
• MEREDA Index Periodic market index publication providing data and perspectives on Maine's real estate markets, serving as the industry's primary market tracking resource; 19+ editions published to date.
• Legislative Advocacy Direct representation of Maine real estate industry members before state lawmakers and government officials on legislation and policy affecting real estate development, including housing production, workforce housing, historic tax credits, and government process reform.
• Notable Night Celebration Annual evening awards celebration event recognizing recipients of the Notable Project Awards and providing a high-visibility gathering for MEREDA members, sponsors, and award-winning project teams.
• Sponsorship Opportunities Tiered sponsorship packages providing brand visibility at MEREDA events and programs, including Cornerstone Members (TD Bank, The Boulos Company, Developers Collaborative, JB Brown & Sons), Sustainer Members (banks, law firms, A&E firms), and event-specific sponsorships.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 1,000 real estate professionals gathered at the 2025 Forecast Conference
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• MainebizcoreOthersMainebiz is MEREDA's media sponsor and distributes the weekly Maine Real Estate Insider e-newsletter. Mainebiz also features Notable Project Award recipients in their Groundbreaking Maine publication.
• Pierce AtwoodcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPierce Atwood is a sponsor of MEREDA events and their attorney Elizabeth Frazier presents MEREDA's legislative agenda at the Forecast Conference, outlining advocacy priorities for housing production.
• Build Homes Build CommunitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMEREDA is a Proud Founding Member of Build Homes Build Community, a coalition of Maine business leaders launched to address the state's housing shortage targeting 84,000 units by 2030.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Maine State Chamber of Commerce: Statewide business association serving Maine employers across industries; comparable to MEREDA as a Maine-based membership organization delivering advocacy, events, and networking to the local business community.
• Greater Portland Board of REALTORS: Local REALTOR association serving southern Maine's real estate professionals; comparable to MEREDA in regional advocacy, MLS-adjacent services, and member events, though with a narrower brokerage focus than MEREDA's development remit.

Direct peers

• Urban Land Institute (ULI): Global real estate and land use research and education organization; overlaps with MEREDA on responsible-development thought leadership, networking events, and market intelligence products aimed at developers and capital providers.
• National Association of Home Builders (NAHB): National trade association for the home building industry, with a strong state-association structure (e.g., Home Builders and Remodelers Association of Maine) that mirrors MEREDA's developer/broker/builder membership profile and advocacy role.
• CCIM Institute: Commercial real estate investment network offering education, designations, and networking to brokers and developers; overlaps with MEREDA's professional development, events, and market-data offerings.
• Realtors Land Institute: Affiliate of NAR focused on land brokerage and development; comparable member-services model (education, networking, advocacy, awards) targeting a development-adjacent professional base similar to MEREDA's.
• BOMA International: Building Owners and Managers Association, a federation of regional affiliates serving commercial real estate professionals with advocacy, education, networking, and awards programs analogous to MEREDA's portfolio.
• ICSC: International Council of Shopping Centers, the trade association for the retail real estate industry; comparable to MEREDA in delivering member events, advocacy, awards, and market intelligence to a commercial real estate constituency.
• NAIOP: National commercial real estate development association with state/local chapters; directly comparable to MEREDA as a development-industry trade association offering advocacy, networking, market intelligence and awards.

Broad incumbents

• National Association of REALTORS (NAR): Largest U.S. trade association for residential and commercial real estate professionals; broader national scope than MEREDA but analogous role providing advocacy, education, market data, and local chapter services to overlapping member segments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MEREDA2
• Facebookfacebook.com/MEREDA2

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Maine Real Estate & Development Association