Build Maine
Build Maine, founded in 2014 in Skowhegan, convenes builders, developers, municipal officials, and planners via an annual conference, year-round workshops, policy advocacy, and the open-source PlaceCode zoning library to advance Maine's land use practices.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersSkowhegan, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Build Maine does
Build Maine is a Skowhegan, Maine-based community convening organization founded in 2014 that brings together stakeholders involved in the development of Maine's built environment—including builders, funders, elected officials, engineers, lawyers, planners, finance institutions, and rule-makers. The organization operates an annual conference as its flagship event, complemented by year-round workshops, a Tactical Urbanism Lightning Grants program offering awards up to $1,000, and a Substack-based email newsletter. It is co-hosted by three sector anchor organizations: Maine Downtown Center, Maine Municipal Association (MMA), and Maine Real Estate & Development Association (MEREDA).
The organization's most substantive non-event product is the PlaceCode Library, a zoning code framework developed over 15 years as an alternative to outdated low-density-sprawl-promoting zoning. The PlaceCode has been adopted by towns including Newcastle, Scarborough, Windham, and North Yarmouth. Build Maine open-sourced the PlaceCode with a Housing Opportunity grant from the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development. Since 2022, Build Maine has partnered with GrowSmart Maine on Policy Action, a collaborative open-source legislative process; in 2025 the initiative produced 17 bills across seven working groups spanning housing, street safety, working lands protection, and municipal financial resilience, with 100+ participants statewide.
Revenue is generated through conference fees, corporate and organizational sponsorships, and grants. No headcount, formal ownership structure, or financial disclosures are available in the source data, and the organization is not formally incorporated as a for-profit entity. The customer base spans horizontal segments—municipal officials, real estate developers and builders, planners and engineers, and lawyers and finance professionals—across the state of Maine, with no paying "customers" in the conventional SaaS sense.
Build Maine firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Build Maine
- Legal name
- Build Maine
- Website
- https://build-maine.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Build Maine, founded in 2014 in Skowhegan, convenes builders, developers, municipal officials, and planners via an annual conference, year-round workshops, policy advocacy, and the open-source PlaceCode zoning library to advance Maine's land use practices.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Build Maine industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Development and Land Use Convening
- NAICS
- Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Nonprofit, Social Services & Community Development Congresses (THAHAJAO)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA), Construction, Building Materials & Real Estate Shows Organizers (THAHABAG)
Keywords
Where Build Maine is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Skowhegan
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Build Maine business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Conference Fees: Revenue generated from attendees paying to participate in the annual Build Maine Conference and related workshops.
- Sponsorships: Corporate and organizational sponsors support the conference and year-round operations in exchange for visibility and association with the Build Maine brand.
- Grants: Funding from entities such as the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development (Housing Opportunity grant) to support initiatives like the PlaceCode open source project.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Lightning Grant Awards - Up to $1,000 |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Build Maine product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Build Maine convenes an annual conference, year-round workshops, and grant programs that bring together builders, funders, elected officials, engineers, lawyers, planners, finance institutions, and rule-makers in Maine to share best practices on community development and land use. It also operates the open-source PlaceCode zoning code library and the Policy Action legislative initiative developed with GrowSmart Maine, with the 2025 cohort advancing 17 bills through seven working groups.
Product overview
Build Maine is a community organization and conference platform, not a traditional software company. The organization operates as a unified offering centered around its annual conference, supplemented by grant programs (Tactical Urbanism Lightning Grants), an open-source zoning resource (PlaceCode Library), and policy advocacy initiatives (Policy Action). These products work together to advance the organization's mission of bringing together stakeholders in Maine's building and development ecosystem to share best practices and shape state-level policy.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Build Maine Conference Annual flagship conference bringing together builders, funders, elected officials, engineers, lawyers, planners, finance institutions, and rule-makers to share best practices on transportation planning, real estate development, and public service in Maine.
- Year-Round Workshops and Events Enriching workshops and events held throughout the year across Maine covering transportation planning, real estate development, and public service.
- Tactical Urbanism Lightning Grants Grant program offering up to $1,000 in cash plus shared supplies and technical support to plan and implement tactical urbanism demonstration projects such as road diets, bike lanes, traffic calming, park activations, art installations, and pop-up parks in Maine municipalities.
- PlaceCode Library Open-source zoning code library developed over 15 years to help Maine towns achieve local land use goals by providing an accessible kit of parts based on local development patterns, helping towns build stronger tax bases, unlock housing, reposition commercial corridors, protect historic villages, and direct development away from rural lands.
- Policy Action
Companies that use Build Maine
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Build Maine technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Build Maine partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered major, core, local and minor.
- GrowSmart MainemajorBuild Maine and GrowSmart Maine joined forces for Policy Action, a collaborative open source process to craft legislative policy. The initiative involves brainstorming sessions and working groups that advance bills at the state level.
- Maine Downtown CentercoreCo-hosting organization for Build Maine. The Maine Downtown Center collaborates on conference programming and organizational direction.
- Maine Municipal Association (MMA)coreCo-hosting organization for Build Maine. MMA provides municipal government perspective and outreach to city and town officials across Maine.
- Maine Real Estate & Development Association (MEREDA)coreCo-hosting organization for Build Maine. MEREDA brings real estate industry expertise and network to the organization.
- Main Street SkowheganlocalPartnering organization that collaborates on conference programming and local Skowhegan events including the Bites & Sites food tour.
- CNU MaineminorPartnering organization for Build Maine events and initiatives.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Build Maine competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Maine Downtown Center: Maine Downtown Center is a Build Maine co-host and a statewide downtown revitalization program serving similar municipalities and community development practitioners across Maine.
- Maine Real Estate & Development Association (MEREDA): MEREDA is a Build Maine co-host and a Maine-based real estate trade association convening developers, lenders, and builders. It is directly comparable in convening the same private development stakeholder segment that Build Maine serves.
- GrowSmart Maine: GrowSmart Maine is Build Maine's direct partner on the Policy Action initiative and a fellow Maine-based smart-growth advocacy organization working on land use, housing, and community development policy — directly comparable in mission and constituency.
- Maine Municipal Association (MMA): MMA is one of Build Maine's three co-hosting organizations and serves Maine's municipal officials with training, advocacy, and policy resources. It is directly comparable as a Maine-focused membership and convening body for town and city government stakeholders.
Broad incumbents
- Strong Towns: Strong Towns is a national nonprofit advancing incremental, bottom-up community development through media, events, and a member network. It is comparable as a broader-scale advocacy and content organization addressing similar municipal finance and development issues.
- Smart Growth America: Smart Growth America is a national coalition promoting equitable, sustainable land use and development policy through research, advocacy, and convenings. It is comparable as a larger, established player operating in Build Maine's exact land use policy space at a national scale.
- Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU): CNU is a national membership organization promoting walkable, mixed-use urbanism through annual congresses, district chapters, and advocacy. It is comparable as a larger, established convening body in the same land use and urban design space, of which Build Maine's CNU Maine chapter is a regional affiliate.
- Urban Land Institute (ULI): ULI is a global research and education organization serving real estate and land use professionals through member districts, advisory panels, and conferences. It is comparable as a much larger, established convening and content body serving the same developer, planner, and municipal stakeholder segments.
- National League of Cities: The National League of Cities is a major U.S. membership and advocacy organization for municipal officials, comparable as a larger convening and policy organization serving elected and appointed city officials, the same primary persona Build Maine engages.
Emerging players
- Form-Based Codes Institute: Form-Based Codes Institute promotes form-based zoning approaches similar in spirit to Build Maine's PlaceCode library. It is an adjacent organization addressing the same municipal zoning-reform audience, focused on a specific technical solution rather than a broad convening role.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses3 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Build Maine social profiles
Digital presenceBuild Maine financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Build Maine leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Build Maine funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Build Maine M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Build Maine
What does Build Maine do?
Build Maine convenes an annual conference, year-round workshops, and grant programs that bring together builders, funders, elected officials, engineers, lawyers, planners, finance institutions, and rule-makers in Maine to share best practices on community development and land use. It also operates the open-source PlaceCode zoning code library and the Policy Action legislative initiative developed with GrowSmart Maine, with the 2025 cohort advancing 17 bills through seven working groups.
Is Build Maine a public or private company?
Build Maine is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Build Maine founded?
Build Maine was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Build Maine based?
Build Maine is headquartered in Skowhegan, United States, in the North America region.
How does Build Maine make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Conference Fees are the primary driver. The others are sponsorships and grants.
Who are Build Maine's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Maine Downtown Center, Maine Real Estate & Development Association (MEREDA), GrowSmart Maine and Maine Municipal Association (MMA). Broad incumbents are Strong Towns, Smart Growth America, Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU), Urban Land Institute (ULI) and National League of Cities. Form-Based Codes Institute is listed as an emerging player.
Does Build Maine have an API?
No public API is recorded for Build Maine.
What industry is Build Maine in?
Build Maine's product category is Community Development and Land Use Convening. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAHAJAO, Nonprofit, Social Services & Community Development Congresses, with a secondary code of THAHACAA, Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies). Its NAICS code is 813 and its SIC code is 8600.