Dunham Group charts growth with move to new office and new hires

Courtesy / The Dunham Group The Dunham Group is planning a move from 10 Dana St. to custom-designed space at 2 Monument Square, a few blocks away.

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By Laurie Schreiber

Dunham Group is growing in more ways than one: Two experts in the commercial real estate industry are joining the agency and its offices are moving to upgraded space at 2 Monument Square in Portland.

“We haven’t hired or lost a broker in five years, so it’s really a major event for our company and speaks to the quality of Jim Harnden and Bryan Plourde,” Justin Lamontagne, a partner and designated broker at the Dunham Group, told Mainebiz.

At the same time, the real estate firm is planning to move from 3,200 square feet of space at 10 Dana St. to 3,800 square feet at 2 Monument Square, a few blocks away.

Courtesy / The Dunham Group

Interior construction — including private offices, open space and connectivity features — is underway at 2 Monument Square.

“Our move was quite an experience, too, as we got to be a ‘client’ and we had to consider all the things office users go through post-pandemic,” Lamontagne said. “Our new space was designed with private offices, open space and ‘hoteling’ concepts, as well as the highest-end IT/remote connectivity features. We really tried to develop it with the next 20 years in mind as opposed to how we use office today.”

“Hoteling” means the new office will have desks that are not assigned, so remote and hybrid workers can grab a space when they need it without having a permanent desk set-up.

It’s expected the move to 2 Monument Square will take place in May.

35-year career

Jim Harnden has been in the business for over 30 years and Bryan Plourde was an appraiser at Maine Valuation Co., owned by his father, Mark Plourde, for a decade.

Harnden joined Dunham as broker and partner, having over 35 years of experience in Maine’s commercial real estate market. Most recently, he was president of Harnden Commercial Brokers, a Yarmouth commercial real estate brokerage firm that specializes in commercial real estate leasing and investments in Southern Maine.

person in suit and tie in front of brick wall

Courtesy / The Dunham Group

Jim Harnden.

Harnden’s focus and expertise is tenant representation, having worked with some of the leading companies in the market – including large national, regional and local companies. His proficiency also includes working with investors to expand and manage their real estate portfolios.

“Jim embodies all the qualities that we are looking for in a broker — integrity, intelligence, a tireless work ethic and a commitment to building relationships and community,” said Lamontagne. “His breadth of industry knowledge, combined with a remarkable Rolodex of local, regional and national clients, make Jim a perfect addition to our firm.”

Harnden will join Dunham’s office and investment team. He and another Dunham Group broker, Sam LeGeyt, will be working together, a partnership that started earlier in LeGeyt’s career when he was at Harnden Commercial Brokers.

Harnden is a member of MEREDA and Maine Commercial Association of Realtors, and a past president of the Greater Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce and of the Portland Downtown District.

Commercial appraisals

Plourde joined Dunham as a new broker and sales agent, having spent the last 10 years as a commercial real estate appraiser at Maine Valuation Co. in Gorham, with experience appraising over $1 billion and 5 million square feet of commercial real estate in Maine.

“The addition of Bryan checks a lot of boxes for us,” said Lamontagne. “He’s obviously a talented underwriter of commercial real estate value. But beyond that, he’s a trustworthy, pragmatic and genuinely good person. We couldn’t be more excited that he chose our company to begin the next chapter of his professional career.”

Courtesy / The Dunham Group

Bryan Plourde.

Plourde said he enjoys helping clients make smarter and more informed decisions when buying, selling and leasing commercial real estate.

“Over the years I’ve developed an appreciation for how commercial real estate impacts all those involved, and I enjoy applying my unique perspective to make for an efficient real estate process for my clients,” he said.

Before his career in appraisals, Plourde was a financial advisor with Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch in Boston, providing customized investment management strategies, including the use of real estate investment trusts, to business owners and investors, with over $100 million in client assets.

He is a member of the New England Certified Commercial Investment Member chapter and a past committee member of the Maine Chapter of the Appraisal Institute. He is a candidate for a “Member, Appraisal Institute” designation and the education chair for the Maine chapter of the Foundation Fighting Blindness, the world’s leading private funder of retinal disease research.

With the two new hires, Dunham now has 13 brokers, two staffers and an assistant. It also plans to bring on an intern this summer.