MEREDA honors four 'exceptional' supporters

A man in a suit stands in front of a background that says MEREDA

FILE / MEREDA Forceast screen image MEREDA past president Josh Fifield, shown at the 2017 conference, was chosen to receive this year’s Robert B. Patterson Jr. Founder’s Award for his "extraordinary commitment and dedication to MEREDA over the years."

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By Ann Fisher

The Maine Real Estate and Development Association recognized four exceptional individuals on Jan. 26 for their significant and lasting contributions to real estate development in the state of Maine.

The awards were presented in person at this year’s Forecast Conference at the Cross Insurance Arena, attended by close to 1,000 real estate professionals.

Josh Fifield was selected for this year’s Robert B. Patterson Jr. Founder’s Award, for his "extraordinary commitment and dedication to MEREDA over the years."

In 2014, Fifield, a vice president of the Business Insurance Department at Clark Insurance, started volunteering with MEREDA on the Marketing & Membership Committee. He then joined the Board of Directors in 2017, a year he was also recognized with MEREDA’s Volunteer of the Year Award.

Fifield served as president from 2020-2022, during a time of uncertainty and upheaval. But even with the challenges brought by the pandemic, Fifield’s tenure saw financial stability and growth in membership at MEREDA. He continues to serve the organization and is currently on MEREDA’s Membership and Executive Committees.

The MEREDA Public Policy Award is presented each year to an individual whose efforts have made a significant impact on public policy changes that benefit responsible real estate development and ownership in Maine. This year state Sen. Matt Pouliot was recognized for his leadership in housing creation policy, and for his support of MEREDA’s efforts.

Coutesy/Maine GOP

Sen. Matt Pouliot

Pouliot has been a steadfast supporter of MEREDA policy priorities, including his help in maintaining the Maine Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit; his support for the establishment of a Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy program; his vote for the 2022 Housing Act; and his sponsorship of two MEREDA priority legislation items for the 131st Legislature.

Last fall, he served on the Legislature’s Commission to Increase Housing Opportunities in Maine by Studying Land Use Regulations and Short-term Rentals – the final report of which is the starting point for the work of the new Joint Select Committee on Housing, which he was instrumental in establishing.

Pouliot is also a leader in real estate sales and development in Kennebec County and beyond. Most notably, he helped revive the historic Water Street corridor in Augusta through the redevelopment of downtown properties, including the New Purington Brothers Block, which won a 2022 Maine Historic Preservation Award.

The Volunteer of the Year Award is awarded to those who generously share their time, talents, and energy with MEREDA. This the contributions by Ben Brennan were honored.

Ben Brennan, a senior sales executive for KONE Elevators in South Portland, serving as co-chair from 2021-22 of MEREDA's DevelopME's Committee, where he worked to engage membership and create professional development opportunities. In 2021, Brennan started serving on MEREDA’s Board of Directors. More recently, he joined the Local Issues Committee.

The President’s Award is given by MEREDA’s current president, Craig Young of the Boulos Co., in recognition of someone who has made significant contributions on MEREDA’s behalf.

This year’s President’s Award goes to Shelly Clark, who started with MEREDA in January 1997. That year the Forecast Conference had only 105 people in attendance. Clark has helped grow that event and MEREDA into what it is today. Now, serving as MEREDA’s executive director, Clark manages all day-to-day operations, including coordinating educational programs, managing membership development, and providing support for board and committee activities. During the pandemic, Clark went beyond the call of duty and worked from home to keep the organization going.

Clark has been a vital colleague to a dozen MEREDA presidents. As part of the award tribute, a few recent past presidents echoed Young's praise for Clark and shared their thoughts in a brief video.

Clark is originally from Houlton and proud of her roots in the County. Always a hard worker, she recalls waking up at 4 a.m. and picking potatoes at the age of 7 so she could get the “Dorothy Hamill'' haircut at the Bangor Mall. She now lives in Portland with her husband Alan. Clark has always said that she has the best job in the world and that if she weren’t doing this she’d be singing and touring with a band.