Maine Real Estate & Dev. Assn. honors 4 at forecast conference

Roxane Cole, president of the Maine Real Estate & Development Association (MEREDA), named the winners of several awards presented each year by the organization. The awards were presented at this year's annual forecast conference on January 24th. "Each of this year's award recipients has a made a significant and lasting contribution to responsible development in the State of Maine," said Cole. The awards and 2008 recipients are as follows: * The Robert B. Patterson, Jr. Founders' Award, which recognizes a member who has contributed to the industry or to MEREDA on a significant level over many years, was presented to Stephen Kasprzak of Waterboro, a builder and developer for 35 years and the founder of Kasprzak Builders and related companies. * The Volunteer of the Year Award, presented annually to an individual who has willingly and enthusiastically volunteered his or her time and energy to furthering MEREDA's mission, was given to Bill Shanahan of Scarborough, the vice president and chief financial officer of the Northern New England Housing Investment Fund. * The Public Policy Award, presented to an individual member whose efforts have made meaningful impact on public policy decisions for the benefit of the real estate industry in Maine, was given to David Kamila of Litchfield, former president of Land Use Consultants and now a principal in the Portland office of Stantec. * The Presidents' Award, a discretionary award given by MEREDA's current president, was presented to Avesta Housing for its commitment to building affordable housing for the people of Maine. The president and CEO of Avesta Housing is Dana Totman of Brunswick. Founded in 1985, MEREDA is an organization of commercial real estate owners, developers and related service providers, whose mission is to promote an environment for responsible development and ownership of real estate throughout the state of Maine. More than 550 people attended MEREDA's 2008 forecast conference and member showcase.