Maine Real Estate and Development Association

Did you hear Episode 4 of MEREDA Matters - The Stealth Developer with Jim Howard, Founder of Priority Group? Host Justin Laverriere and co-host Andrew Silsby, President and CEO of Kennebec Savings Bank, sit down with Howard to dig into the 15-year Brunswick Landing redevelopment and the 31-store partnership with John Koch of Rusty Lantern Markets that have defined his 28-year career.

Listen here! https://mereda-matters.simplecast.com/

We are grateful for our sponsors who helped make this project possible. Thank you to our Gold Sponsor: Kennebec Savings Bank!

Maine Real Estate Insider: 6.9.26 - The Right Equation for Responsible Development: Spotlight on The Downs (Scarborough). Read More Here -- https://mereda.org/2026/06/09/the-right-equation-for-responsible-development-spotlight-on-the-downs-scarborough/

Sustainer Member Shout Out! Bangor Savings Bank is a valued Sustainer Level Member! Thank you for supporting our important work and being a member for 30 years!! We appreciate you! Learn more about Bangor Savings Bank here: https://www.bangor.com/about-us/

Sustainer Member Shout Out! Many thanks to Atlantic National Trust for supporting MEREDA and its mission! We appreciate you! Learn more about Atlantic National Trust here: https://atlanticnationaltrust.com/

Join us in welcoming MEREDA's newest member, Kota Construction Co.! Welcome to Maine's premier commercial real estate development trade organization! Thank you for supporting MEREDA and its mission!

Learn more here - http://www.kotaconstructionmaine.com

In 2011, the Brunswick Naval Air Station closed, taking 5,000 jobs with it. Fifteen years later, one developer has helped restore nearly a thousand of them.

On this episode of MEREDA Matters, host Justin Laverriere and co-host Andrew Silsby, President and CEO of Kennebec Savings Bank, sit down with Jim Howard of Priority Group to find out. From Home Vision Video in the 1990s to building 31 Rusty Lantern Markets with John Cook today, Howard shares the patience and partnership discipline behind his $90 million Brunswick Landing investment, and explains why he hasn’t put a project out to bid in a decade. Listen now! https://mereda-matters.simplecast.com/

We're grateful to have such dedicated leaders engaged in shaping Maine's future, and we hope this is just one of many conversations we'll have together! Thank you, Peter DelGreco, Amanda Rector, Guy Hudson, Tony McKim, and Jason Harkins for spending your morning with us!

A special thank you to our Sponsors who made this event possible! First National Bank, Harnum Holdings, City of Bangor, Old Republic Title, Haley Ward, S.W. Cole Engineering, and Wright-Ryan Construction.

Maine’s most prolific commercial developer has built one of the state’s largest real estate portfolios while staying almost entirely out of the headlines.

On the latest MEREDA Matters, host Justin Laverriere and co-host Andrew Silsby, President and CEO of Kennebec Savings Bank, sit down with Jim Howard of Priority Real Estate Group to unpack 28 years of quiet deal-making. They trace his path from video stores to 62 property companies across Maine and New Hampshire, and dig into the long-game discipline behind the 15-year Brunswick Landing redevelopment and his 31-store partnership with Rusty Lantern Markets.

Listen to the conversation now: https://mereda-matters.simplecast.com/

Maine Real Estate Insider: 6.2.26 - Understanding Maine's Economy: Statewide Drivers and Local Impact. Join MEREDA in Bangor for Breakfast this Thursday, June 4th! FMI & Register -- https://mereda.org/events/meredas-breakfast-june/