A Conversation with Sean Ireland and Mandy Reynolds from The Grant

From The Grant, Sean Ireland, a Principal at Windward Development, and Mandy Reynolds, a real estate development consultant, sit down with MEREDA President Shannon Richards for the first episode in Season 2 of MEREDA Matters - the podcast that puts you in the room with the people who are driving responsible development in Maine. Ireland, who grew up in Phippsburg and Cumberland, talks about why he chose to work in Bath, the historic transformation happening there, and how his work focuses on small projects that can make a big difference. Reynolds, who grew up in Berwick, had never been to Bath until she started working with Ireland on development projects. The pair go on to discuss their work on the Grant Building project, which began during the pandemic when the community needed a safe space to gather with high-speed internet capabilities and has become a mixed-use building with their co-working space Union + Co, four residential units, and three additional commercial spaces. Ireland and Reynolds share how this project represents a culmination of their principles for good development and give insight into how they made the project come together through a historic tax credit and the grit to self-perform the majority of the work. The group also discusses Ireland and Reynolds’s next project, a redevelopment of the Stinson Seafood Cannery into the first purpose-built electric marina in the nation. Looking for inspiration for the future, the pair is taking a year-long working sabbatical to travel around the world to learn more about innovative community development projects and the Blue Economy. What has had the biggest influence on Sean and Mandy? Listen to the episode to find out!