Women Developers Successfully Navigating the Development Community

Erin Cooperrider, Principal at NewHeight Group, and Catherine Culley, Co-Founder and Partner at Redfern Properties, sit down with MEREDA Vice President Shannon Richards and MEREDA President Craig Young for the fourth episode of MEREDA Matters - the podcast that puts you in the room with the people who are driving responsible development in Maine. As two successful women in development who, together, have brought over 1,000 housing units to market, Cooperrider and Culley share how they started working in development and their experience working in a male-dominated field. Culley shares how she went from flipping her own house to working on some of the most substantial projects in the state of Maine, with 500 units currently under construction. For Cooperrider, after earning her degree in journalism she ended up in the development world after moving to Maine, eventually serving as the Development Director for Community Housing of Maine for 17 years. Both women talk about their ambition and what they feel women bring to the table in the development world. Discussing their joint venture, the transformation of Mercy Hospital’s State Street campus, Cooperrider and Culley share how the project came together and their take on the impact of the new Inclusionary Zoning mandate. Where is Catherine Culley and Erin Cooperrider’s favorite place to grab a bite to eat in Maine? Listen to the conversation to find out!