Featuring Mike Emmons, Owner, Maine Woodland Properties/Emmons Enterprises

On this episode of The Boulos Beat, Joe Italiaander, guest hosting for Greg Boulos sits down with Mike Emmons, a longtime real estate entrepreneur and developer, to discuss his journey from growing up in a small Vermont town to building a successful career in land development. Mike shares how he entered the real estate business in 1981 and helped develop a unique niche focused on acquiring, subdividing, marketing, and selling large rural tracts of land. He reflects on the challenges of the 1988 and 2008 financial downturns, rebuilding his business after each, and successfully adapting his model by acquiring and selling distressed condominium projects following the 2008 crash.  Joe and Mike also discuss Mike’s approach to leadership, the importance of hiring and trusting good people, and his transition toward retirement and spending more time with his family and playing golf. Mike also shares the story of the Taylor Emmons Scholarship Fund (temmons.org), founded in memory of his son, which has raised nearly $3 million and awarded 16 four-year scholarships; the new Taylor Emmons School of Business; his purchase of Galloo Island, the largest privately owned freshwater island in the United States, now being placed in conservation; and his favorite deal — a $4.24 million state reimbursement for a hurricane-stricken orange grove.