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V O L . X X V I I N O. X X V I I D E C E M B E R 1 3 , 2 0 2 1 14 WO R K F O R C E D E V E L O P M E N T Mead, 33, left Maine in 2006 to study electrical and computer engineer- ing at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, where he met his wife, and they headed west in 2015. Of his current situation, Mead says, "I already worked with people across the country as part of my job any- way, so now I'm just doing it from an eastern time zone," estimating that he commutes to the office in Freeport about once a week. "COVID gave us the permission and the structure to be somewhere where you're not expected to be in the office five days a week." Mead's wife, who is a geotechni- cal engineer, was also able to bring her job with her to Maine though that was slightly harder with a small employer, and their youngest child is attend- ing first grade in person after a year of remote learning in Oregon. Making the most of outdoor recre- ational activities, Mead says the family is enjoying far less rain than Oregon and looks forward to skiing this winter, adding: "at was a bit of a motivator, too. We realized we missed the snow." FUN FACT: A Zillow survey released in April found that 11% of Americans moved in the past year, and that 8 million more households could enter the real estate market because of the pandemic. Business lawyer branches out More than a decade into his law career, Bernstein Shur shareholder David Schneider branched out as a national park ranger for six months. Schneider, 37, who advises clients on a host of corporate matters including mergers and acquisitions, joined the Portland-based firm in early 2015. In 2021, the outdoor enthusiast applied for a seasonal ranger position with the National Park Service not knowing what to expect. "I knew that I wanted to at least try," he says via phone from his home in Blue Hill. "I wasn't sure what would come of it — I tried to keep an open mind … My main goal was to try to challenge myself and do some- thing different." He got his chance when he was hired for the job at Isle au Haut, an island in Penobscot Bay that's home to portions of Acadia National Park and is accessible by mailboat from Stonington. Schneider, who grew up near Philadelphia and moved to Maine from New York City in 2012 for better access to nature, had requested the Isle au Haut posting in his application to the National Park Service. His only previous experience on the island, which has just 71 year-round resi- dents, had been a visit four years earlier. is time as a ranger, he was the one meeting tourists arriving on what he calls a "magical island" even when the weather wasn't optimal. "ere were some rainy days, and some bug-filled days," he recalls. "Not » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E Where is Maine real estate heading? Find out at MEREDA's 2022 Real Estate Forecast Conference! Thursday, January 20 from 9-5 • Cross Insurance Arena, Portland NEW LOCATION! LOTS MORE SPACE! Sponsored by: • Two formats: You choose in-person OR virtual • Member Showcase with nearly 60 exhibitors • Networking Opportunities + Happy Hour • Continuing education credits available • Expert analysis of the 2022 forecast for Maine's Real Estate Industry Register today: MEREDA.org (207) 874-0801 Check MEREDA.org for current Covid-19 safety protocols P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Bernstein Shur shareholder David Schneider took six months off from practicing law to work as a ranger at Acadia National Park. Even on the bad days, there were good things happening. — David Schneider Bernstein Shur F O C U S

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