Portland Real Estate Firm Donates $50,000 to USM’s Career Development Center

The University of Southern Maine Foundation announced this week that Portland-based Reveler Development has become a founding sponsor of the McGoldrick Center for Career & Student Success with a generous $50,000 gift.

Reveler Development, formerly known as Port Property, is a comprehensive real estate investment, development, construction, and management firm, managing over 2,000 housing units in Portland and Wilmington, N.C. The firm recently completed the Armature at Hanover Works, featuring 171 apartments in Portland’s Bayside neighborhood.

At USM, Reveler is sponsoring a space in the Career & Employment Hub located on the McGoldrick Center’s second floor. This Hub offers a dedicated place for students to connect with prospective employers like Reveler, meet with career counselors, and enhance their career readiness through research and preparation.

The Career Hub programs provide students with invaluable opportunities to gain experience in their fields, explore various career paths, develop global citizenship skills, and give back to the community. To date, around 20 employer partners from Maine’s business community have invested in the McGoldrick Center.

Tom Watson, founder of Reveler and a 2023 Mainebiz Business Leader of the Year, expressed his excitement: “It’s exciting to be part of USM and the McGoldrick Center. We strongly believe that those of you who are about to enter the workforce will soon find that it is your turn to create the future and build the future.”

Ainsley Wallace, president and CEO of the USM Foundation, added, “We are so pleased to be partnering with Reveler Development to support the McGoldrick Center. USM’s career-development programs are essential, not just for our students, but also for the workforce recruitment needs of Maine’s employers like Reveler Development. We are deeply grateful to Tom Watson and his team for their generous investment in our students’ future success.”

The McGoldrick Center, a three-story building, features an expansive dining area, Husky Brew Pub, University Store, Double L Fireside Lounge, and other public spaces available for community use. The center regularly draws hundreds of students, faculty, staff, and community members through its doors. The second floor is dedicated to the Career & Employment Hub, along with meeting and community engagement spaces. The third floor focuses on cultivating student leadership opportunities and connections, with additional spaces for USM’s Diversity Center, student organizations, Promise Scholars, and the Student Government Business Office.

Adjacent to Portland Commons, the first residence hall on USM’s Portland campus, the $26.6 million, 41,000 square-foot McGoldrick Center was funded through a combination of private philanthropy, corporate sponsorships, and $19 million in public funding from the voter-approved 2018 University of Maine System Workforce Development Bond.