Photo Caption: Aaron Chadbourne accepts the 2026 REALTOR® of the Year Award from Greater Portland Board of REALTORS® President Yvonne Myer (left) and Association Executive Linda Cohen (right). Photo Credit: Michael Eric Bérubé, GoodPhotos.com
At a celebration on June 10 at DiMillo’s on the Water in Portland, realtors from around the region gathered as the Greater Portland Board of Realtors gave out three awards. After an hour of mingling, members and guests of the Board of Realtors gathered to reflect on their mission and vision, and to hear from each of the winners of the 2026 awards.
The first award given was to Kristin Roy of Elevate Maine Realty, who received the 2026 Spirit Award. The Spirit Award is an honor that recognizes a realtor who embodies enthusiasm, dedication, and an unwavering, positive commitment to the association and profession.
The second award went to David Roberts, vice president and mortgage loan officer with Bangor Savings Bank, who was named the 2026 Affiliate of the Year for his service and commitment to the GPBR community.
The 2026 Realtor of the Year Award went to Aaron Chadbourne of Demetria Real Estate, a past president of the Board of Realtors and the most recent past president of the Gorham Times. Speaking without notes, Chadbourne had someone to thank at nearly every table on deck, not for himself being chosen for the award, but for their contribution to the profession, to their clients, to the board, to each other, and to their communities.
Chadbourne credited his mother, Demetria Chadbourne, for much of his success, drive, and a vision of the way real estate can “transform lives and build generational wealth.” He told his audience, “And that’s what we’re in the business of doing. We’re not in the business of doing deals. We’re not in the business of negotiating. We’re not in the business of just putting up our sign and telling people on Facebook what we just listed or just sold or just put under contract (although we do all of that), but we’re in the business of shaping communities.”
Recognizing many others he said, “…all of you know that I am unashamed in asking you to do something, because if you don’t ask someone’s not going to do it, so I’ll ask every single time.”
Then he went on to describe all the things that have been and are being accomplished with the help of all those who, he said, “have your back,” saying, “…because those of you who know me know that I like to take risks. I like to push the envelope. I like to advocate for what I believe in and what I’m passionate about. And you can’t do that unless you have a team–unless you have people that have your back.” Here, Chadbourne brought attention to the Maine Association of Realtors and many others.
In closing he said, “Thank you for being here. All of you. I didn’t want this honor to be Realtor of the Year for me, but what I do want to aspire to is what we can do differently.” After giving some examples he said, “There’s so much that is so divisive in our time right now. But we have an opportunity to remind people why what we do matters, how we build communities, how we put people in secure housing, how we build generational wealth.”
He continued, “We have the opportunity to influence the world that we’re in, the world that we become and how we serve each and every one of our clients. And I’m grateful to have had an opportunity to influence the way that we work in our association and figure out how we can take fuller advantage of it.”
Bringing the celebration to a close, Chadbourne introduced 2026 graduate of the Osher School of Music Jared Vigue, tenor, singing the National Anthem.
Congratulations Aaron Chadbourne, 2026 Realtor of the Year.