For five generations, members of the Makepeace family have guided the growth and evolution of this company. In recent years, they have added professionals from outside the family to assist in the management of the company. Today, the Chairman of the Board of Directors and the President/CEO are both business professionals recruited by the Makepeace family.
Robert Karam, CLU, ChFC, REBC | Chairman, A.D. Makepeace Company Board of Directors
Mr. Karam, principal of the Karam Financial Group, joined the A.D. Makepeace Board of Directors in 2006, and serves on our audit, compensation, and valuation committees.
He is co-owner of SNE Broadcasting (WHTB-AM) and Bristol County Broadcasting (WSAR-AM) and recently retired as a member of the Board of Directors of Savings Bank Life Insurance in Woburn, MA.
Mr. Karam has been involved with the Board of Trustees of the University of Massachusetts since 1982, starting as a member of the board at which is now the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, and chairing the university system’s Board of Trustees from 1996 to 2000. In 1996, he became chair of the Board of the UMass Memorial Health Care, Inc. He was also on the Board of Trustees of Southcoast Health Care System.
James F. Kane | President & Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Kane is responsible for oversight and strategic direction of the company. In addition to growing the company’s Cranberry Division through renovations, acquisitions and significant technology upgrades, he directs the company’s real estate development, land stewardship, and other business lines.
Mr. Kane has been with the A.D. Makepeace Company since September, 2005, serving in a variety of senior roles before assuming his current responsibilities in 2019. Most recently, he managed the transition of Read Custom Soils into a fully integrated division of the A.D. Makepeace Company.
He was elected to the Board of Directors of Ocean Spray Cranberries LLC, the $2 billion consumer product cooperative, in February, 2024. He serves on the Audit Committee, Talent and Compensation Committee, and the Finance Committee.
He serves as a member of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy Board of Trustees and is past chairman.
A graduate of the College of the Holy Cross, Mr. Kane also holds a master’s degree in public administration from Clark University. He previously worked at MassDevelopment, where he was chief operating officer. Before that, Mr. Kane served as Chief of Operations for the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority.
After 12 years as an elected selectman in the town of Shrewsbury, Jim is now the elected town moderator. He resides in Shrewsbury with his wife, State Rep. Hannah Kane, and their three children.
Other members of the A.D. Makepeace Company Board of Directors are Abigail Anderson, Richard Canning, Samuel Makepeace Coxe, Jeff Crowley, Lauren Liss, Christopher Makepeace, Kevin Phelan, and Eric Strand.
Lori Flannery | Vice President/Chief Financial Officer
Lori Flannery is vice president and Chief Financial Officer of the A.D. Makepeace Company. In this role, she is an integral member of the senior management group responsible for developing, implementing, and administering the financial functions of the organization.
Ms Flannery is responsible for delivering to the President and Board of Directors timely and accurate reports on the financial conditions of the Company and strategies to improve. She is the second most senior member of the management team leading the company during any absence of the President/CEO.
Ms Flannery joined the staff in August, 2020, from Shawmut Design and Construction in Boston where she was senior director of corporate finance. She previously worked for Gilbane Building Company for 30 years, most recently as Vice President Corporate Controller. She holds a bachelor’s degree and MBA from Providence College, and is a resident of Walpole.
Linda M. Burke | Vice President, Marketing and Communication
Linda Burke joined the Makepeace team in September, 2004, and is responsible for the company’s real estate and retail marketing, public relations, and communications. She also manages the company’s corporate philanthropy initiatives. A graduate of the Boston University School of Public Communication, Ms Burke previously worked for the Massachusetts Development Finance Agency as grants manager, securing some $75 million in public and private grants for community development projects throughout the Commonwealth. She is a resident of Wareham.
Renee Gonsalves, PHR | Vice President, Administrative Operations
Ms. Gonsalves is responsible for human resources, information technology, and management infrastructure. She joined the A.D. Makepeace Company team in October, 2006. She holds a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certification, Society of Human Resources Management certification (SHRM-CP), a Massachusetts real estate sales license and is a notary public. Renee has two grown daughters, two granddaughters, and lives with her husband, George, in Plymouth.
Kim Houdlette | Director of Events and Agritourism
As director of community relations, Kim Houdlette is responsible for external communications, corporate philanthropy, and other related activities of the A.D. Makepeace Company. Kim also manages the company’s agritourism efforts as well as Read Custom Soils’ marketing initiatives. She was also responsible for managing the company’s renowned Cranberry Harvest Celebration during its fifteen-year tenure. The original owner and operator of the Merchant’s Way Cafè in Wareham who studied business management at Bentley College, Kim lives in Wareham with her husband and son and is active in many local community groups.
Christopher Ierardi | General Manager, Read Custom Soils
Chris is responsible for oversight and management of Read Custom Soils, New England’s most experienced precision blenders. It operates from a state-of-the-art blending facility in Carver, Mass., located in the heart of enormous reserves of USGA-quality sand, and from a Westford, Mass. wash plant and blending yard. It is New England’s leading provider of lightweight planting soil for green roof installations, stabilized stonedust for nature paths and pedestrian walkways, bioretention/raingarden soils, a proprietary blend for challenging urban tree planting, specialized soils for sports fields, and golf course materials, serving more than 300 golf courses throughout New England.
Mr. Ierardi joined the A.D. Makepeace Company team in 2005 as a property manager and was assigned to the Custom Soils Division in 2016. Under his leadership, Read sales have increased by some 20 percent in 2018.
Mr. Ierardi holds a bachelor of science degree in landscape architecture from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He lives in Bourne with his wife Kristina, and son.
Louis Lee Lemmertz | Manager of Agriculture
Louis Lemmertz has been with the A.D. Makepeace Company for close to 30 years and serves as Cultural Supervisor for the organization. He holds a pesticide license and continually attends classes to keep up to date on any changes in the industry. A native of Wareham, Mr. Lemmertz’s years of experience in growing cranberries is invaluable to the organization. He enjoys spending time with his daughters and granddaughter.
Daniel Gorczyca | Vice President & Project Executive
At the award-winning Redbrook, Mr. Gorcyzca has a hands-on role in all planning, permitting, and construction management for the 1,200-home community. He directs all utility service to residents, coordinates construction by five different homebuilders, oversees the development of community amenities, and supervises staff at the Redbrook office of the A.D. Makepeace Company.
Dan holds a degree in civil engineering technology from the Wentworth Institute of Technology. He previously worked as senior project engineer at VHB in Watertown, MA.
A lifelong resident of Plymouth, Dan is vice president of the Plymouth Education Foundation, a non-profit charity raising money for education at all age levels in the town, and has been a member of the organization’s Board of Directors since 2016. He has served as an elected Town Meeting member since 2018 and served on the Town of Plymouth Water Conservation Committee since being appointed in 2020. In 2017, he volunteered and coordinated efforts to build a new playground for the Plymouth Preschool. Under his leadership, all labor was volunteered – the school only had to pay for materials.
In 2021, Dan received a “40 Under 40” award from Cape and Plymouth Business Media.
He and his wife, Erin, have four children.
