Meet Melanie

Q: How would you describe Aryze’s approach to community engagement?

A: The term ‘developer’ can hold a lot of weight, so I like to showcase the values, passion and care that drive the work we do and the people behind these ideas. We, too, have kids who play in the local parks, dogs who need a space to run and a passion for our city—leaving it a better place than we found it.

Most meaningfully, though, we try to share the data behind our decisions and the driving factors behind some of the pain points we are all feeling in the housing market right now.

Q: Creativity has been a constant throughout your career, how is that incorporated into your work with Aryze?

A: An area that overlaps in the venn diagram of my love for Aryze is my passion for design in the built environment and the effect this can have on our confidence, sense of self and belonging. This is yet another reason why I love the new purpose-built rentals we create—just because you’re leasing doesn’t mean you should have to sacrifice great design!

Q: What’s an average day like for you?

A: There’s a deep entrepreneurial spirit that courses through the organization, so each day is completely different—which is the way I like it! That said, the best part of my day is time spent with our team at Aryze and collaborating with so many community partners—folks who share aligned values with our organization. That’s what I love so much about The Good City Project and working with Calen McNeil at Big Wheel Community Foundation and Jill Doucette at Synergy Foundation. Together we get to brainstorm ways to make a meaningful difference in our city—whether through building playgrounds, a floating dock and funding projects that are close to our hearts.