About Hay Runner
Hay Runner is a Real Estate, Architecture, and Construction firm dedicated to simplifying the entire lifecycle of property ownership. From buying and designing to building, renovating, maintaining, and selling, we integrate every step under one roof. This approach reduces stress and costs, brings clarity to complex processes, and ensures reliable budgets and timelines.
To further support busy clients, we offer unique add-on services including handyman work, custom millwork, plant design and care, interior design, art and furnishings procurement, and personal concierge services—delivering a truly comprehensive experience.
Behind the scenes, Hay Runner is equally committed to its team. We provide structure and support for a talented group of designers, makers, and builders who share a passion for craft and service excellence. Our culture is rooted in transparency, innovation, and a belief that creativity thrives when supported.
Founded by Shannon Richards in 2018 and based in Portland, Maine—with a second location in Rockport since 2023—Hay Runner continues to grow as a trusted partner for residential and boutique commercial projects across the state.
We’re building a better construction process
Today, the home ownership system is disjointed and messy because people don't view it as a complete lifecycle. At Hay Runner, we integrate and coordinate the lifecycle of buying, fixing, designing, building, maintaining, and selling homes. We support people every step of the way.
We love the functionality and beauty of space and aim to share this excitement with others. Spaces have power to inspire, not confine. Be big in life, take up all the space you want, and make it yours.”
“From a young age, I had tendencies as both an artist and a problem-solver. I remember my first creations: drawing a rainbow with every crayon in my box, a yellow triangle for the sun, and little black "v" birds in the sky. In time my channel for creativity became building and improving spaces, because they require both artistry and strategic problem-solving.
When I learned about Cornelius Vanderbilt in high school, his story resonated deeply. Before he became a shipping and railroad tycoon and one of the wealthiest Americans of the 19th century, Vanderbilt was a visionary hustler. He quit school at 11, started running hay on a small sailboat, and dreamed of being on the ocean. Vanderbilt understood vertical integration and aimed to simplify complex business systems by uniting different industries. This is the same core principle of Hay Runner.
-Shannon Richards
Hay Runner Owner, Founder
Learn more about Shannon
More about our name…
What is ‘Hay Runner’? video by Trent Bell
There once was a boy, born on an island farm. During the war, he began running hay to the mainland to help feed the cavalry. And the horses, they say, won that war. His first boat was a periauger, and he bought it with a loan from his mother, whom he paid back with interest.
He was dependable and capable - he had deep roots and a community. He was aware of the elements, the lifecycle and interdependence of all things. He was noticed by men that mattered. These men had the means to hire him - and they brought to him an awareness of the newest technologies in transportation and shipping. He understood the need of the community and with this, he understood how to simplify and deliver a streamlined business the community desperately needed and wanted - and was ready for. He understood the need so well, not many years later, he owned one dollar in every twenty in the United States of America.
His name was Cornelius Vanderbilt, and, in his lifetime, he achieved great things for himself, his family and the community. He connected and integrated businesses that depended on one another, like a farm. He simplified systems and created efficiencies that the people needed and wanted. HayRunner was named for him - and the idea that we can improve systems and integrate seemingly disparate, but dependent, services.
HayRunner was created to simplify and support the lifecycle of real estate ownership, from acquisition through design, construction, maintenance, furnishing and, eventually, selling. We support all phases of real estate ownership by providing an integrated approach, and expertise for each interdependent layer. Our experience, technology and resources provide clients with a completely individualized, transparent, concierge approach to solving their real estate ownership needs.
