About Us

Mission Statement

In 2009, Michael Baird founded ChapelTrader to be a central, online location for religious property management information including the wholesale of religious assets. ChapelTrader’s mission is to connect all religious assets and properties with the appropriate marketing, sales and management services through its founding member’s strong community relationships and decades of experience. ChapelTrader can help any religious institution manage assets or property and facilitate the sale of any goods.

Services

ChapelTrader, through its association with Parish Property Management and Baird & Associates, offers a list of services which include (but is not limited to):

Liquidation Services, including Cataloguing of Assets
Real Estate Sales and Leasing
Asset Appraisals
Building and Property Condition Assessments
Property Management

The ChapelTrader Team

The ChapelTrader team will maximize the value of your religious asset with their extensive history of service to religious communities.

Michael J. Baird (Founder)
An opportunity early in Michael Baird’s career allowed him to learn the industrial and commercial liquidation and auction field with a national company. His employment as a project manager provided for the unique education of how to properly catalogue, and target market a client’s assets, this along with a lengthy service to the religious communities’ nationwide audience, has helped establish a broad marketing campaign for all listed items and services.

Michael’s 18 years of experience in facilities services consists of construction supervision, project management, property assessments, as well as construction cost analysis and estimation. Michael began his career in 1995 as a project engineer with The Whiting – Turner Contracting Company (W-T) where his responsibilities included estimating, project set-up, and management of project schedules, subcontractors and suppliers. Sample projects under Michael’s responsibilities at W-T included the Westminster Volunteer Fire Station, SECU Corporate headquarters and the Lowe’s Home Improvement Center. Michael also spent time with Oak Contracting and the F.M. Harvey Construction company where he had responsibility for projects at The Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, St. Matthews Roman Catholic Church and Baltimore Country Club. His most recent projects, where Michael had day-to-day project management responsibilities include Loyola Blakefield Wheeler Hall addition, Stella Maris Retirement Community, St. Clements Mission, Holy Redeemer College, St. Mary’s Rectory of Annapolis and Notre Dame University of Maryland.

His current and past clients include:

The Sisters of Mercy
Little Sisters of the Poor
Society of Jesus (Jesuits)
Oblates of Saint Francis de Sales
Oblate Sisters of Providence
The Redemptorist Fathers Baltimore Province
The Redemptorist Fathers of Denver Province
School Sister of Notre Dame
Benedictine Sisters
Order of Preachers (Dominicans)
Archdiocese of Baltimore

Louis F. Baird (Sales Team)
Louis or “Lou” brings almost 35 years of religious property management, strategic planning, design coordination, construction and maintenance experience to ChapelTrader. Lou spent the majority of his career with the Archdiocese of Baltimore where he served as Director of Facilities for approximately 16 years.

Lou has been a member of the International Facilities Management Association (IFMA), since 1991, serving as president of the Chesapeake Chapter for 2 years. Lou has achieved the designation of Certified Facility Manager (CFM). Lou is a founding member and past president of the Conference for Catholic Facility Management, a national association of Diocesan Facility representatives. Lou is a past member of the Baltimore Building Congress and Exchange and has served as a Board member and on the Civic Affairs, Program and Craftsmanship Committees. Lou also served on Boards and Committees of several Religious and nonprofit institutions such as the Baltimore and Denver Provinces of the Redemptorist Fathers, Benedictine Sisters in Baltimore, Msgr. O’Dwyer Youth Retreat House and Visitation Sisters, as well as his present position as a Member of the Board of Trustees at Loyola High School Blakefield, where he is Chair of the Building and Grounds Committee.