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Vermont Business Resources

In addition to the Vermont Agency of Commerce & Community Development, below is a list of great resources for you and your business:

Community and Economic Development Lenders 

Venture Capital and Angel Investors 

Agricola farm people standing in front of their freezer
Agricola Farm won a $200,000 USDA/Rural Development grant, to which the ACEDC made a $20,000 loan as part of the match. Rellini said loans such as this one provided the capital needed to afford necessary equipment and rent at a time when their growing business wasn’t yet profitable. Full Story

 

 

    Other Non-Traditional Financing Sources

    Grant Funding

    Agricultural Lenders

    Federal Funding Programs

    Business Assistance

    Education and Training

    Networks and Associations

     

    ACCD - Vermont Agency of Commerce & Community Development

    The Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD) helps Vermonters improve their quality of life and build strong communities.

    Collaboration is central to carrying out this mission and we work with other state Agencies as well as businesses of all sizes, communities, educators, non-profits, students, recreational venues and many others. We at ACCD “set the table” for opportunity. So whether you are a business owner seeking to relocate here, a developer interested in building a new project, an individual hoping to restore an historic gem or a community hoping to increase the livability of your town, you have come to the right place.

    Agency Departments

    The Department of Economic, Housing and Community Development (DEHCD)

    At DEHCD, we work to grow our economy, help businesses create jobs, and support vibrant and resilient communities. Our staff provides training, technical and financial assistance designed to enhance local community and economic development programs and practices.

    Our economic development staff can help you learn more about our strong workforce, walk you through the permitting process, connect you with local networks and share more about our programs, and capital and investment opportunities. The Vermont Economic Progress Council is an arm of the department. The State of Vermont also offers economic incentives for business recruitment, growth and expansion through the VT Employment Growth Incentive (VEGI) program. 

    Our housing program focuses on developing housing policy and overseeing the Mobile Home Park Program. The Vermont Community Development Program helps municipalities provide housing, jobs, public services and facilities to their residents. Promoting and preserving our historic resources are the focus of our historic preservation program and our state-owned historic sites.

    We are the state’s central office for local and regional land use, including our smart growth designations, designed to enhance our unique landscape of compact centers surrounded by working landscapes. DEHCD also funds and supports regional development efforts through the Regional Planning Commissions, Regional Development Corporations and through other partners.

    The Department of Tourism and Marketing (DT&M)

    The Vermont Brand is associated with environmental quality, “green values,” local, strong community centers, an active agricultural economy and world class, four-season recreation. Our tourism staff promotes Vermont as a travel destination for Vermonters and visitors alike which in turn supports a diverse and vital part of the state’s economy. We work with our partners to develop and implement a comprehensive marketing plan that integrates television, radio, newspaper and magazine print.

    Chief Marketing Office

    The Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) serves as the central authority for state marketing activity, providing oversight of marketing functions within each state agency and department.  Specifically, the CMO acts as a steward of the Vermont brand, and together with the marketing specialist, supports state marketing activity by providing marketing expertise and centralized services, and enhances the success of state marketing efforts through collaboration.

    Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR)

    VBSR is a non-profit, statewide business trade organization with a mission to advance business ethics that value multiple bottom lines- economic, social, and environmental. We strive to help members set a high standard for protecting the natural, human and economic environments of the state's residents, while remaining profitable. We advance VBSR's mission through:

    Education. Empowering our members to solve environmental, social and economic problems. We provide concrete resources and information to help improve our members' business practices.

    Public Influence. Initiating tangible change in public policy that combats exploitation and promotes sustainability. We work to capture the inherent power of business to represent socially responsible ideals to legislative bodies, news media, and the general public.

    Workplace Quality.Enabling every worker to live and work with respect and dignity by creating work environments and economic climates that provide fair income in safe work settings, and allow each employee to contribute to a high quality product or service.

    Vermont Employee Ownership Center (VEOC)

    The Vermont Employee Ownership Center is a statewide non-profit whose mission is to promote and foster employee ownership in order to broaden capital ownership, deepen employee participation, retain jobs, increase living standards for working families, and stabilize communities.  We provide information and resources to owners interested in selling their business to their employees, employee groups interested in purchasing a business, and entrepreneurs who wish to start up a company with broadly shared ownership. 

    Vermont Employee Ownership Center
    286 College Street  PO Box 546
    Burlington, VT 05402
    Tel: (802) 321-VEOC
    Email: info@veoc.org

     

    Direct Marketing of Specialty Food Products

    Click HERE If you want to:

    • Learn strategies to direct market food and sell online
    • Evaluate the role of technology in your business in regards to direct online marketing
    • Examine strategies necessary to deal with the technology and weigh some cost/benefit measures
    • Consider the evolution of information technology to meet changing business priorities and market demands
    • Understand how online marketing is part of an over-all business and marketing strategy

    Then the Direct Marketing of Specialty Food Products online curriculum is for you! As it is designed to help you make wise decisions about your online marketing strategy!

    There's more available about online marketing from the Direct Marketing Newspaper. 

    Other Technology Resources

    Vermont Technology Council
    John Evans
    89 Beaumont Ave. E201&nbsp
    Burlington, VT 05405
    802-656-8780
    Website

    Vermont Information Technology Leaders (VITL)
    J. Lauri Scharf
    144 Main Street, Suite 1
    Montpelier VT 05602
    802-223-4100
    Website

    Vermont Software Developers’ Alliance
    David Parker
    70 South Winooski Ave. #270
    Burlington, VT 05401
    802.735.0840
    Website

    Vermont Environmental Consortium
    Norwich University
    Jill Michaels
    Northfield VT
    802-262-2166
    Website

    The Vermont Institutes
    Douglas Harris
    802-793-0202
    Website

    Vermont BioSciences Alliance
    Bill Church
    261 Mountain View Drive
    Colchester VT 05446
    802-865-6230
    Website

    Working Lands Enterprise Initiative

    Over 97 percent of Vermonters value the working landscape.  The “working landscape” consists of agriculture, food system, forestry, and forest product based businesses.  Approximately 20 percent of Vermont’s land is used for agricultural purposes and 75 percent as forestry. The backbone of Vermont’s heritage and economic viability is the working landscape.  The 2012 Legislative session brought with it a renewed commitment to Vermonter’s values by passing the Working Lands Enterprise initiative for the management and investment of $1 million into agricultural and forestry based businesses.

     

    Micro Business Development Program (MBDP)

    The Micro Business Development Program (MBDP) is established to promote self-employment and business opportunities for low income Vermonters. MBDP offers free, one-to-one technical assistance, business development classes and workshops for income eligible persons.

    The MBDP is a statewide program of Vermont's five nonprofit Community Action Agencies:

    • Community Action in Southwestern Vermont (BROC)
    • Central Vermont community Action Council, Inc. (CVCAC)
    • Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity, Inc. (CVOEO)
    • Northeast Kingdom Community Action, Inc. (NEKCA)
    • Southeastern Vermont Community Action Council, Inc. (SEVCA)