Doing Business in Burlington

Burlington, Vermont is consistently ranked as one of the best cities in the Northeast and the nation. Among it's winning attributes are a high-quality workforce, access to major markets, and a pro-business attitude. It's comparatively low-cost housing, labor, taxes, and overhead add to the City's appeal.

In January 1999, Point of View Magazine ranked Burlington 5th in "Boomtown, 75 top cities to start a business" behind Seattle, Austin, Las Vegas, and Denver. The 1994 "Development Report Card" of the Corporation for Enterprise Development ranked Burlington first for greatest investment in it's manufacturing sector of any city in the U.S.

Burlington's location and atmosphere ensure a superior quality of life for it's 39,000 residents. In June 1995, Outside Magazine awarded Burlington the "Dream Town" status for providing a real life and real jobs. The May/June Maturity Magazine called Burlington one of the 50 best places to live and in April 2001, Ladies' Home Journal rated Burlington as the Third Best Place for Women to Live.

Nestled between Lake Champlain and the Green Mountains, Burlington is the center of a region known for it's outdoor activities. Fishing, boating and swimming opportunities abound on the lake, while the Green Mountains provide world class skiing and breathtaking hiking trails.

Burlington's award-winning quality of life ensures a stable, flexible, and loyal workforce. The work ethic in Vermont, and particularly in Burlington, is one which is unmatched in most regions.

Access to major markets is easy. Burlington International Airport, less than 10 minutes from Downtown, offers convenient air service to key cities. A well-developed interstate highway system adds to the convenience. Burlington is within a day's drive of Boston, New York, Toronto and Montreal, which are home to over 8 million potential consumers.

Establishing and maintaining Burlington's vibrant economy has taken a coordinated effort between government and private interests. Burlington's Community and Economic Development Office has developed a strategy to attract quality manufacturing jobs, upgrade the workforce through training programs, and encourage entrepreneurs. The Greater Burlington Industrial Corporation has not only developed local industrial parks, but has helped to coordinate public and private efforts to promote local industry. The Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Vermont World Trade Office, and the State's Agency of Commerce and Community Development are also resources for businesses wishing to relocate to Burlington.

The public education system in the Burlington area has an excellent reputation. It's average student to teacher ration is 19:1 with 60% of students continuing onto college. IBM awarded a $2 million grant to the State of Vermont to improve the way student learning is measured in public schools. The grant is part of IBM's Reinventing Education program.

This initiative is designed to develop a system to store portfolios of student work in digital form. Vermont is the first state to create such a statewide digital portfolio storage system. The area's public schools are complemented by a number of private institutions ranging from parochial schools to ski academies.

There is also an excellent choice of high quality, employee run, private and community-based preschools.