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Regional development corporations describe roles, state contracts and reporting requirements
Summary
Andy Jewel, executive director of the Lake Champlain Islands Economic Development Corporation and president of the Regional Development Corporations of Vermont, told the House Commerce & Economic Development Committee that Vermont’s 12 RDCs are independent nonprofit organizations that deliver technical assistance, workforce services and site predevelopment under state contract.
Andy Jewel, executive director of the Lake Champlain Islands Economic Development Corporation and president of the Regional Development Corporations of Vermont, told the House Commerce & Economic Development Committee on Jan. 16 that Vermont’s 12 regional development corporations (RDCs) are independent nonprofit organizations that provide technical assistance, workforce support and site development across the state.
Jewel said RDCs are “a nonprofit entity. We are not a 501(c)(3), so we are not charitable,” and added that most RDCs are organized as 501(c)(4) or 501(c)(6) entities that pay taxes and are overseen by local boards. He told the committee RDC boundaries cover the entire state without overlap and that boards set each RDC’s priorities.
The RDCs contract with the state for specific services. Jewel said the state portion of an individual RDC’s budget varies widely—“between 5 and 40%,” depending on the organization—and that RDCs also derive revenue from membership dues, loan funds, leased commercial property and federal grants. As part of the state relationship, he said, each RDC receives an annual $122,000 SAID grant and a separate $10,000 grant to compile and rank regional priority projects for the state.
Jewel described the reporting and deliverables the state requires under those contracts: a quarterly report (with a more extensive fourth‑quarter annual report); entry of available commercial properties into a statewide site database; at least one finance/capital workshop and one job‑fair or workforce event per year; regular coordination with regional planning commissions, the Small Business Development Center and other technical assistance providers; a CRM entry for business visits; and an annual meeting with legislators. He said RDCs are expected to document business visits (25–50 as a scoring range), municipal engagements and work on infrastructure projects such as water and wastewater.
Jewel also described coordination mechanisms: the association of the 12 RDCs meets monthly with the Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD) and the Department of Labor and maintains a shared website (rdcvermont.org) and a “find your RDC” tool for businesses. He said RDCs routinely work with state partners including the SBDC, VTP (Vermont Training Program), VEGI (Vermont Employment Growth Incentive), Efficiency Vermont, CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) programs and federal partners such as the Northern Border Regional Commission.
Jewel said the RDCs’ work ranges from business technical assistance and lending support to workforce development, site predevelopment and brownfields remediation, and that the RDCs sometimes temporarily hold and predevelop property and pay associated real‑estate taxes.
He invited committee members to the RDCs’ monthly meetings and described peer reviews, required professional development and periodic data reporting to ACCD.
Jewel concluded by noting that while RDCs frequently partner with regional planning commissions and chambers, they are distinct entities that answer to their local boards and that the state primarily uses contracts to obtain needed services from them.
Looking ahead, Jewel told the committee RDCs will continue tracking regional priority projects, supporting water/wastewater infrastructure and workforce initiatives, and working with state partners to refine incentive and technical assistance programs.
