The BBA is a private membership organization that advocates on behalf of Burlington’s business community. Our alliance of more than 260 diverse businesses shares the goal of stewarding and promoting Burlington’s economic vitality. The BBA focuses on issues that directly impact Burlington businesses, such as transportation and parking, public safety, infrastructure maintenance and improvement, cleanliness, signage, taxes, and zoning, and we voice the business community’s concerns and interests in a variety of forums. Want to learn more or get involved?  Meet Kelly for coffee; email Colin to schedule a time.

How we started…

Over 40 years ago a group of business owners in downtown Burlington decided to form a merchants association. At that time, the downtowns and main streets in America’s cities were losing business to suburban malls. These Burlington founding fathers such as Nate Harris, Hertzel Pasackow, Pat Robbins, and Bill Truex decided that Burlington could do better and worked to create the Church Street Marketplace pedestrian mall. Since those early days, the BBA has grown into an organization whose mission is to improve the city’s standing as the cultural, social, political, economic, and educational center of northwestern Vermont. Back then we were called the Downtown Burlington Development Association (DBDA). While changed our name – we are now the Burlington Business Association (BBA) – our mission remains the same.