Why It Matters
Vermont’s aviation and technical sector is experiencing a talent divide as a well-capitalized electric aircraft startup reshapes the state’s labor market. Smaller companies that have operated for decades say they cannot match the wages and benefits offered by the new entrant, threatening their long-term survival.
What Happened
Beta Technologies, the Burlington-area electric aviation company backed by investors including Amazon, has grown rapidly since opening its South Burlington manufacturing plant in 2023. The company debuted on the New York Stock Exchange in November 2025 and now employs nearly 1,400 workers.
That growth has come at a cost to smaller regional competitors. Bill Hanf, president and founder of Green Mountain Avionics in Middlebury, estimates his workforce has shrunk by roughly 50 percent since Beta’s expansion accelerated. “I had spent about the last dozen years or so building up a world-class crew, and they had an opportunity that I would say a regular, normal small business just can’t compete with, so I lost probably half a dozen skilled technicians,” Hanf said.
Nathan Merrill was among those who departed. He had been working grueling shifts — starting as early as 3:00 a.m. and running until 6:00 p.m. — at Green Mountain Avionics around spring 2024 before moving on.
The situation at J&M Avionics, based at Middlebury State Airport, is even more stark. Owner Mike Vincent has watched his workforce fall from 21 employees in 2008 to just two today. After 26 years as a Vermont business owner, he is relocating most of J&M’s operations to North Carolina, though he plans to maintain a small Vermont presence. “We’re already at a disadvantage with the financial cost of Vermont, and then on top of that, we’re competing with a company that can pay a lot more,” Vincent said.
By the Numbers
Beta’s hiring pace has been aggressive. The company brought on 420 employees between January and June 2026, with 85 percent of those hires coming from within Vermont. An additional 90 workers were recruited from out of state and relocated to Vermont during that same period.
CEO Kyle Clark announced plans to add 1,000 more workers over an 18-month window. Salaries at the South Burlington facility range from approximately $55,000 to $185,000 annually — well above the national average avionics technician salary of $83,380 as of May 2025.
The broader manufacturing backdrop adds context: Vermont has lost nearly 8 percent of its manufacturing jobs over the past decade, making Beta’s expansion a notable exception to a longer downward trend.
Zoom Out
The dynamic unfolding in Vermont mirrors patterns seen in other states where a single large employer — often in an emerging technology sector with significant venture or institutional backing — enters a regional labor market and quickly resets wage and benefit expectations. Smaller businesses in adjacent industries, particularly those relying on skilled tradespeople with overlapping credentials, often find themselves unable to retain staff or attract new workers at competitive rates.
Beta’s investor profile, which includes Amazon, gives it access to capital that most small aviation maintenance firms cannot replicate. The company also offers employees an on-site health clinic, free lunches, and free flight lessons — perks that independent shops have no realistic path to matching.
What’s Next
Beta is currently in conversations with all 17 of Vermont’s Career and Technical Education schools, signaling an intent to build a long-term talent pipeline within the state. Vermont State University has also launched a women’s aviation group in partnership with the company.
Daniel Gauvin, who owns Lakeview Aviation in Newport, represents another small operator watching these developments closely. Whether firms like his can carve out a sustainable niche alongside Beta — or whether consolidation continues — may depend on whether the broader Vermont technical workforce grows fast enough to serve both large and small employers.
The Vermont Supreme Court is separately considering a case involving state worker telework policies, a reminder that labor market pressures in the state extend well beyond the aviation sector.