Burlington International Airport-based FBO, MRO, and business aircraft management company Heritage Aviation has converted to a Vermont Benefit Corporation, which requires it to consider social responsibility to employees, the environment, and its communities, in addition to financial accountability to shareholders. “Becoming a Benefit Corporation was a natural step for us,” said Heritage Aviation president Dave Stiller. “It aligns with our commitment to frame profitability and social impact as complementary, rather than conflicting, goals.”

It started down this path in 2016, when Heritage Aviation enacted an employee stock ownership plan that converted the company to 100 percent employee ownership. The company currently has 65 workers at its Burlington facility.

To help meet its environmental commitment, this month the company launched Heritage Green, which allows customers to offset carbon emissions from jet fuel purchases through a partnership with Vermont-based NativeEnergy. Proceeds from this program will help fund the Honduras Clean Water Project, it said.

“Making business decisions that give weight to both profit and social impact has made us a more successful company because it has made us a more meaningful organization to our customers, vendors, employees, and community,” said Stiller. “The conversion to a Benefit Corporation is not only about what we have done, but it’s also about directing our path forward.”