Painting a Brighter Community

Zach Dunn ’23 says his new student-run business is primed to make a difference in his community. The senior business administration major is the co-founder of Painting With Purpose (PWP), a professional residential and commercial painting service with a dual mission to beautify the greater Burlington area while helping to end homelessness in Vermont. PWP donates 33% of its profits to the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity, funds which help the unhoused secure housing by providing money for security deposits, first month’s rent, and other move-in expenses.

“These are people who have a high likelihood of remaining homeless unless a helping hand is extended to them. It’s hard to try and see a way out when no one is helping make a way out,” says Dunn. “Every day I put on the painter whites, I know that I’m working for something bigger than myself. I have a purpose directing me to do what I do, and there’s nothing better than that.”

Dunn was the 2022 grand prize winner of the Grossman School’s Annual UVM Business Pitch Competition. He says his vision is to create a “positive feedback loop” as part of a sustainable business model in which PWP and its community partners not only help those in need find permanent housing but also offer employment and training with PWP to those who are interested. Dunn says the idea for the enterprise came to him in a Grossman School of Business class focused on social entrepreneurship. To date, he has donated over $10,000 of his profits.

“People are starting to demand that companies are more invested in the communities in which they operate, and they are choosing their brands based on their values. I’m committed to this business model and determined to grow my business. When my business grows, I grow, my message grows, and everyone we’ve been able to help gets an opportunity to grow.”