Zak Hale
28 | Partner/CFO, Hale Resources, LLC
Residence: Bennington
Career highlight(s) you are most proud of:
Being one of two people who led our team to becoming the first for-profit company in Vermont to receive a 
Community Development Block Grant. We raised grants and tax credits to close the gap on renovations, lead and asbestos abetment; energy efficiency improvements; and historic preservation to add 11 beautiful apartments to Bennington’s housing stock.
Your community involvement:
Includes living my life devoted to growing a business and building a team with a mission to provide sustainable quality housing to people of all income levels. My team has been successful in bringing a significant number of private resources to Bennington to acquire rentals. We then use private and public resources to update and renovate those rentals. Once these units meet our quality standards, we have a professional team manage and maintain them long-term.
Inspiration for living and working in Vermont:
My family, four years of experience living outside Vermont and the opportunity I saw to build a business in the state while attending graduate school at Castleton University. I also grew up in Bennington and love the outdoor adventures that Vermont has to offer.
Favorite part of your job:
I enjoy what I do. Instead of feeling like I go to work every day, I just feel like I have stuff to do. The to-do list never seems to get smaller, but that is all part of the fun. I have a great team to fall back on.
Most inspiring mentor:
My father. He is one of my best friends and a business partner and has been a mentor to me all my life. I wouldn’t be who I am today without his guidance and support.
Best career advice you have received:
As a student in the Ice House Entrepreneurial Program in 2018, I was taught that we have the power to choose how we react to situations, that problems are opportunities for ideas to be sparked and that action on those ideas is important. I was also taught to constantly pursue knowledge, create wealth and build a personal brand.
Something fun about yourself that few people know:
I have a huge passion for studying physics.
Three words that best describe you:
Futuristic, innovative and driven.
Favorite Vermont escape:
On my boat in Harriman Reservoir in Wilmington.
Favorite Vermont season:
The fall weather is one of the reasons I will always have roots in Vermont.
Favorite downtime activities:
Fishing. I find peace being around water, and fishing helps take my mind off work for a bit.
Favorite social media:
Facebook, because it is the only one that I use. I’m not a huge fan, but it provides local information immediately and makes connecting with people I don’t have contact information for a breeze.
Person you would most like to share a Vermont beverage with:
Elon Musk.
Cause(s) you would support if you had unlimited funds:
Housing in Vermont, because I believe that environment plays a huge role in motivating people to achieve their greatest potential. Developing housing in Vermont is very expensive relative to the income of our population and subsidizing that development with unlimited funds would assure affordability for all.
A song on your playlist you are embarrassed to admit to your best friend:
There isn’t one. My girlfriend knows everything about me, including all the music I listen to.
Where you see yourself professionally in the next five to 10 years:
I see an expansion of my real estate portfolio, real estate development company and property management company into many other parts of the state to supply sustainable quality housing to a wide range of communities. We have already begun some expansion into Rutland City.
Goal(s) you’d like to accomplish in the next five to 10 years:
To completely remove myself and the other leaders on my team from the day-to-day operations of the business. This would allow us to pursue additional opportunities while overseeing the systems and procedures we have been implementing while working in the roles we are in today.
How your community service has changed since the pandemic:
By providing a more specialized service with the time I volunteer. Before the pandemic, I volunteered for the local garlic fest each year, but now I am on the board of the Bennington County Coalition for the Homeless utilizing my finance, accounting and real estate expertise.
How your job has changed since the pandemic:
The insufficient supply of housing before the pandemic was made much worse for many reasons. Now, I am busier than ever working to bring new units online.
