BRATTLEBORO-The sun had just set when a lone car pulled into the partially hidden and empty parking lot of the Brattleboro Collision Center on Old Ferry Road.
Out popped State Treasurer Michael Pieciak, who was on a mission to return $5,150 in unclaimed funds to Todd DeAngelis, who owns the business.
All in all, Pieciak returned $150,000 of unclaimed property to businesses, nonprofits, and service providers across Vermont's 14 counties on Sept. 9 and 10.
This Unclaimed Property Road Tour was designed to raise awareness of the more than $130 million of unclaimed assets that the Treasurer's Office holds. Pieciak wants to encourage Vermonters and local organizations to visit missingmoney.com - a nationwide website under the management of the National Association of State Treasurers - and see if they have any unclaimed property.
The $130 million does not come from state funds.
"It's banks and insurance companies and businesses," Pieciak said. "It might just be a check that they wrote to somebody that was never cashed. Any unclaimed or missing money, or any money on the books of banks and things, after a certain time they shovel it out to state treasurer's offices."
And then, he said, "it's our job to return it to people."
"Maybe people forget their last paycheck," Pieciak said. "Or they forget that they put a deposit down for a company, and they try to return it to you, but they don't have your correct mailing address. After three years, these companies are required to turn over the unclaimed money to the state treasurer's office."
A Brattleboro native, Pieciak knew DeAngelis because his father, Joe Pieciak, was his accountant. The younger Pieciak was planning to spend the night with his parents and then hit the road early the next morning to hand out more lost money in the southwestern part of the state.
Pieciak is running unopposed for his second term as state treasurer; as part of his campaign, he plans to visit every town in the state.
This trip was something else.
Most people don't really know about this extremely large pot of unclaimed money, Pieciak said, or they don't think to look up their names without some kind of reminder.
Even though the state purchases advertising in different media to inform the public about unclaimed property, "we really can't do enough to inform people that it exists," Pieciak said. "We found either an organization, nonprofit or a business in every county to return money to today and tomorrow."
Pieciak said that on other trips, he has turned over as much as $20,000 to Brattleboro Memorial Hospital and the Brattleboro Retreat.
"Those organizations that are receiving a lot of checks make a lot of payments and stuff gets lost," Pieciak said.
"Some people never get it," Pieciak said. "And it can be really impactful for them. It's if it's a nonprofit, it can make a big difference."
He described the government's return of approximately $23,000 to a foundation in Grand Isle.
"This young man got cancer really young and passed away, and his parents started this foundation to give people that were young with cancer an opportunity to enjoy something that they really love doing, whether it was taking a trip overseas or going to see a football game," Pieciak recounted.
The parents had forgotten about the money.
"We were able to get it back to them, and they're going to restart that mission," Pieciak said.
Surprise refund for a small business
For DeAngelis, who repairs autos and trucks that have been in collisions, the money was probably not life-changing, but it certainly came as a welcome surprise.
He told Pieciak that he loves his work, but he usually can be found in the office until 8 or 9 p.m. doing paperwork.
"If I could just stay in the shop and work all day and never answer the phone and if nobody bothered me, I'd do it for another five years," DeAngelis said. "But the business part is a lot of work. So I spend most of the time in the office."
DeAngelis said he usually has enough work for eight people but only has three employees.
"So we're always going with three months booked ahead," he said. "It's crazy."
Not even Covid had a big impact on his business, DeAngelis said.
"Even during Covid, when there were no cars on the road, we had so much work there was a backlog," DeAngelis said. "So by the time everything got going again, we were fine."
The body shop never laid anybody off during the turmoil.
"But in the industry, nobody's doing this anymore," DeAngelis said. "Kids don't want to do it. Yeah, so everybody my age is retiring or wants to get out of it."
Finding people who want to work in the trades has become a big issue in Vermont, he said.
"People can't afford to live in Vermont or find a place to live in Vermont," DeAngelis said. "And if we're going to try and build more housing, we need plumbers and electricians."
The two men shook hands and posed for a picture with the check.
And just before he left, Pieciak emphasized again that Vermonters should check and see if their name is on the list.
This News item by Joyce Marcel was written for The Commons.