Current News

VermontBiz A life-long student of elite performance—with the passion and drive to help individuals and organizations maximize their potential—Tim Kight founded Focus 3 in the mid-’80s in Southern California.

Following his freshman year at Ohio State, Tim transferred to UCLA to run track. It was at UCLA that he witnessed John Wooden win his 9th and 10th national championships. This unprecedented achievement by Coach Wooden and the UCLA basketball team triggered a great curiosity in Tim as to what distinguishes elite performers from average performers, a quest he has been pursuing ever since.

Vermont Business Magazine US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Under Secretary Xochitl Torres Small today announced that USDA is accepting grant applications for the Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) program to help people in rural and tribal communities access remote education and health care resources. The DLT program helps fund real-time, interactive distance learning and telemedicine services in rural and tribal areas to increase access to education, training and health care resources that are otherwise limited or unavailable.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Financial Regulation posts this alert to remind Vermont investors to exercise extreme caution when deciding to invest in cryptocurrency. Cryptocurrencies are not functional equivalents of traditional banking, securities, or insurance investment products. There is no lender of last resort, little to no financial disclosures, and usually no insurance protection for losses arising from market fluctuations, theft, or scams. The initial filing claimed between $10 billion and $50 billion of estimated assets and liabilities. FTX operated as a cryptocurrency exchange on which many other companies depended on for, among other things, their asset deployment activities. FTX had also expressed an intent to buy the assets of other distressed cryptocurrency companies. As a result, its bankruptcy creates systemic risk to the cryptocurrency industry.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today issued the following statement following Wednesday’s major law enforcement action in Springfield: “First of all, I want to express my sincere appreciation to our law enforcement officers, including our partners in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, FBI, DEA, ATF, Homeland Security Investigations, as well as the Vermont State Police, Windsor County State’s Attorney and Springfield Police Department, for months of hard, intelligence-based investigative work that will weaken a network of criminal activity in the region. Operations like this disrupt the supply of deadly and addictive drugs, take illegal guns off the street, and hold drug dealers accountable for poisoning Vermonters for profit. They also create an opportunity to help those suffering from addiction get back on the right path through our social service systems."

Vermont Business Magazine New unemployment claims decreased by 6.6% week-over-week on November 21 amid high inflation and the threat of a recession. To help add some context to these statistics, WalletHub just released updated rankings for the States Where Unemployment Claims Are Decreasing the Most, Vermont's unemployment claims were among those states that decreased the least, but which also has the third lowest unemployment rate in the nation at 2.3 percent. Initial claims for unemployment insurance in Vermont have been edging up since the beginning of October in Vermont, from below 300 (very low) to now near 500. This is more than 200 fewer than the same time last year. In addition, the holiday season typically brings much volatility in hiring and firing in the retail sector.

Vermont Business Magazine The SHRM Vermont State Council has elected Mara Neufeld Rivera, SHRM-SCP, Head of People & Culture with Chroma Technology Corp to serve as State Council Director beginning January 2023. Mara had previously served on the council as Director-Elect and Diversity Director. Rivera succeeds Ross Gibson, Chief of Operations, Employee Benefits Division with The Richards Group, who led the Council for the past two years. Other appointments of the statewide human resources organization include Michele Granitz, Head of Benefits, Total Rewards with National Life Group as Treasurer. Returning officers are Lisa Barron, HR Director with Gifford Hospital as Secretary and Elisabeth Harris, Chief People Officer of VEIC as Membership Director.

Vermont Business Magazine The Public Service Department today released its proposed public engagement plan to guide a comprehensive review of Vermont’s renewable and clean electricity policies and programs. This engagement process will help implement a core recommendation of the Comprehensive Energy Plan, published in January of 2022, which calls for consideration of comprehensive adjustments to Vermont’s Renewable Energy Standard as well as related renewable energy programs – including consideration of moving toward 100% renewable or carbon-free electricity.

Vermont Business Magazine Whether you walk, drive or bike, the shorter days and longer nights make it especially important to see and be seen on the road. To help prevent injuries, the Department of Health’s Watch For Me VT program has launched Be Bright at Night, a road safety initiative that is distributing free reflectors and safety information for people and communities throughout the state. A recent report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, found road-related injuries involving pedestrians and cyclists have been increasing. Data for early 2021 showed cyclist deaths rose by 5% from 2020, and more pedestrians were hit and killed in the U.S. in 2021 than at any time in the past 40 years.

Vermont Business Magazine The Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center (NE-DBIC), hosted by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets announces $900,000 in funding through the new Dairy Farm Innovation and Alternative Management Grant. With a focus on climate and community-forward production strategies, this grant offers funds for farmers, producer associations, and technical service providers to implement projects that enhance the resilience of our Northeast regional food system. This grant opportunity opens for applications today, December 1, 2022 and closes Thursday, February 2, 2023.

Vermont Business Magazine Jenna’s Promise and Two Sons Bakehouse have announced a Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting ceremony at Jenna’s Coffee House on December 2, 2022. Located at 38 Lower Main Street West in Johnson, the underpinning of Jenna’s Coffee House will be the partnership of Jenna's Promise and its workforce development program with Two Sons Bakehouse. The pairing aims to help to shift the model of care for people with substance use disorders by hiring people in recovery to help staff the business alongside industry veterans. Remarks and the ribbon cutting will start at 10:00 am and end at 11:00 am. There will be free food provided by Two Sons Bakehouse, coffee provided by Jenna’s Promise Roasting Company, and conversation with community members, local business leaders, and elected officials.

Vermont Business Magazine In November 1927, Vermont endured a devastating flood, rivaled only more recently by Tropical Storm Irene in August 2011. On the 95th anniversary of the flood, the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) shares lessons on flood resilience. Nearly 100 years ago, heavy rainfall hit Vermont when soils were already soaked from fall rains. In some places, rivers flowed through communities 13 feet higher than normal, causing devastation across the state and New England. The fallout was grim, taking 84 lives and destroying countless homes, buildings, bridges, roads, and railroads. With the massive spring flood in the Mississippi Valley, and then the November flood in New England, the federal government began efforts to help communities recover.