Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), part of the Agency of Natural Resources (ANR), recently updated the minimum qualifications for all Environmental Analyst positions. The DEC made the updates as it prepares to hire over 40 positions in the next few months. New staff will direct nearly $600 million in federal funds for water infrastructure and environmental remediation.

Vermont Business Magazine In continuation of its efforts to connect jobseekers with career opportunities and employers with talent, the Vermont Department of Labor will host five in-person and two virtual job fairs beginning November 1. Veterans & Community Job Fairs will be held in Essex Junction, Enosburgh, St Albans, and Colchester in partnership with local veterans’ organizations. All jobseekers are encouraged to attend, but veterans and service members will be provided early access in the first hour of the events to explore career opportunities. The Department prioritizes veterans in its delivery of jobseeker and career services. COVID-19 booster and flu vaccinations will also be made available for interested individuals by the Vermont Department of Health at events in Enosburgh and St Albans.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) highlighted the importance of dam removal. Agency of Natural Resources Secretary Julie Moore and other river partners discussed recent dam removal projects in the Rutland area and the importance to Vermonters and visitors. Vermont has over 1,000 dams and the DEC estimates that hundreds no longer serve a useful purpose. Many of these dams degrade water quality and aquatic habitat, restrict the movement of fish and other wildlife, increase maintenance and liability costs, and pose significant risks to public safety. A prime example is Dunklee Pond Dam on Tenney Brook in Rutland City. It was built around 1792 as a linseed oil mill. Later the dam operated as a sawmill and an old ice-pond dam before the advent of electric refrigeration in the 1920s. While the dam had as a history of providing historical and recreational interest, the dam was not safe. In fact, locals recalled having to be evacuated during dangerous weather out of fear the dam would breach and again flood homes.

Vermont Business Magazine Co-owners and developers, Addison County Community Trust (ACCT) and Evernorth, have announced that construction is underway at the $8.6 million Firehouse Apartments which will serve 20 low- and moderate-income households in downtown Bristol. The Firehouse Apartments represents a critical component of a public/private partnership bringing municipal services, business incubation, and mixed-income housing to the growing community of Bristol on the Stoney Hill property. This partnership between the Town of Bristol, private developers, and housing nonprofits ACCT and Evernorth leverages the investments in municipal infrastructure and job creation to serve 20 households in a community where there were previously only nine non-age-restricted affordable housing apartments.

by Dan Yates Not too long ago, we lost a wonderful employee to New Hampshire because she had extended family there and could not find or afford child care in the Brattleboro area. As a long-time employer in Windham County, I’ve seen many employees come and go. A frequently cited reason for leaving? Lack of affordable child care. In Windham County alone, it’s estimated we need to add over 645 child care slots just to meet current demand. That means, across the state there are thousands of families being forced to make difficult choices, like leaving a beloved career or essential paycheck because they don't have a safe, nurturing, affordable place to care for their children. And, in some instances, we’re losing these families – and productive members of our workforce – to our neighboring states.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont is part of a new regional collaboration to study the climate-related vulnerabilities of mobile home park communities. With funding announced today from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA)’s Climate Adaptation Partnership’s program, the project brings together researchers from the Universities of Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, as well as all three northern New England State Climatologists. Mobile home communities are an important part of the region’s affordable housing landscape but are more likely to be impacted by risks posed by climate change such as high winds, flooding, and extreme temperatures. Previous research from the University of Vermont found more than 20% of mobile home communities in the state are at least partially located in FEMA-mapped floodplains.

Vermont Business Magazine Casella Waste Systems, Inc (Nasdaq: CWST) published its 2022 Sustainability Report today, outlining the company’s progress toward its sustainability vision, while elevating five key sustainability metrics to the forefront of its strategic goals. Casella’s five key elements to its sustainability strategy include metrics focused on the people who work for the company, the materials the company manages, the operations that manage those materials, the emissions those operations produce, and the communities in which the company operates. For each element, Casella has established a primary metric and a 2030 goal as well as additional factors that will help the company advance its sustainability vision.

Vermont Business Magazine iSun, Inc (NASDAQ: ISUN), a leading solar energy and clean mobility infrastructure company based in Williston has sold 6.1 MWs of solar assets for $1.7 million to Fusion Renewables of South Carolina and executes EPC contracts for $8.3 million to complete the development and installation of those assets.

by Todd Heyman With the conclusion of Vermont’s first ever agritourism month and the second International Workshop on Agritourism held in Burlington, it’s time to chart a path to grow Vermont agritourism. Unfortunately, the Legislature is already off-course. Rather than pass Rep. Charlie Kimbell’s bill that would have limited Act 250 jurisdiction over small agritourism projects this past session, it assigned the Natural Resources Board authority to develop a report to “support” the industry by recommending appropriate Act 250 regulation. The NRB seems an odd choice. Neither the agency nor its staff seem to have any experience running businesses, let alone agriculturally based businesses. And in the past, the Legislature has repeatedly passed laws to keep the NRB off of farms as much as possible.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Woodlands Association recently welcomed Kate Forrer as the group’s new executive director. Kate joins the VWA after working in forestry outreach & education at the University of Vermont Extension. Through her work at UVM Extension, Kate partnered with VWA in the past on many projects that served Vermont’s forests.

Kate’s passion for forestry comes from a personal as well as a professional place as she and her husband recently became owners of 130 acres of forest in Tunbridge, VT. Stewarding and exploring their property is something she enjoys along with her husband and three children. As a woodland owner herself she understands the rewards and challenges of caring for forest land.

Vermont Business Magazine Your employees may present the biggest risk in network security, according to Consolidated Communications (NASDAQ: CNSL) a leading broadband and business communications provider in Vermont. October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and in addition to serving business customers with best-in-class broadband and security services, Consolidated is aiming to educate businesses and individuals on safe online practices. Passwords continue to be the top cause of cyber breaches, and for good reason. Faulty memories lead the majority of people to reuse passwords across platforms, and three in four people say they aren’t sure how to create a secure password at all. This creates an ideal scenario for hackers, and once they are in, new forms of attack are making them harder to detect than ever before.