Current News

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Just try and find a contractor to install a new kitchen, or to even just fix a crack in your chimney, or a tradesman to do just about anything around the house, and you’ll begin to understand what it’s like to run a general contracting business in Vermont. Labor is tight, supplies are expensive, if they’re even available, costs for fuel and any petroleum product are high, wages are up, and for all those reasons and more, many projects had to be re-bid and thus delayed. But underlying all that is undeniably good news for the industry.

Vermont Business Magazine Below are Q&As with two Vermont contractors. Jay Fayette, President/CEO of PC Construction and Johnny Illick, CEO and owner of ReArch Company. Both are based in South Burlington

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Commercial real estate is in a state of flux, evolution, turmoil. Brick-and-mortar retail has been in decline since the dawn of the internet, even as retail sales from all platforms have boomed. This has left empty storefronts on Main Street and mannequins gazing into nothing at shopping malls. Restaurants would be thriving, by all accounts, if not for the workforce shortage across the country, which is acute in Vermont. Some eateries have closed or reduced staff or hours simply because they can’t find qualified help. However, there is good news with the vast CityPlace development in Burlington, which remains desolate four years after demolition. The owners have submitted paperwork to build affordable housing on one portion of the site.

Vermont Business Magazine It’s been a good 12 months for the Associated General Contractors of Vermont. A year ago, the Montpelier-based construction trade association was named the best AGC in the nation for its size. Last week they were named the fastest growing. They also specialize in Burgers and Brews. Richard Wobby, executive vice president of AGC/VT: “Pre-COVID we took a dynamic shift in the relevancy of what we’re doing.”

The Made in Vermont Marketplace is an extraordinary opportunity for Vermont companies to showcase their Made in Vermont products to an audience of thousands of prospective customers in one weekend. The trade show is dedicated to promoting the great variety of Vermont-made products . . . from furniture, specialty foods, clothing, wines and so much more! Only Vermont based companies that make their products in Vermont are eligible to exhibit.

Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center Join VMEC for a panel discussion with the State of Vermont Departments of Economic Development and Labor, Vermont State Colleges Workforce Division and VT manufacturing leaders to discuss the current and future states of manufacturing in the Green Mountain State.

Thursday, September 29th at 6:30 PM Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum, Stowe

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum in Stowe will kick off its popular seasonal Red Bench Speaker Series on Thursday, September 29^th at 6:30 with an interview and Q&A session with Vermonter Hillary Girardi, an acclaimed high mountain athlete who now lives in Chamonix, France.

With French ski mountaineering partner Valentine Fabre, Girardi set the first women’s speed record for skiing the legendary high alpine route, La Haute Route, between Chamonix and Zermatt, Switzerland in 2021. They covered 26,000 feet of mountainous terrain and 66 miles of glaciers in just over 26 hours, a feat that takes the average skier five or six days.

Vermont Business Magazine Located on 70 bucolic acres in Southern Vermont with over a mile of frontage on the storied Battenkill River, Hill Farm is a 200-year-old dairy farm with a historic inn and guest cottages that have been welcoming guests for over 120 years. Hill Farm has now teamed up with Sagra to expand and enhance the Hill Farm guest experience with the opening of a new restaurant and agricultural activities that connect guests to the land and community.

Vermont Business Magazine Mentoring advocates and youth mentoring program coordinators met last week to support the launch of MENTOR Vermont’s One Million for Mentoring campaign, urging Vermont lawmakers to provide increased funding for mentoring programs across the state. Representative Taylor Small, P/D-Winooski, who has just returned from Manchester, England, where she received the “Young Politician of the Year” Award from One Young World, highlighted the important role mentors play in helping youth feel like they matter.

Vermont Business Magazine Faculty members and students at Saint Michael’s College will present their groundbreaking research throughout the fall semester on topics that address some of the biggest challenges facing our world today. The series, called “Saint Michael’s College presents: Solutions for Social Impact,” will include three seminar-style presentations by faculty who teach and research in scientific fields. Students who worked on the research projects will also be involved in several of the talks. Anyone interested in the topics can attend the seminars – no advanced scientific understanding is required.