Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Saving for retirement is one of the primary underlying reasons for many personal finance decisions, from budgeting to investing. Like any money goal, however, saving for retirement — not to mention saving enough for retirement — is often easier said than done. Some states may offer a better environment for adults 65 and older to save and stay financially healthy. According to a recent MagnifyMoney study, Vermont ranked #1 for lowest share of older adults living below the poverty line with just 6.1% of older adults in poverty.

Vermont Business Magazine The Learning Tree Childcare Center at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), part of Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC), has earned 5 stars from Vermont’s Step Ahead Recognition System (STARS). STARS participants include registered home providers, licensed children’s centers, school-based pre-kindergarten programs, and school-age programs whose practices and programming exceed the requirements for becoming licensed by the State of Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health today reported 192 cases of COVID-19 (up 68 from yesterday), and two more deaths for 323 statewide. There are 42 people hospitalized (down one) and 14 in the ICU (up three). Phil Scott announced Friday that starting October 1, many more Vermonters can now schedule and receive their Pfizer vaccine booster shots. "We've reflected on this," Scott said. "We're going to be quite lenient in terms of who should be included and if they'd like to have a booster we'd like to find a way for them to have it. So I expect that number is substantially higher at this point. So our interpretation of this will be, again, quite broad."

by Patrick Leahy As is often the way, Vermont boasts some of the most forward-leaning voter access laws in the country. Early voting, mail-in voting, and more are all initiatives that the state has undertaken to expand to all eligible voters their constitutional right to cast a ballot and lend their voice to their democracy. Vermont should be a model for states across the country. Unfortunately, voter suppression is the wave of the moment. It is an affront to democracy.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR) is honoring three outstanding individuals and businesses who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership in socially responsible business: Cindy Turcot of Gardener’s Supply Company with the 2021 Terry Ehrich Award for Lifetime Achievement, HELM Construction Solutions with the VBSR Innovation and Inspiration Award, and Ashley Reynolds of Elmore Mountain Therapeutics with the VBSR Young Changemaker Award.

Vermont Business Magazine Today Vermont Electric Co-operative announced the public launch of a home battery storage incentive program designed to save the co-op on power supply costs and support member resiliency. With several flexible load initiatives underway, including a water heater partnership with Burlington-based Packetized Energy, and incentives for off-peak electric vehicle charging, VEC continues to deploy innovative solutions in an effort to save the co-op money, add resilience, and manage the integration of cleaner power supplies that are coming onto the grid.

Vermont Business Magazine Woodchuck Hard Cider, the brand that started the American cider revolution in 1991, celebrates its 30th anniversary this Fall. To mark the momentous occasion, the brand has unveiled a variety of initiatives. Woodchuck is pleased to announce that it has brought back several ‘Fan Favorite’ ciders from the last 30 years, all now available for sale via Woodchuck.com and across the United States. Woodchuck’s limited-edition ‘Fan Favorite’ releases include Blueberry, Dark & Dry 802 and Barrel Select.

Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food & Markets Are you producer association, agriculture business or forestry business that's looking for financial assistance to take your operation to the next level? Well lucky for you the Working Lands Enterprise Board is currently accepting applications for numerous grant opportunities. These opportunities can help your organization with everything from infrastructure, marketing, meat processing, professional development projects and more.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health today reported 124 cases of COVID-19, and three deaths since Friday for 321 statewide. There are 43 people hospitalized (up five from Friday) and 11 in the ICU (up one from Friday). Phil Scott announced Friday that starting October 1, many more Vermonters can now schedule and receive their Pfizer vaccine booster shots.

by Kelly Notterman “The built environment is responsible for nearly 40 percent of greenhouse gas emissions,” said Rob Conboy, founder and CEO of Glavel. “There is the energy we use to heat and cool buildings, which most people understand, but the materials used in construction also have a big impact.” Specifically, building industry professionals are now taking into consideration embodied carbon—a term that refers to the carbon dioxide emissions of materials throughout the entire manufacturing and construction process—to understand a building's true carbon footprint.

Vermont Department of Economic Development Funding under this program is intended for transformational projects that create opportunity to retain existing businesses, attract more businesses, create jobs and strengthen communities by encouraging capital investments and economic growth. The applicants can be non-profit or for-profit businesses, however, not publicly traded companies.

Vermont Business Magazine WhistlePig Whiskey, the leading distiller of independent craft whiskey based in Shoreham, has introduced the first-ever, super-premium, ready-to-drink craft Rye beverage – PiggyBack Rye Smash. The small-batch canned cocktails are specially crafted with barrel-aged ingredients and 100% Estate Rye grown directly on the WhistlePig Whiskey Farm.