Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Realtors Relief Foundation (RRF), a charitable, non-profit arm of the National Association of Realtors, has awarded a $500,000 grant to the Vermont Association of Realtors (VAR) to aid Vermonters who have been impacted by recent floods. RRF funds will be made available to eligible applicants on a first-come, first-served basis to help with homeownership-related challenges. To learn more about RRF and to apply for funding, visit vermontrealtors.com/RRF. Successful applicants should receive RRF funding within four weeks.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Economic Development has announced additional details and guidelines for the Business Emergency Gap Assistance Program (BEGAP). This $20 million grant program is intended to help businesses and nonprofits restore, reopen, and bring their employees back to work after suffering physical damages to their property beginning on July 7, 2023, when severe storms swept into Vermont. The application portal is expected to open Thursday, August 3, but right now businesses and nonprofits can visit the Business Emergency Gap Assistance Program page to learn how the program works.

Vermont State Police The Vermont Chief Medical Examiner’s Office has informed the Vermont State Police of its preliminary determinations of the cause and manner of death of Robert Kerker, 67, of Rhinebeck, New York. The office found the cause of death was a probable drowning, and the manner of death an accident that occurred when Mr. Kerker was caught in the current of a brook while hiking the Appalachian Trail during a storm-related flooding event. 

Vermont Business Magazine In a coordinated effort, New England Federal Credit Union and VSECU have committed a quarter-million dollars in donations in response to the catastrophic flooding that has devastated downtowns and upended the lives of thousands of Vermont residents. The grants are targeting direct support for vulnerable families and individuals, and downtown and village centers that have been impacted by the flooding.

Vermont Business Magazine iSun, Inc (NASDAQ: ISUN), a leading solar energy and clean mobility infrastructure company with 50-years of experience accelerating the adoption of innovative electrical technologies, on Monday announced that preliminary revenue for the second quarter of 2023 ended June 30, 2023, was approximately a record $25 million, an increase of over 50% from the $16.5 million reported for the second quarter of 2022. The year-over-year increase reflects effective execution of the company’s strategy, with sustained strength in its commercial and industrial division, which has been performing robustly in 2023 responding to increased customer demand.

by Karina Dailey, VNRC If there is anything this extreme rainstorm has taught me, it’s that community resilience is critical.  I am proud of Vermont for staying strong during this relentless wet weather pattern and grateful for the outpouring of community support as we filter river sediment out of homes, yards, and businesses.  But as we think about where to go from here, it’s time we reckon with the river and give it the space and protection it deserves.  Rivers need more room to move and improved protections to support their dynamic natural systems. 

Vermont Business Magazine World Breastfeeding Week 2023 begins on August 1st, and the Department of Health along with communities around Vermont will showcase the important health benefits breastfeeding has for both infants and parents, and the supports available to make it an easy choice. This year’s global celebration will highlight the theme Enabling Breastfeeding - Making a difference for working parents, and how breastfeeding-friendly employers and communities are key partners in building a healthy Vermont where people want to live, work, and raise a family.

Northeastern Vermont Development Association The Business Emergency Gap Grant Program will provide $20 million in the form of grants to impacted businesses and nonprofits that sustained physical damage due to flooding. Business owners can seek grants to support demonstrated losses to their physical space and replacements of inventory, machinery, equipment, and supplies. The aim is to reopen businesses and bring employees back to work. Program details and and the portal to apply will open the first week of August. A link will be posted on the NVDA website as soon as it is made available.

Vermont Business Magazine Registration is now open for the 2023 Vermont Worksite Wellness Awards and Conference, to be held October 24th at the Doubletree by Hilton in Burlington. The annual conference, which has been historically attended by more than 500 business owners and leaders, human resources professionals, and wellness experts from across Vermont, is hosted by the Vermont Department of Health and the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. Most Vermonters spend more than one third of their day at their workplace. Healthy lifestyle incentives, policies, and the environment at their worksite can significantly influence employees' health. 

Tuck School of Business In 2010, Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business and Geisel School of Medicine collaborated to create the Master of Health Care Delivery Science (MHCDS)degree, a mid-career program bringing together the best minds in medicine and business. After a decade-plus of success that has produced nearly 500 MHCDS graduates, Tuck and Geisel are uniting once again for a new program aimed at early-career professionals. The Master of Health Administration (MHA) degree will prepare students to develop, plan, and manage operations and services within health care facilities and across health care systems. 

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine State economists Jeff Carr (for the Administration) and Tom Kavet (for the Legislature) today provided their regular July revenue report to the Emergency Board at the Governor’s Ceremonial office at the State House in Montpelier. Their consensus report again showed the state’s tax revenues surging. As a caveat, the report was completed just before flooding hit the state. They said the effects of which will not be known for several months. But it will not slow down the local economy or revenue expectations. To that end, they expect $78.4 million more in General Fund receipts than their revenue report from January expected for the new fiscal year (FY24) and another $18.3 million next year (FY25).

Vermont Business Magazine A Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) will open in Plainfield on July 31 to help Vermont residents affected by the floods kickstart their recovery. The joint DRC, a temporary facility established in partnership between Plainfield, the state of Vermont and FEMA, will help survivors apply for FEMA assistance, upload documents and answer questions in person.