Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Last fall, Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTACs) across the nation became a program managed under the Department of Defense, Office of Small Business Programs. With the structural change, came an opportunity to rebrand and PTACs are now nationally recognized as APEX Accelerators. In Vermont, the center will be known as Vermont APEX Accelerator. This transition will bring increased national visibility, increased resources, and new opportunities to assist clients. Locally, Vermont APEX Accelerator serves close to 500 clients, and has assisted them with winning over $195 million in government awards in 2022.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its 2021 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) National Analysis, which shows that environmental releases of TRI chemicals from facilities covered by the program remained below pre-pandemic levels and releases in 2021 are 10% lower than 2012 releases, even with an 8% increase from 2020 to 2021. Additionally, in 2021, facilities managed 89% of their TRI chemical waste through preferred practices such as recycling, energy recovery and treatment, while reporting that they released 11% of their TRI chemical waste into the environment.

In Vermont, the reporting data show that overall releases of pollutants to the environment decreased since the previous reporting year (2020).

Vermont Business Magazine Northeast Kingdom Community Action (NEKCA) has been awarded a $500,000 Affordable Connectivity Outreach Grant to help promote and raise awareness of and participation in the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). NEKCA will be the main grantee and will subgrant out funding across the five different Community Action Agencies of the Vermont Community Action Partnership (VCAP). Funded entities include NEKCA, BROC, CVOEO, SEVCA, and Capstone. The ACP is a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) benefit program that provides a discount of up to $30 per month toward internet service for eligible households. To be eligible, a household income must be at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, or a member of the household must meet other requirements

Vermont Business Magazine The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is offering a few tips on what not to flush and how to better dispose of that waste. Most things – including tissues, cotton swabs, floss, diapers, feminine hygiene products, coffee grounds, cat litter, wipes, excess household cleaners, cigarette butts, and drugs – should not be flushed. Even products advertised as ‘flushable’ can clog drains, accumulate in pumps in the sewer system, or interfere with treatment at wastewater facilities, all of which cost the homeowner or the public extra money. For health and sanitation reasons, Vermonters should only flush bodily fluids, soap, and toilet paper.

Vermont Business Magazine Changes to the national and local lighting market means these point-of-sale discounts are expiring starting in July of 2023. Now is the time to upgrade your business or home's lighting for the best price. LEDs have come a long way in the past couple decades. What used to be a high-cost alternative for most businesses and homes has now become the standard when replacing old lighting. Because of this, new Federal and State laws call for only high-efficiency LED lighting to be sold starting in 2023. By January 1, 2024, there will only be efficient lighting available for sale in the State of Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Economic Development Corporation (GMEDC) has closed on the lower building at the former Enterprise Center property on Route 66 in Randolph, the future site of a new, state-of-the-art childcare center. An innovative partnership between GMEDC and Orange County Parent Child Center (OCPCC), OCPCC - Randolph will serve 88 children and is scheduled to open in the Fall of 2024. A culmination of several years of work at the Town, regional, state, and Federal levels, this transaction secures site control and allows GMEDC to move forward with final design development and construction.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are unchanged in the last week at $3.42 per gallon today. They're 5 cents/g lower than a month ago and 82 cents/g lower than a year ago. The national average is $4.43/g and falling after a recent rise. Prices are expected to edge up as summer formulations come on the market. The national average price of diesel has fallen 4.1 cents in the last week and stands at $4.30 per gallon, as diesel prices have been falling steadily.

Vermont Business Magazine National Life Group is sponsoring Spectrum Youth & Family Services Sleep Out 2023, in which participants sleep outside to raise awareness and support in combatting youth homelessness. An annual fundraiser, the Sleep Out brings in about $300,000 to help combat homelessness for Vermont teens. Since 2015, The National Life Group Foundation has supported Spectrum through grants and National Life has supported its work through sponsorships. Spectrum has also been a recipient of National Life’s Share the Good, an employee donation match program, as well as being a popular place for employee volunteer hours to be used.

Vermont Business Magazine Norwich University announced today that it will host its second annual Amazon Web Services (AWS) Business Case Competition. The event, which is presented by the Norwich University School of Business, will take place on March 30, 2023, where teams of Norwich students will compete and present their work to a panel of judges featuring representatives from AWS. This year’s AWS Business Case will focus on Autonomous Vehicles, Electric Vehicles and Sustainability within Automotive Manufacturing. Winners will be announced at a formal awards ceremony that will take place on the Norwich campus at the Plumley Armory from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., featuring a keynote presentation by Lieutenant Governor of the State of Vermont, David Zuckerman, as well as remarks from AWS Director of Professional Services for Industrials and Norwich class of ‘94 graduate, Jon Allen.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont’s graduating medical students are among a record-breaking 43,000* future physicians participating in the National Resident Matching Program’s (NRMP) 2023 Main Residency Match®, the results of which will be revealed on Match Day on Friday, March 17. The UVM Larner College of Medicine’s festivities will take place in the Hoehl Gallery in the Health Science Research Facility beginning at about 11:30 am, with match announcements beginning at noon. UVM’s Match Day event was virtual in 2020 and 2021 and took place in-person at UVM’s Davis Center in 2022. This is the first time since 2019 that the event has taken place on-site at the College of Medicine. Features include a bagpiper-led parade of medical students, short remarks, and students opening their Match envelopes and/or announcing their Match results on stage.

The Vermont State Police has arrested a suspect on murder and other charges in connection with the November fatal shooting in Rutland of Jonathan Naranjo, 26, of Brooklyn, New York. Investigation by VSP following the Nov. 7 homicide identified the shooter as Trayvon Kisling, 18, of Staten Island, New York. Police obtained an arrest warrant for Kisling, and investigators learned earlier this month that Kisling was likely in Vermont. Shortly after noon Wednesday, March 15, 2023, the state police conducted an operation to arrest Kisling. He was located inside a vehicle at a Shell gas station and convenience store in Brandon and taken into custody by members of the Vermont State Police’s Tactical Services Unit. The operation was supported by members of the Vermont Drug Task Force; VSP’s Criminal Field Force divisions, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. No one was injured.

Vermont Business Magazine VermontBiz The owners of Keene Perspectives in Hartford are the 2023 Vermont Small Business Persons of the Year. Chris and Cortney Keene are recognized by the US Small Business Administration for their company’s employment growth, expansion, and community-oriented mission.

"We are in complete shock to be totally honest. We're so proud of the recognition this brings to our amazing team full of passionate and dedicated professionals and to the larger field of behavior analysis. This wouldn't be remotely possible without their tremendous efforts. We're also so thankful for all of the families, school teams, and our local community for putting their trust in us every day,” said Cortney and Chris Keene.