Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Burlington Code Academy (BCA) has partnered with BTV Ignite to help provide underserved communities access to computer programming courses that lead to high-paying careers in tech. The partnership is focused on expanding the Impact Scholarship - a $50,000 student tuition aid commitment. BTV Ignite has raised philanthropic funds to provide further access to vital tuition assistance.

Vermont Business Magazine Mayor Miro Weinberger joined Burlington Fire Chief Steven Locke and other local leaders to announce the City has placed into service additional ambulance capacity. The City's third ambulance will be housed at Station 4 on North Ave in Burlington, and will be staffed by a team of two firefighters each day. The City estimates the new ambulance will be deployed to over 1,300 calls for assistance a year.

“This is a very exciting day for our Fire Department and the whole City team who have been working toward the deployment of this essential new resource. We heard from the community and from our dedicated Firefighters that it was time to expand our medical fleet once again, and I am pleased that with the support of voters we are able to deliver a third ambulance.”

Vermont Business Magazine Construction officials outlined a series of steps public officials and the construction industry should take to address the impacts of the built environment on climate change. The new initiativefrom the Associated General Contractors of America is designed to lessen the carbon footprint of the built environment while also making the process of building projects even more efficient.

“The construction industry is the delivery vehicle for building a greener, more climate friendly future,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association’s chief executive officer. “Finding a way to ensure that what our members build is more efficient will have a significant impact on climate change.”

Chittenden County Forest News by Ethan Tapper Hi all, I was pleased to be able to showcase some of the work we've done at the Hinesburg Town Forest on WCAX's "Wildlife Watch" segment. You can watch the segment here and learn more about past and upcoming projects at the HTF at the links below.

Vermont Business Magazine Bennington College and Bennington Museum are thrilled to be among the inaugural recipients of the Frankenthaler Climate Initiative. Launched by the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation in partnership with Rocky Mountain Institute and Environment & Culture Partners, the Frankenthaler Climate Initiative advances the goal of carbon neutrality across the visual arts.

Vermont Business Magazine With conditions tightening in the traditional market, captive insurance formations are accelerating in Vermont, the largest US captive insurance company domicile.

During the first 6 months of 2021, 23 new captives were licensed in Vermont, up from 16 during the same period in 2020.

"The traditional market is in turmoil, and so there is significant increase here in forming new captives and modifying existing captives," said David Provost, deputy commissioner of captive insurance in the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation in Montpelier.

Vermont's captive growth is expected to continue.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Wednesday held the first markups of the Senate Appropriations Committee as Chairman, advancing the Agriculture, Energy and Water, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs fiscal year 2022 appropriations bills through the Committee with strong bipartisan support.

Leahy said: “These bills make important investments in mitigating the climate crisis, our veterans, and our farmers. I’m also glad to announce that we have included more than $7 billion in emergency spending to address the devastating climate disasters that have wreaked havoc on crops, livestock, and communities across the country. I again want to thank my friend Vice Chairman Shelby and chairs Feinstein, Baldwin, and Heinrich and ranking members Hoeven, Boozman, and Kennedy for their work on these bills.”

Vermont Business Magazine Sugarbush Resort is raising its minimum wage for all non-tipped positions to $15/hour, effective immediately. In addition, the resort will be making wage adjustments for other eligible staff members to maintain a differential in pay. The announcement was made to all staff at Sugarbush’s annual summer employee party on Wednesday afternoon.

“Our staff continue to be the key reason for this resort’s success,” said Annemarie Todd, Vice President of Human Resources. “Their dedication and attention to exceptional guest service, particularly over this difficult past year and a half, is remarkable. We believe that in order to retain this excellent team and further build upon it with future staff, it is necessary we increase our starting wages.”

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) today announced that it has awarded approximately $3.3 million in grants to municipalities for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure improvement projects. The construction projects and planning grants will benefit cities and towns statewide by improving connectivity and safety for the traveling public and providing tangible economic benefits.

The Agency continues to work toward its goal of improvements that enable use of all modes of transportation effectively in communities. Municipalities are answering a call for better conditions for walking and bicycling, especially in downtowns and village centers.

Vermont Business Magazine The SBA Vermont District Office is hosting a webinar from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 10 about the new Direct Forgiveness Portal for Paycheck Protection Program borrowers. The Direct Forgiveness Portal allows PPP borrowers whose loans are $150,000 or less through participating lenders to apply for forgiveness directly through the SBA.

Vermont participating lenders are Community National Bank, Vermont State Employees Credit Union, Bank of Bennington, National Bank of Middlebury, New England Federal Credit Union, Union Bank, Vermont Federal Credit Union, and Bar Harbor Bank.

Vermont Business Magazine Chase will swing open the doors of its first Vermont branch Wednesday when it opens a state-of-the art bank location at 1 Church Street in Burlington. Current plans call for three branches in Vermont over the next two years including South Burlington and Williston.

“I am thrilled and so proud to open the first Chase branch in Vermont, especially in downtown Burlington,” said Branch Manager Steven Wald. “Our team is excited and invites the Burlington community to come by and enjoy the difference Chase brings to the client experience.”

Vermont Business Magazine What role did music play in a newly independent United States? In the 1780s music in commemorative rituals focused on gratitude, virtue and educating youth, according to new research that draws on extensive music archives from Bennington, Vermont Music played a central role in commemorating the revolutionary war, which was an important counter to the perceived fragility of the new republic. As political rifts developed at the close of the century, songs and songwriting became a tool for political expression and criticism.