Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont fell 16 spots to 26th in the annual survey by U-Haul of interstate migration. Tennessee, the Volunteer State, posted the largest net gain of U-Haul trucks crossing its borders in 2020, making it the Number 1 U-Haul growth state for the first time. Growth states are calculated by the net gain of one-way U-Haul trucks entering a state versus leaving that state in a calendar year. Migration trends data is compiled from more than 2 million one-way U-Haul truck customer transactions that occur annually. Tennessee's influx of do-it-yourself movers during a turbulent year marked by the coronavirus pandemic means that a state other than Florida and Texas tops the growth rankings for the first time since 2015, when North Carolina led the way.

The Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC) has awarded a Small Grant for Smart Growth to the Town of Rockingham to promote small-scale development in the village of Bellows Falls. The $1,000 grant will help fund targeted technical assistance toward the goal of preserving, revitalizing, or repurposing vacant or underutilized buildings. The Incremental Development Alliance (IDA) is a consultancy that helps residents strengthen their communities through small-scale real estate projects nationwide. The firm will engage 30-60 diverse stakeholders for a period of three months in the Town of Rockingham in an intensive training and education program to develop a strategic plan for downtown revitalization.

Vermont Business Magazine Cooperative Insurance Companies of Middlebury has awarded the Laberge Insurance Agency with its 2019 President’s Award of Excellence. Each year Co-operative Insurance chooses the agency that out- performed all others in the areas of growth, profitability and working relationship with the company and its members. The belated award was presented at Co-operative Insurance’s home office in lieu of a previously planned outing that was cancelled due to the COVID 19 pandemic.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Lieutenant Governor-elect Molly Gray announced the appointment of Hazel Brewster of Morrisville to serve as her chief of staff. Most recently, Brewster served as the Scheduler and Digital Media Manager for Gray’s campaign for Lieutenant Governor. Previously, Brewster worked in the Offices of Governor Phil Scott and Senator Patrick Leahy as well as supporting Members of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, Scotland. Brewster is a graduate of the University of Vermont with a degree in Political Science.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center (VMEC) has announced the results of its December 8, 2020 annual election of VMEC Advisory Board members. Newly elected to the VMEC Advisory Board for two-year terms were Dr. Christopher Koliba, University of Vermont President’s Fellow for Engagement & Professor of Community Development & Applied Economics (Burlington) and David Lynn, Senior Vice President & Top Operations Officer, Agri-Mark/ Cabot Creamery, Inc. (Waitsfield).

Vermont Business Magazine Burlington based brewery Zero Gravity, in collaboration with Kris Nelson of Citizen Cider, is launching a brand new non-alcoholic beer called Rescue Club. Rescue Club IPA is a non-alcoholic beer of the highest quality born from New England’s craft brewing culture.

This IPA is not like the non-alcoholic beers you’ve had before. Rescue Club said that it uses a proprietary technique to deliver a beer that is free of alcohol but full of flavor.

It offers a non-alcoholic option that doesn’t sacrifice the refreshing hop character you crave.

Rescue Club IPA is brewed by Rescue Club Brewing Company, a partnership between Zero Gravity Craft Brewery and Citizen Cider Co-Founder Kris Nelson.

by Janice St Onge At the core of Jeff Weaber’s business lies a simple idea: that kombucha—a fizzy probiotic drink made from tea—promotes good health and can change lives. It was with this idea in mind that Weaber, formerly a brewer for Lucky Labrador in Oregon, started making kombucha in the basement of his Salisbury, Vermont farmhouse back in 2005, primarily to support his wife’s newly opened naturopathic clinic.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) issued the following statement regarding Republican attempts to overturn the results of the November elections: “The outcome of the 2020 election is not in doubt. Let’s be clear: Joe Biden resoundingly won the popular vote by more than 7 million votes, and he won an Electoral College margin that Trump called a ‘landslide’ in 2016. On January 6, the House and Senate will ratify the results of the Electoral College, as has been done for 231 years..."

Vermont Business Magazine The Northeast Delta Dental Foundation recently awarded a $60,000 grant to the Vermont Head Start/Early Head Start programs to support the Vermont Head Start Association Tooth Tutor program. The grant period will operate through September 30, 2021. For ten years, the Northeast Delta Dental Foundation and Delta Dental Plan of Vermont have provided financial support to the Tooth Tutor program.

The Lake Champlain Committee (LCC) has been named a “2020 Top-Rated Nonprofit” by GreatNonprofits, the leading provider of user reviews and ratings of charities and nonprofits. The Top-Rated Nonprofit Award is based on the five-star ratings and reviews that LCC received from volunteers, donors and community members.

Vermont Business Magazine Reacting to Senate Republicans’ refusal to provide unanimous consent for a motion by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) seeking up-or-down votes on two bills providing $2,000 in direct economic relief to working-class families today, including Majority Leader McConnell’s own proposal.

Vermont Business Magazine The UVM Medical Center is not distributing the vaccine to employees who are fully remote or who work in buildings that patients do not enter, and will continue to work with the state to determine the timing for those groups. Through December 30, they had vaccinated 3,096 employees and 1,169 community health care workers.