Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Leadership Champlain, the Lake Champlain Chamber’s signature leadership development program, is pleased to announce the incoming Class of 2026. Established in 1988, Leadership Champlain is a professional development and community engagement program with a goal to develop informed, skilled leaders, foster cross-sector connections, and deepen understanding of regional issues. 

Vermont Business Magazine Following the close of a two-week collective effort, the Vermont Foodbank has announced the positive impact of the Vermont Legal Community Fighting Hunger Food Drive. For the past nine years, legal professionals across the state have come together to run the food drive during Hunger Action Month in September. Vermonters have faced many challenges over the years including a COVID-19 pandemic, economic hardships such as inflation and tariffs, and cuts to federal nutrition programs. These challenges have made it difficult to keep food on the table. For the third year in a row, the legal community effort collected diapers, in addition to food, for families in need. In the two weeks of this year’s food drive, professionals across the Vermont legal community together raised $14,304, which will supply more than $57,216 worth of food to Vermonters. All funds donated went directly to the important work of the Vermont Foodbank. 

Vermont Business Magazine OneCare Vermont and Heidi Health have announced a partnership aimed at reducing the administrative burden for medical practitioners and improving quality of care for patients across the rural state of Vermont. As part of the agreement, OneCare Vermont will give many of its independent provider practices across the state 12-month subscriptions to Heidi Health’s AI medical scribe. Heidi’s AI scribe automates an average of over two hours of daily administrative work, transcribing and processing clinician-patient conversations, producing clinical notes and follow-up materials so clinicians can focus on delivering quality care to their patients. OneCare Vermont, a pioneering accountable care organization (ACO) dedicated to improving Vermont’s healthcare system, announced in November 2024 plans to wind down its operations at the conclusion of 2025. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) is awarding approximately $6 million in grants to municipalities for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure improvement projects. The combination of construction projects and planning grants will benefit cities and towns statewide with improved transportation connectivity and safety, tangible economic benefits, and additional transportation options for commuters, visitors, and recreational users. Vermont continues to prioritize making communities and streets more accessible for all modes of transportation. In downtowns and village centers especially, municipalities are responding to the need for better active transportation facilities.  

Vermont Business Magazine Norwich University announces that its undergraduate certificate in Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT) has been awarded full accreditation by the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF). The program has been accredited for a five-year term, effective through August 26, 2030. The USGIF review committee commended Norwich on the quality of its program and leadership, noting: “The review committee was highly impressed with the quality of the program and its leadership. We would like to congratulate you and your team again for your accomplishment and welcome you to join USGIF’s Collegiate Accredited Schools.” 

Vermont Business Magazine Collins Aerospace’s Vergennes facility has officially been recognized as a Star site in Vermont’s Green Mountain Voluntary Protection Program (GMVPP), the highest level of achievement in the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP).  This honor places Collins Aerospace among a select group of workplaces nationwide that demonstrate an exemplary commitment to employee safety and health.   

Vermont Business Magazine After more than 17 years as President & Executive Director of the Burlington Business Association (BBA), Kelly Devine has announced her departure, effective at the end of the year. Devine has led the organization through significant initiatives to enhance downtown Burlington’s vibrancy, safety, and economic health. Chair of the Board Chelsea Condos said, “Kelly has been the backbone of the BBA for nearly two decades. Her commitment, energy, and vision have transformed downtown Burlington in ways that benefit every resident, business owner, and visitor. While we will deeply miss her leadership, we are grateful for all she has accomplished and are committed to building on the strong foundation she has laid as we look toward the future.”

Vermont Business Magazine An effort years in the making culminated today in a ceremonial ribbon cutting ceremony in Shelburne, marking the transformation of a former motel which provided temporary housing for homeless Vermonters into a new neighborhood with affordable apartments and condominiums. Over a hundred people gathered to mark the occasion. The new Bay Ridge neighborhood, developed by Champlain Housing Trust and Evernorth, includes 68 affordable apartments and 26 new affordable condominiums. All will become homes that will be affordable to generations of Shelburne residents – a hallmark of Vermont’s policy to safeguard taxpayer investment in affordable housing.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.17 per gallon, down 3 cents per gallon from last week, up 7 cents/g from last month and down 6 cents/g from last year. The lowest price in the state this week was $2.89/g while the highest was $3.35/g, a difference of 46.0 cents per gallon. Prices were lowest in Bennington ($3.03/g) and Addison ($3.07/g) counties and highest in Lamoille ($3.24/g), Franklin ($3.27/g) and Grand Isle ($3.27/g). The national average price of gasoline has fallen 5 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.15/g today. The national average is down 1 cent/g from a month ago and stands 6 cents per gallon lower than a year ago.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak held a press conference to announce the appointment of Kelli Perkins, Ed.D, to serve as the next Director of the Office of Racial Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (REIB). Dr. Kelli Perkins has 20 years of professional experience at the intersection of educational administration, DEI, and human resources, most recently serving as the Human Resources and Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Director for Vital Communities, an Upper Valley nonprofit. She earned her Doctor of Education from Northeastern University, as well as a Master of Science in Adult Education from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University.    

Vermont Business Magazine Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) today strongly condemned Nexstar Media Group’s decision to block the broadcast of Jimmy Kimmel Live! on stations it owns, including WVNY in Vermont, following political pressure from former President Donald Trump and FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr. In a letter sent this week to Nexstar CEO Perry Sook, Sanders called the move “absolutely unacceptable” and a “dangerous act of censorship that has no place in a democratic society.” “Let’s be clear,” Sanders wrote. “Being able to publicly criticize or make fun of the President of the United States—whether that person is a Republican, Democrat or Independent—is what makes America a great country and sets us apart from tin pot dictatorships and authoritarian regimes.”

Vermont Business Magazine Great Works Internet (GWI) today announced a legal victory in its ongoing dispute with the East Central Vermont Telecommunications District (ECFiber). On September 23, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont denied ECFiber’s Emergency Motion to Enforce and Modify the Court’s Order of August 11, 2025. ECFiber sought to remove GWI from network operations and immediately hand control over to Vermont ISP Operating Company (VISPO), a newly formed, untested organization with no track record and no public budget. The Court rejected this attempt, affirming that GWI remains the contracted operator of the ECFiber system through December 31, 2025, and that its staffing and operational decisions remain under GWI’s sole authority.