Current News

Vermont Business Magazine A campaign to encourage housing production in Chittenden County is keeping apace of its overall production goals, but the gap between housing costs and wages is growing, housing leaders announced last week. There were 620 homes developed and ready for occupancy in 2018. Over the first three years of the campaign an average of 758 homes were built each year ahead of the pace needed to meet the campaign’s goal of 3,500 homes over five years.

by Don Turner Putting aside our differences in politics, we’ve all come to count on our first responders and the services they provide as a “given.” We know that if, in that dreaded circumstance, we have to call 9-1-1 for an emergency, we’ll have a reassuring voice on the other line, ready to send help. But what if there was no answer? What if the wait time for emergency services was too long? What if there were too many other crises at that very moment, and our first responders couldn’t make it?

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott and members of his cabinet will be in Bennington County on Tuesday, September 24 for its Capitol for a Day 14-county tour. Governor Scott launched this initiative in June 2018, and he and his cabinet visited all 14 counties over the following 10 months. The second round of visits began this summer, and the administration will revisit each county over the next several months.

Capitol for a Day gives local constituents, municipal government leaders and other partners the opportunity to connect directly with state leadership and staff.

“This initiative has been tremendously rewarding and productive,” said Governor Scott. “It’s been great to get back to each county, with the opportunity to see new local programs and projects, as well as hear from Vermonters about the challenges they face and the impact of the work we’re doing in Montpelier.”

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development is being awarded a grant to assist Vermont small businesses export goods and services. The Small Business Administration announced Friday that it is providing Vermont a $300,000 grant through the SBA’s State Trade Expansion Program, a federal-state partnership initiative to increase the number of small businesses exporting. The state of Vermont is providing $100,000 for a total of $400,000 in state exporting funds.

Vermont Business Magazine Spectrum Youth & Family Services was awarded a $50,000 grant award by the James M Cox Foundation of Cox Enterprises to renovate a space in its Pearl Street building that will result in two-stories and 1,500 square feet of space for youth services. Reconstructing the space known as "the Vault" is a critical endeavor for Spectrum. Currently a storage unit, the renovated Vault will be used for counseling, case management, tutoring and employment support. Additionally, Spectrum will renovate its Drop-In Center to create a more youth-friendly, trauma-informed space for its clients.

Dealer.com, a Cox Automotive company, has a long history of partnership with Spectrum Youth & Family Services and recommended the organization for the James M. Cox Foundation grant. The Foundation focuses its charitable efforts on conservation and environment, early childhood education, and empowering families and individuals for success and health.

Vermont Business Magazine For the ninth year in a row, Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel, Darn Tough Vermont and Smartwool have teamed up to donate over $13,000 worth of socks and support to local non-profits serving the areas homeless. This fundraising event is a joint effort to help provide warm Merino wool socks and much-needed support to the area’s homeless population in preparation for the colder months.

Vermont Business Magazine As the urgency of the current climate crisis escalates, local leading energy companies pledge to eliminate all fossil-fuel burning vehicles from their fleets. SunCommon, a leading solar provider based in Vermont and New York, today announced the launch of the Drive Electric Pledge - a commitment that both Green Mountain Power (GMP) and Burlington Electric Department (BED) have made in solidarity with SunCommon.

Vermont Business Magazine Community members, RMHC supporters and Care Mobile staff gathered on Friday to celebrate a decade of bringing free dental screenings and care to Vermont's under served youth population. The Ronald McDonald Care Mobile is a 40-foot, 26,000 pound traveling dental clinic donated by Ronald McDonald House Charities Global. Operated and staffed by professionals at the Plainfield Health Center, this state-of-the-art vehicle provides comprehensive pediatric dental care to children (ages 0-20 years) primarily in the Northeast Kingdom. 

Vermont Business Magazine Garnet Transport Medicine, a state-of-the-art non-emergent medical transport service based in Essex Jct, will provide 24/7/365 inter-facility transport throughout Vermont. Garnet’s services include Basic and Advanced Life Support ambulance service and Non-Emergent Medical Transport (non-emergency) for those requiring wheelchair accommodation, all with a focus on patient-centered care.

Director of Operations, William (Bill) Cotell will establish and maintain an operations model that is vital to the region. He has hired a full complement of EMTs, AEMTs, Paramedics, and Communication Specialists. Cotell is a certified Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic with over 20 years of experience.

Vermont Research Newsletter More than a decade ago, Wal-Mart agreed to locate its first store in a downtown, eschewing the suburban location that can devastate main street businesses. Since then other chains have followed suit. The story of Wal-Mart’s Rutland location includes a trip to Bentonville. AR, by a group of visionary Vermonters; The trend in prime working-age population is improving, with Vermont outperforming other Northeastern states for the first time in recent years; A recent article finds that trust in the government correlates to constitution length, with higher levels of trust associated with shorter constitutions, like Vermont's.

​Vermont Business Magazine The State of Vermont recently won a national award for the newly redesigned state government portal website. The dotCOMM Awards named the State of Vermont a gold winner in the government category for the new Vermont.gov.

#BeThere Campaign Urges Our Community to Support Veterans

Vermont Business Magazine In observance of Suicide Prevention Month, White River Junction VA Medical Center is bringing awareness to its #BeThere campaign by encouraging community leaders, colleagues, and veterans’ families and friends to help prevent suicide by showing support for those who may be going through a difficult time.

Suicide is a complex national public health issue that affects communities nationwide, with more than 45,000 Americans, including more than 6,000 Veterans, dying by suicide every year. But suicide is preventable. VA is using a community-driven approach to prevent suicide and finding innovative ways to deliver support and care to all 20 million U.S. Veterans whenever and wherever they need it.