Current News

by Mike Bursell As Chief Financial Officer of Vermont Electric Cooperative, my primary job is to manage the cooperative’s financial well-being. As an electric cooperative our members are also our owners. We work for the interests of our members without the pressure from investors to be more profitable. Several years ago the Co-op wanted to create a Co-op Community Solar program that provided benefits to all members. We took a hard look at the numbers. Would this be a good program for our members? Would this be a good deal for the Co-op as a whole? The answer, it turned out, was yes to both.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Electric Power Company (VELCO) President and CEO Tom Dunn announced today that Kerrick Johnson has agreed to serve as VELCO's Vice President of Strategic Innovation. Johnson joins VELCO's senior leadership team, where he will be responsible for all company business development activities and communications work as the company continues to pursue initiatives that deliver grid reliability, cost savings and decarbonization value. This is a return engagement for Johnson having previously served eleven years at VELCO.  

"We welcome Kerrick back to VELCO as a catalyst for our strategic growth," said Dunn. "Kerrick's relationships, creativity, and passion are unmatched. We are pleased he is joining our team as we broaden and deepen our strategic partnerships, develop new tools and services, and ultimately deliver more value for Vermonters."

Vermont Business Magazine Burlington Greenway (waterfront bike path) users be aware that beginning today the Greenway will be closed to all traffic from Flynn Avenue to Maple Street to allow for contractors to work in the Lakeside neighborhood portion of the Greenway on Proctor Place and Harrison Avenue. Users will be able to access the path in Oakledge park, but it will be closed at the bridge over the brook, according to the Burlington Parks, Recreation & Waterfront Department. This work is scheduled to be completed in three weeks. After that, crews will head further north to Perkins Pier and the Roundhouse section.

Vermont Business Magazine VTrans released today the latest update to work on the North Hero drawbridge replacement project. US Route 2 at the temporary drawbridge is open to two lanes of traffic. Expect intermittent stops and releases of traffic by flaggers to allow for construction vehicles to enter the work zone. The contractor is currently working 7AM to 6PM, Monday through Thursday, and 7AM to 1PM on Fridays. No weekend work is scheduled at this time.

Vermont Business Magazine Norwich University begins the 2019-2020 academic year on Monday, August 26, with approximately 764 new students. First year students in the Corps of Cadets arrived on Sunday, August 18, and new civilian students arrived at the Northfield campus on Tuesday, August 20, for orientation. The Class of 2023 is comprised of approximately 465 rooks (first year students in the Corps of Cadets) and 299 civilian students (both residential and commuter) coming from 38 states, two territories (Puerto Rico and DC) and 23 different countries.

Vermont Business Magazine Vacasa, North America’s largest vacation rental management platform, has launched its second annual Top 25 Best Places to Buy a Vacation Home report, highlighting the best US destinations to invest in a vacation rental property. Killington was ranked second in the nation and Warren (Sugarbush) was number 14. The Vermont towns were the only locations ranked in the Northeast.

Vermont Business Magazine Feeling unhappy and cranky? The treatment: take a walk under some trees in the park. That may not be the exact prescription of your doctor, but a first-of-its-kind study shows that visitors to urban parks use happier words and express less negativity on Twitter than they did before their visit—and that their elevated mood lasts, like a glow, for up to four hours afterwards. The effect is so strong—a team of scientists from the University of Vermont discovered—that the increase in happiness from a visit to an outpost of urban nature is equivalent to the mood spike on Christmas, by far the happiest day each year on Twitter. 

by M. Kathleen Shaw, DVM, Vermont Veterinary Medical Association Hot summer days make most of us want to get out and enjoy nature, often bringing along our dogs, and it is important to be aware of algae blooms and the potential life- threatening consequences of human and animal contact with them. Algae are tiny plant-like organisms that are found in all types of water. They are essential to the earth because, like plants, they produce oxygen we need to survive. They are found worldwide -from ponds, lakes, and streams in Vermont to the hot springs of Yellowstone to oceans and even under the ice caps in sea water.

Fourteen entrepreneurs from seven climate solution start-ups graduate from the Vermont-based business accelerator to help reduce fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in the heating and transportation sectors.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont State Treasurer Beth Pearce today announced that participants in the state’s investment account for Vermonters with disabilities, VermontABLE, have accumulated $1.25 million in assets. The news comes as the Treasurer’s Office highlights #ABLEtoSave Month, a nationwide initiative to raise awareness about ABLE accounts.

Vermont Business Magazine Tax revenues are still coming in largely above targets, continuing their strong showing from the spring. The personal income tax, the most important General Fund revenue source, was up nearly 7 percent over expectations. Meanwhile the corporate tax, which tends to spike, was almost 70 percent ahead of targets. Secretary of Administration Susanne Young released Vermont’s Revenue Results for July 2019 today.

A limited number of tickets to the women’s World Cup at Killington go on sale today for select viewing areas. Standing areas to view race will be free and open to public.