Current News

Vermont Business Magazine In response to its growing medical device business, advanced contract manufacturing and injection molding company GW Plastics, Inc. announced today the expansion of its Royalton, Vermont Manufacturing and Technology Center. GW Plastics has broken ground on a 30,000 ft² expansion to accommodate the growth of its thermoplastic injection molding and medical device contract assembly business.

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General TJ Donovan announced a settlement with the New England Municipal Resource Center (NEMRC) regarding serious data security problems in its municipal management software. This software is used by every city and town in Vermont. To resolve allegations that its lack of data security violated the Vermont Consumer Protection Act, NEMRC has agreed to improve many of its business practices, such as developing an Information Security Program and enhancing employee training regarding security. NEMRC will also pay a penalty of $30,000.

by John F Varney, VEC As the weather warms across Vermont, many of us are eager to get out and start outdoor projects around our homes. During spring we tackle lots of yard cleanup, tree trimming, repairs, plantings, painting projects and other work. Because of our post-winter enthusiasm, it can be easy to overlook basic safety precautions as we work. In all work, take things slowly, think through your process, and keep focused.

Here are a few tips for specific tasks:

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Gas has once again joined forces with the Intervale Center and the Winooski Valley Parks District to plant over 375 trees at the Ethan Allen Homestead in Burlington. This planting project is part of the Company’s commitment to conservation and education. Tree plantings along stream embankments prevent erosion and help protect fish habitat. About 20 Vermont Gas employees took part in this morning’s planting.

Vermont Business Magazine Castleton University is proud to announce a partnership with MHG Solar that will allow Castleton to purchase net-metering credits from a community solar site in nearby Poultney. Castleton anticipates that partnering in the MHG Solar project will generate hundreds of thousands of dollars in potential savings over the next 25 years. MHG Solar, an energy company based out of Manchester, Vermont, is beginning construction on a series of solar projects that will be located on old tailings piles in slate quarries that extend from Poultney to Pawlet.

These unique locations, which qualify as preferred solar sites due to their already disturbed landscape, help to preserve the state's limited agricultural lands, hide the solar arrays from public view, and take advantage of existing infrastructure for transmission and site access. The sites will include a 500-kilowatt array with over 2,000 panels, all connected to Green Mountain Power.

Vermont Business Magazine Accel-VT has selected seven early-stage energy companies from across the US and Canada to participate in its Energy 2019 cohort. The Vermont business accelerator will kick off the first of three one-week sprints in Burlington next week. Fifteen entrepreneurs from the eight companies will convene at Burlington Electric Department’s Spark Space to focus on reducing fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in the heating and transportation sectors.

Vermont Business Magazine Sugarbush Resort received two awards from the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) this season in recognition of their environmental initiatives. The Climate Change Impact Award is part of The Golden Eagle Awards for Environmental Excellence, the highest honors bestowed on a resort for environmental performance, originally established in 1993. Sugarbush received their award thanks to a number of environmental initiatives they’ve undertaken in the last several years.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Business Magazine and the Vermont Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday evening announced Green Mountain Power as the winner of the prestigious and highly anticipated Deane C Davis Outstanding Business of the Year Award, 2018. The announcement came during the Deane C Davis Hall of Fame induction ceremony held at the UVM Grossman School of Business, located at Kalkin Hall.

Vermont Business Magazine Cows have been integral to America’s economy and agricultural landscape since colonists arrived, and today the United States is the world’s largest producer of beef. However, the number of American farms has remained stagnant since the 1970’s. 

Vermont Business Magazine This summer, Burlington International Airport (BTV) is expected to reach significant passenger growth milestones. This expected growth in passenger traffic is a result of the addition of Frontier Airlines to BTV’s air service providers, upgrades in aircraft size amongst all airlines, and new non-stop service to Denver International Airport (DEN) provided by both Frontier and United Airlines. Fiscal year to date, these components have contributed to a 14% increase of total passengers over last fiscal year.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine With his attorney saying, “This is a good day,” William Stenger, 70, stood stoically outside the federal courthouse in Burlington just after noon Wednesday – black suit, blue shirt, no tie, though he had arrived at court with one – and he did not look like he believed this was a good day. When he was brought into court just a half-hour earlier, he was in handcuffs.

Vermont Business Magazine After years of advocating for Vermont prisoners to have access to life-saving medication for Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), the ACLU of Vermont and the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation at Harvard Law School, with cooperating counsel James Valente, yesterday filed a class action lawsuit challenging the state’s refusal to treat hundreds of inmates diagnosed with chronic Hepatitis C. The case was filed in the federal district court in Burlington on behalf of two Vermont prisoners, Richard West and Joseph Bruyette, who seek to represent a class of inmates who have been or will be denied treatment without medical justification.