Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Community Bank NA recently presented a $2,500 donation to Common Roots to help support its food education programs for local preschool and elementary school children. All programs focus on transforming the culture regarding nutritious, fresh, local foods. Founded in 2009, Common Roots has worked with farmers, educators, kids, families and the broader community to enrich local food systems and culture over the past decade. It has five food and access programs, including Farm to School, Growing Gardens, Community Food Shares, Farm to Go and Land-Based Gatherings at Wheeler Nature Park.

Vermont Business Magazine In celebration of Sodexo’s ongoing commitment to Vermont First local food sourcing, eight Vermont colleges will compete in a Localvore Cooking Challenge hosted by Norwich University on Wednesday, April 3, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. This friendly competition challenges professional and up-and-coming Sodexo chefs to create dishes around foods and products that are native to Vermont. Each campus culinary team will prepare and serve their local dishes to students during the special lunch at Norwich University and students get to vote on their favorite dish. The culinary teams will also be judged on presentation, creativity, technical execution, and guest interaction by guest judges from the Vermont food community. 

Vermont Business Magazine Brattleboro Savings & Loan announced today that it has been named a Certified B Corporation, joining a small group of ambitious companies around the world that meet exceptional standards for environmental, social, and community impact.

Vermont Business Magazine On Saturday, March 30, the lights of iconic sites like the Sydney Opera House, the Empire State Building, and the Space Needle will be turned off between 8:30 and 9:30pm to show solidarity in the fight against climate change as people around the world celebrate the 13^th annual Earth Hour, an event that originated as a symbolic “lights out” event in Sydney, Australia in 2007.

The USS VERMONT (SSN 792) Commissioning Committee is proud to partner with The Vermont Teddy Bear Company to offer Dewey Bears with our USS VERMONT logo.  Our bears are called Dewey in honor of Admiral George Dewey, the only officer of the U.S. Navy ever to hold the rank of Admiral of the Navy. Admiral Dewey was born in 1837 in Montpelier, Vt., and his distinguished service during the Civil War in 1861 through the Spanish-American War in 1898 resulted in Congress awarding him the rank of Admiral.

by Vermont Commissioner of Health Mark Levine, MD It is with profound sadness that we acknowledge the pain suffered by the individuals, families and communities in Parkland, Newtown and here in Vermont, following news of recent suicides and attempts. We are reminded of the long-lasting impact that trauma and violence, as well as current stressors can have, especially on young people.

Vermont Business Magazine Equal Pay Day is Tuesday, April 2nd. The gender pay gap in Vermont is the lowest gender pay gap in the nation. PayScale, a compensation data and software provider, just released new research into the gender pay issue called The 2019 State of the Gender Pay Gap Report. Overall, women in the US earn 79 cents for every dollar earned by men; when comparing compensation for all women versus all men (what PayScale calls the uncontrolled pay gap). However, in Vermont, women earn more - 87 cents for every dollar earned by men. Additionally in Vermont, the uncontrolled pay gap essentially disappeared and women and men in the same roles were paid the same amount. 

Vermont Business Magazine After a one-week increase weekly unemployment claims fell last week, but edged higher than they were at this time last year. For the week of March 23, 2019, there were 499 claims, 142 fewer than they were the previous week, but 49 more than they were a year ago.

Vermont Business Magazine America’s leading companies and law firms are meeting strengthened criteria to meet the evolving needs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community around the world, according to the 2018 Corporate Equality Index (CEI) released by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation, the educational arm of the nation’s largest LGBTQ civil rights organization.  

Vermont Business Magazine In collaboration with the Vermont Community Foundation, the High Meadows Fund is putting $218,000 into action over the next two years to launch a new initiative supporting statewide and local efforts to improve forest health and integrity in Vermont. In this first year, High Meadows is awarding grants to nine projects around the state that foster collaborative approaches to creating resilient, adaptable forests. Healthy forests protect wildlife and contribute to the quality of life of all Vermonters, including those who depend on the forests for their livelihoods.

Some projects are grounded in specific regions of Vermont and seek to strengthen the connectivity between forest parcels, landowners, and other community stakeholders tied to a region’s forested landscape. Others take a statewide approach, focusing on specific opportunities, like bird-friendly maple production, or targeted audiences, like women landowners.

by Michael Pieciak, Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation There is growing consensus that paid family and medical leave (FML) is a valuable program that benefits individuals, families, and businesses alike. Generally, paid FML provides an individual with income replacement while away from work to bond with a new child, recover from a serious medical condition, or care for a sick relative.

Research suggests children and parents experience better health outcomes if they have access to paid FML. Businesses can experience a more productive workforce with higher morale and measurable improvements in retaining employees and recruiting new talent. This last point is particularly relevant when considering Vermont’s pressing need to grow the workforce.

Vermont Business Magazine Burlngton-based CashorTrade, a social network where fans buy, sell and trade tickets at face value, announced a partnership with Osiris, a network of music and culture podcasts. Born from the same love and passion for music, the ticketing site and media company both dedicate themselves to enriching the live music experience for their fans.  “Osiris provides a new level of depth for fans,” says Jonny Adler, Director of Business Development at CashorTrade. “The same fans who are committed to the face value movement— the ones who want to share experiences, not make profit on tickets -- are the same fans interested in diving deep into Osiris podcasts.”