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Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont House Democratic Caucus met on Saturday to elect its leadership team for the upcoming legislative biennium and reaffirmed their commitment to addressing the critical issues facing Vermonters across the state. The caucus nominated Representative Jill Krowinski, the incumbent Speaker of the House, to continue her role. The final vote for the position will be held the first day of the legislative session by the Secretary of State. Speaker Krowinski, who has served as Speaker for four years, expressed her gratitude and commitment to leading the House through the challenges ahead. 

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.) this week filed a joint resolution proposing a constitutional amendment to establish term limits for U.S. Supreme Court Justices. The amendment would institute nonrenewable, 18-year terms for new U.S. Supreme Court Justices, with a new term starting every two years. The Senators’ amendment aims to restore confidence in the Court, eliminate political gamesmanship from the nomination process, and reinforce judicial independence. Public trust in the Supreme Court has eroded in recent years. Following the 2024 Supreme Court term, only 16% of Americans had “a great deal of confidence” in the Court. The vast majority of the country supports the establishment of term limits for Supreme Court Justices and 49 of the 50 states have determined judicial term restrictions are appropriate for those serving on their highest court. 

by James Rea, UVM Leahy Institute The Ford Foundation has awarded a $250,000 grant to the University of Vermont’s (UVM) Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships to expand its statewide summer internship program and amplify the Institute’s efforts to provide clear, accessible data to feed economic and community development work throughout the Green Mountain State. The Ford Foundation grant will allow the Leahy Institute to add a second cohort to its Statewide Summer Internship Project. The program sends UVM students to rural Vermont communities for eight weeks of employment, community engagement and learning. 

Vermont Business Magazine For over a decade, the Vermont Chamber of Commerce has brought together industry peers to facilitate sourcing and procurement opportunities at the Manufacturing Summit. This year, 130 industry leaders and manufacturing professionals from across Vermont, New England, and Canada convened to collaborate, share insights, and explore solutions to the sector’s most pressing challenges. Held on November 13-14 at the recently renovated Hotel Champlain in Burlington, the event included an in-person networking reception followed by a robust day of programming designed to strengthen connections and spark collaboration. 

Vermont Business Magazine The 2024 Vermont Maple Conference, Dec 9-14, will offer options for both online and in-person learning with informative and engaging sessions led by maple industry experts and maple producers. University of Vermont (UVM) Extension and the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers' Association (VMSMA) will host the hybrid conference, with funding assistance from the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets. Additional conference sponsors include Lapierre, Farm Credit East, Atlas CopCo, Burch Bottle, and Dominion & Grimm. Daily sessions will be of interest not only to sugar makers but also to foresters who work with maple producers and forest landowners looking to lease to a producer. Forestry credits will be available for the online and in-person sessions of the entire conference.

by Dan Smith, President and CEO of the Vermont Community Foundation People are tired of politics. Fear, mistrust and polarization have that effect. Trust is the connective tissue of civic structures, and the trend at every level is to trust leaders and each other less and less. As elections increase in intensity, we should reassess what needs to get done (policy) and how we choose to do it (civic design and approach to leadership). Community and democracy thrive with a sense of shared fate and the potential for progress. Polarization and stalemate offer neither. In Vermont, the need to focus on demographic imbalance, housing, health care, adapting to dramatic weather events, and creating the conditions for a strong economy require a political system that functions as we were taught it might instead of how it currently does. 

Vermont Business Magazine Alison Lane and Andrew Silva opened their pastry shop, Mirabelles, in South Burlington, Vermont, in 1990. Rooted in the European tradition, Mirabelles serves flaky breakfast pastries, show-stopping cakes, and a menu of other delights. Mirabelles has been named the best bakery in Vermont every year since 2006 by the readers of Seven Days, Vermont’s largest independent newspaper.

by Ivy Enoch Earning a college degree is challenging, especially for Vermont students who balance school, jobs, and family while working to put food on the table. Fortunately, a new policy change now makes it easier for Vermont’s community college students to access 3SquaresVT, the state’s name for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), to help with grocery expenses so they can focus on success in school. As of October 1, 2024, Vermont’s Department for Children and Families adopted a policy that eliminated a prohibitive work activity requirement for community college students seeking to gain eligibility for 3SquaresVT. This policy change recognizes that mandating work requirements is simply not effective at incentivizing work, because 80% of CCV students are already employed while pursuing their degree. 

Vermont Business Magazine 2024 was a banner year at Vermont State Historic Sites. New data released today by the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development’s Division for Historic Preservation shows 80,678 people spent $512,053 at seven Vermont State Historic Sites during the 2024 season. Spending is the result of admission fees (charged at six sites) and sales at six gift shops. The seven Vermont State Historic Sites accepting visitors during 2024 were Bennington Battle Monument, Mount Independence in Orwell, Chimney Point in Addison, Senator Justin Morrill in Strafford, President Calvin Coolidge in Plymouth Notch, President Chester A. Arthur in Fairfield, and Hubbardton Battlefield.

Vermont Business Magazine Central Vermont Home Health & Hospice (CVHHH) in Barre raised $6,190 on Giving Tuesday, December 3, 2024, thanks to a generous match challenge from J.A. Gould Plumbing & Heating. In 24 hours, thirty-five donors contributed $4,690. An additional $1,500 match from J.A. Gould Plumbing & Heating brought the Giving Tuesday total to $6,190 to support home health, hospice, long-term care, and family-child health care at Central Vermont Home Health & Hospice (CVHHH).

Vermont Business Magazine Community Bank’s community development program has been nationally recognized with a 2024 ABA Foundation Community Commitment Award from the American Bankers Association Foundation. Community Bank was chosen for its efforts in the volunteerism category and was presented with the award during ABA’s annual convention Oct. 29 in New York City. In 2023, Community Bank broke records for volunteerism and philanthropic investments across its network of more than 200 branches in Upstate New York, Northeastern Pennsylvania, Vermont and Western Massachusetts.  Last year, more than 500 bank employees served on nonprofit boards and committees and spent more than 16,000 hours volunteering to help customers and community members. 

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Federal Credit Union successfully completed its 2025 Giving Tuesday campaign, donating a total of $15,000 to Vermont non-profits. The campaign was administered by the Vermont Federal Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable foundation established to uplift the Vermont community and bolster organizations dedicated to aiding those in need.