Current News

Vermont Business Magazine

by Vermont Auditor Doug Hoffer The 2024 Legislative session started and finished the same way – with universal concern about significant looming educational tax increases. Original estimates indicated average property tax bills could rise 18.5% for the upcoming year. In the end, using one-time stop-gap funding that defers the financial reckoning to future years, the actual increase was lowered to a still-significant 13.8%. A primary driver of rising education costs (and the taxes that pay for them)? Teacher health care costs. Just this year, they’re estimated to grow a staggering 16%. It doesn’t need to be like this.

by Small Business Administration Ahmed Omar, the youngest of 13 children who fled his native Somalia with his family in search of a better life, was well on his way to living the American dream when he died suddenly last year at the age of 36. The owner-chef of Kismayo Kitchen, the first Somali restaurant in Burlington, Omar was known throughout the community for his warmth, compassion, determination and authentic Somali cuisine.

In recognition of his determination, perseverance and entrepreneurial success, Omar was posthumously honored by the SBA with its 2024 Community Legacy Award for Vermont.

by Small Business Administration Herbs, plants and other earthly treasures have many uses beyond the culinary realm. Everlasting Herb Farm in Peacham uses these items to make body care solutions that soothe the skin and heal the planet.

Owner Wendy Mackenzie is passionate about making effective body care solutions that are also kind to the Earth. Her commitment to environmentally friendly practices is reflected in her diverse range of products, including soothing salves, nourishing creams, luxurious lotions and even a surprisingly effective plant-based deodorant for people with sensitive skin.

by Small Business Administration Starting your own business can be an exciting and rewarding experience. It offers numerous advantages, such as being your own boss, setting your own schedule and earning a living doing something you love. But entrepreneurship also brings with it a variety of challenges, especially for young people.

Emiliano Void, founder and CEO of nuWave Equity Corp. and this year’s SBA Young Entrepreneur of the Year, has all the characteristics of a successful young entrepreneur: innovativeness, creativity, persistence, resiliency, flexibility and passion.

by Small Business Administration Sometimes the best ideas arrive when you least expect them. For Dr. Marie Pavini, inspiration struck one morning while conducting rounds in the intensive care unit at Rutland Regional Medical Center, observing how her patients were being immobilized and sedated to prevent tubes and lines getting dislodged.

“The problem with this is that it causes delirium, profound weakness and hospital-acquired complications like pneumonia, blood clots and wounds,“ Pavini explained. “It increases re-admissions, the need for nursing homes and home caregivers, and so many other quality-of-life-reducing things. I figured if I could solve the problem of restraint, this cascade of complications wouldn’t have to happen.“

by Small Business Administration Marie Teme, founder and CEO of this year’s SBA Minority-Owned Business of the Year for Vermont, Green Vision Cleansing, doesn’t see a contradiction in having an MBA and working in the cleaning business. In fact, she proudly embraces her education and professional choices.

“One of the things that I’m trying to promote in my business,“ Teme said, “is that people don’t get value from a job simply because of the label. I have an MBA, and many people can’t accept that I am in the cleaning industry; they think it isn’t a decent job.

by Small Business Administration As a seasoned banker, Geoffrey Hesslink is passionate about empowering business owners through access to capital and strategic partnerships. It’s no surprise then that he would conceive of and create his own bank. Recently named SBA Vermont’s 2024 Financial Services Champion of the Year, Hesslink’s efforts to bolster capital flow to Vermont businesses through Bank of Burlington have not gone unnoticed.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today issued the following statement celebrating Independence Day: “On this day 248 years ago, a group, who had the courage to stand up for freedom, formally declared our independence. I hope we as Americans reflect on what that means and the sacrifices made by many since then to preserve it. 

VermontBiz Daniel Routhier, Associate Principal at Rice Memorial High School, was presented with the Department of Defense Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Patriot Award by Vermont ESGR Volunteer, Ret. Col. Matt Fisher, on June 11, 2024. 1LT Robert J. Dornfried, nominated Routhier for the award. 

Dornfried said, "Mr. Routhier was unwavering in his support of both my mission and took action to ensure students and staff were supported during the abrupt transition by finding a viable long-term substitute and offered benefits during the grey zone of military activation."

by Small Business Administration When most Americans think about artificial intelligence, they  associate the burgeoning technology with the likes of customer service chatbots, science lab robots or autonomous vehicles. Julie Moir Messervy, founder and CEO of Home Outside — this year’s SBA Woman-Owned Business of the Year for Vermont — makes a connection to landscaping.

With a mission to “combat climate change one beautiful landscape at a time,“ Home Outside’s first-of-its-kind “visualization platform“ is revolutionizing the way homeowners and landscape professionals design their gardens and surrounding outdoor spaces.

by Kate Kampner, Community News Service The most extreme wildfires on Earth are on the rise — more frequent, more intense. A study in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution found that across the planet wildfires have doubled in the last two decades. As neighbors to some of the most intense wildfires reported, Vermonters might wonder: Are they headed here?

by Small Business Administration For more than 130 years, Trow & Holden has been crafting fine stoneworking tools in its iconic red brick building on the banks of the Winooski River in Barre. At the heart of this historic building site and business is the Akley family, whose legacy is evident in every aspect of the business. It is this legacy that earned Trow & Holden the distinction of being named the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Jeffrey Butland Family-Owned Small Business of the Year for Vermont and New England.