Current News

by Olga Peters, Vermont Business Magazine For most of the year, 2023 looked profitable for Central Vermont businesses. Then July’s floods put many of them on hold. How quickly a business reopens after a disaster depends on multiple factors, including the type of business. For example, restaurant equipment - stoves, freezers, food, tables, and chairs - is more expensive to replace than some other types of business inventory. Also, how quickly the business found contractors and how much damage was done to their space.

by Joyce Marcel, Vermont Business Magazine Vermont, like much of the nation, is trapped at the vortex of three different scourges: homelessness, drug addiction and mental health problems. They are all tangled and wrapped around each other, and when you add a statewide housing shortage and climate change, they offer a complex social services problem that cannot be easily separated, studied or cured. One of the people working hard to resolve these issues is Maura Collins, 46, the brilliant, empathetic and compassionate executive director of the Vermont Housing Finance Agency.

Vermont Business Magazine Lake Champlain Maritime Museum announced today the appointment of new executive director, Chris Sabick. Chris Sabick has been the museum’s director of research and archaeology since 2013 and brings decades of experience and a career-long dedication to Lake Champlain, research, history and public access into this new leadership role. A nautical archaeologist by trade, Sabick has spent his entire professional career working on the lake and surrounding waterways with Lake Champlain Maritime Museum. His experience, exploration and expertise of the lake, the region’s history and the museum make him uniquely qualified to take the helm. 

by Community News Service Lawmakers say efforts to reduce the effects of climate change are more urgent than ever after devastating flooding caused significant damage throughout many parts of Vermont this summer. Reducing the use of gas-fueled automobiles tops the lists of 16 lawmakers interviewed by the Community News Service this fall. Among their ideas are to create incentives for more people to purchase electric vehicles, to build more EV charging stations, to promote more public transportation where practical, and to improve the reliability of internet service in rural areas so more Vermonters can drive less and work from home more. Some lawmakers cautioned against setting unachievable goals, however.

Vermont Business Magazine After the match ends and the courts quiet down, tennis balls embark on a new eco-friendly journey. On November 15th, National Recycling Day, tennis enthusiasts from Washington state to Washington DC are breaking out their racquets to spotlight sustainability in the sport they love. Spearheading this year's campaign are the RecycleBalls Youth Ambassadors, a dynamic group of over 50 teenagers from across the globe. These young environmental advocates, who are also passionate tennis players, have taken the lead in mobilizing their communities. 

Vermont Business Magazine National Life Group and Sodexo continued the annual tradition of giving away free to-go Thanksgiving dinners Tuesday. In collaboration with nine area organizations and 70 volunteers, over 1,200 meals were prepared and delivered or picked up in one of two Montpelier locations. Meals by the numbers: 350 pounds of potatoes, 375 pounds of squash, 30 gallons of gravy, 350 pounds of turkey and 275 pounds of stuffing. Both traditional turkey and vegetarian meals were offered. Meals are reserved in the weeks leading up to the distribution days. This year, 1,175 meals were reserved, and Sodexo prepared 1,237 meals. The leftover 60-plus meals were given to local law enforcement to hand out to unhoused folks in the Montpelier area.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont State Treasurer Mike Pieciak has been named the recipient of the 2023 Rising Stars Alumnus of the Year. A 2016 Rising Star recipient, Pieciak was inaugurated in January as Vermont’s 31st treasurer. In his new role, Pieciak has worked to strengthen Vermont’s economy and build financial equity. This past legislative session, Pieciak successfully championed the passage of Vermont Saves, a publicly administered retirement program that will be available to the more than 80,000 Vermonters who currently lack access to an employer-based retirement plan. 

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine On August 28, 2011, the covered bridge in Lower Bartonsville village washed down the Williams River during Tropical Storm Irene. A video showing the 1871 bridge disappearing into the river included gasps from onlookers. It was essentially intact as it appeared to be sucked into the river. You can find the video on YouTube. The bridge was rebuilt and reopened in January 2013 as a replica of the original. The engineering of the new span received design awards. What Irene taught Vermont was that the new world of climate change is requiring much more resilient infrastructure. What the floods in July taught was that downtowns must also become resilient.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (VAAFM) announces $200,000 in grant funds to strengthen Vermont’s specialty crop industries and producer associations. Specialty crops are defined as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, horticulture crops (including honey, hops, maple syrup and mushrooms), and nursery crops (including Christmas trees and floriculture). Interested applicants should apply by January 14, 2024 at 11:59 PM. These grant funds will enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops by leveraging efforts to market and promote specialty crops, assisting producers with research and development, expanding availability and access to specialty crops, or addressing local, regional, and national challenges for producers. 

Vermont Business Magazine Natalie Beaudoin from the Lewiston High School (Lewiston, ME) girls basketball team announced today she has signed a name, image and likeness (NIL) partnership with Aroma Joe's development office of Maine and New Hampshire, which supports the New England-based coffee shop. She will be a community ambassador for the company and will spread positivity by supporting and promoting community events across Maine and New Hampshire. Beaudoin recently received national attention for her idea to create "We Are Lew1ston" shirts to raise awareness and funds for families impacted by the mass shootings in Lewiston on Oct. 25. Her team will also wear warmups this season with the design to remember and raise funds for the families and victims of the mass shootings. Beaudoin recently signed her national letter of intent to play Division 1 basketball at the University of Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont fell 4 cents per gallon in the last week to $3.47/g today. Prices are 17 cents/g lower than a month ago and 42 cents lower than a year ago. The lowest price in the state is $2.99/g in Brattleboro while the highest is $3.89/g in Island Pond. The national average price of gasoline has fallen 8 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.25/g today.

Vermont Business Magazine The ski and ride season is under way in the Northeast! Okemo Mountain Resort and Stowe Mountain Resort opened for the 2023/24 winter season on Friday, November 17, 2023, thanks to their state-of-the-art, energy-efficient snowmaking systems. Wildcat Mountain announced it will open Wednesday, November 22 and Mount Snow will follow with Opening Day on Thursday, November 23 – Thanksgiving Day. Last week, all Vail Resorts across Vermont, New Hampshire and New York fired up their snowmaking systems as the 2023/24 season approaches. Across the Northeast, much of the terrain is complemented by snowmaking, with Hunter and Crotched at 100% snowmaking coverage, meaning all of the trails are optimized with snowmaking capability.