Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The first winter storm of the season is forecasted to impact Vermont through Saturday and VGS wants to make sure safety is top of mind. Here are some important reminders: Keep gas meters free from snow and ice; Keep exterior sidewall vents clear; Test smoke alarms; Test carbon monoxide alarms; and Report all gas leaks.

Vermont State Police As the investigation into Wednesday’s fatal shooting in St. Johnsbury continues, the Vermont State Police is able to identify the victim as Israel Jimenez Lugo, 49, who lived in the home at 78 Hastings Street where the incident occurred. An autopsy performed Thursday, December 15, 2022, at the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington determined the cause of death to be a gunshot wound to the torso, and the manner of death to be a homicide.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (VAAFM) would like to remind all farm operations that the annual winter manure spreading ban begins at midnight tonight. Between December 15, 2022 and April 1, 2023 no manure or other agricultural wastes (including compost and spoiled feed) may be spread on agricultural fields throughout Vermont. This annual ban is required by the Required Agricultural Practices (RAPs), which is a part of VAAFM’s overall strategy to protect water quality, the working landscape, and natural resources. The ban is a regulation that has been in place since 1995.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont State Parks is seeking public input as part of a modernization study that is currently underway. This study will provide a comprehensive assessment of the state park system including park amenities, operations, maintenance, revenue, and program delivery. It will identify key challenges, and resources needed to maintain core services and enhance offerings to meet current and future demands.

Vermont Business Magazine TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, announced today that it has named Sheryl L. McQuade as the Regional President of its New England Metro. In this role, McQuade will lead TD Bank's New England consumer and small business, commercial, and middle-market banking and lending services throughout a network of approximately 310 stores and nearly 2,900 employees in the greater New England region. She joined TD in 2019 as Regional President of the Northern New England Metro.

Vermont Business Magazine Sarah Waring, State Director for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development (RD) in Vermont and New Hampshire, today announced a $19,519,000 investment for the city of Montpelier to upgrade and expand sewer and stormwater infrastructure through USDA’s Water & Waste Disposal Loan & Grant program. She also introduced Rural Energy Specialist Ken Yearman as Director of RD Business Programs (BP) – VT/NH, who assumes the position vacated by former BP Director Cheryl Ducharme in May 2022.

Vermont Business Magazine The season’s first big snowstorm is on its way, with forecasters saying a Nor’easter will hit the Northeast starting late Thursday night and continuing into Saturday afternoon. In Vermont, up to a foot of wet heavy snow could blanket the region, starting late tonight in the south, and then moving up north through tomorrow. In addition to dangerous travel on the roads, wet heavy snow causes greater problems as it can weigh down trees and lines. In addition to GMP field forces, external crews are lined up to help restore power from the storm.

Vermont Business Magazine If you haven’t gotten your annual flu shot or updated COVID-19 booster yet, now is the time to take advantage of expanded hours at Health Department vaccination clinics — where you can walk in, with no appointment necessary. New hours include more evenings and weekends through the end of December, making it easier for those who work or go to school to get vaccinated quickly and easily. Starting as early as December 19, many clinics will also offer the updated (bivalent) COVID-19 vaccine newly approved for eligible children 6 months to 5 years old. Starting in January, walk-in clinics will transition to more limited hours and close by January 31. Vaccines will continue to be widely available, at no cost to the patient, by appointment at doctors’ offices, pharmacies, or other locations where vaccine is offered.

Vermont Business Magazine Treasurer-Elect Mike Pieciak announced today that he has selected Gavin Boyles to serve as Deputy State Treasurer beginning in January. Boyles most recently worked as General Counsel for the Department of Financial Regulation overseeing all legal functions at the Department and a team of nine legal professionals. Boyles has 14 years of government service in Vermont including time as an Assistant Attorney General and as Law Clerk for Chief Justice Paul Reiber at the Vermont Supreme Court.

Vermont Business Magazine Helping Vermont’s rural communities thrive—in the face of big challenges brought about by climate change and population shifts—will be the focus of a new institute at the University of Vermont. UVM’s Institute for Rural Partnerships, which will begin its work immediately but will be formally unveiled in the summer at the UVM Innovation Partnership Summit, is made possible by a $9.3 million award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, with leadership and support from U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, (D-Vermont).

VermontBiz Tim Kight states rather bluntly that if an organization isn't performing as well as its leader would like, the first place the leader should look to improve the organization's performance is in the mirror.

A lot of people in positions of management "are too quick to blame others," says Kight, who is founder and CEO of leadership training firm Focus 3 of Columbus, Ohio. "They're too quick to find fault, as opposed to looking at themselves and the way they lead."

Kight extolled the virtues of what he calls "relentless leadership" in the December episode of the 21st Century Business Forum, a webcast that features monthly one-on-one interviews with some of the nation's most prominent business minds and thought leaders.