Current News

Vermont Business Magazine US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that the Biden-Harris Administration is investing $1,096,655 in Vermont Livestock Slaughter & Processing through the first round of the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP). This is part of $223 million in meat and processing programs nationwide. Vermont Livestock Slaughter & Processing connects hundreds of farmers in Vermont and the Northeast with the customers they supply. Meat processing is currently a bottleneck in the region with many producers having to wait significant periods for the service. With their MPPEP investment, they will maximize their capacity and position the company for succession planning to an employee-owned model.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Chamber of Commerce welcomed three new Directors to the Board: Chris Karr of The Karr Restaurant Group, Killington, Steve Gagner of 14th Star Brewing, St Albans, and Steve Boyer of Sonnax, Bellows Falls. The Vermont Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors is dedicated to economic progress and the Vermont business community. Their collective expertise ensures that the work of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce is rooted in the diverse perspectives of those with lived business experience.

Vermont Business Magazine A $1.25 million grant from the US Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs will fund the launch of Project RESILIENCY at the University of Vermont. With a goal to train specialized and interdisciplinary leaders in the education of children and youth with or at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders, the project will fully fund five doctoral scholars in the newPhD in Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Health and Inclusive Education (SHIE) program over the next five years. The PhD in SHIE will prepare future leaders in higher education through a rigorous pedagogical, theoretical, and methodological program anchored in community-engaged, equity-oriented, trauma-informed, and evidence-based practices.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) is pleased to announce the 26th year of funding to support projects on municipal roads that improve water quality and result in maintenance cost savings. The grant funds are provided by AOT in partnership with the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources. The Vermont Better Roads Program promotes the use of erosion control and maintenance techniques that save money while protecting and enhancing water quality around the State. The application scoring of the Better Roads Program is intended to be in line with the State’s Clean Water Act (Act 64) and the Municipal Roads General Permit (MRGP). In an effort to prioritize funding for projects that are providing significant water quality improvements, applicants must indicate whether or not the projects that they intend to construct will be in full compliance with the MRGP.

Vermont Business Magazine State health officials have released a roadmap to prepare for and reduce the risk of dementia in Vermont. The Vermont Action Plan for Alzheimer's Disease, Related Dementias, and Healthy Aging is a three-year plan focused on early detection and diagnosis of dementia, reducing risk and improving brain health, support for those providing care, and management of other conditions that can put people at higher risk. Alzheimer’s Disease is Vermont’s fifth leading cause of death. In 2020, about 13,000 of the nearly 133,000 Vermonters aged 65 and older were estimated to have Alzheimer's Disease. Vermont’s population is aging at a higher rate than most of the country, and projections show that by 2025 the number of people in Vermont with Alzheimer’s Disease will increase 31% to 17,000.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems (VAHHS) today announced Michael Del Trecco will serve as the advocacy organization’s next president and CEO following a thorough national search. Del Trecco most recently served the organization as interim president and CEO and prior to that was senior vice president of finance and operations. Del Trecco has been with the organization for 18 years and has an extensive background in health care finance, public policy and hospital operations. As interim President and CEO, Del Trecco strengthened relationships with Vermont’s Agency of Human Services, health care stakeholders and other policy leaders who are working to stabilize the health care system amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a worsening workforce shortage and ongoing mental health and long-term care crises.

Vermont Business Magazine The Northeast Delta Dental Foundation recently awarded more than $35,000 to three Vermont oral health programs. The Foundation supports organizations and initiatives in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont that provide oral health education and dental care to uninsured and underserved communities. In support of dental clinics and care, the Foundation awarded $15,000 to the Open Door Clinic for their Open Wide oral health care initiative offering free dental care to those in need. Grants awarded for research and education initiatives included $5,754 for dental assistant training support at the Red Logan Dental Clinic and a $15,000 grant for the general practice dental residency program at University of Vermont Medical Center

VermontBiz Sean Reilly is the President & Chief Executive Officer of Lamar Advertising Company headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Mr. Reilly has served in various capacities at Lamar since 1989, then a family owned private business. He is a Harvard University and Harvard Law School graduate and began working on acquisitions and real estate for Lamar in 1989. He served as President of TLC Properties and became the Chief Operating Officer of Lamar in 2001. In 2011 he was promoted to Chief Executive Officer. He currently serves as the Board Chair of the Outdoor Advertising Association of America.

Vermont Business Magazine Burlington City Arts is issuing a request for qualifications from artists or artist teams for public art works to be incorporated into the Great Streets Initiative–Main Street Project in downtown Burlington. Selected public art works will reflect the diversity of Burlington’s residents, explore the City’s history, create meaningful landmarks in our built environment, and connect the people, the land and the lake. The RFQ period opens November 1. This Great Streets Initiative – Main Street Project will commission multiple public art works to be distributed across six newly redesigned blocks on Main Street. The proposed budget for all public art works commissioned for this project is up to $500,000, to include artist honorariums for proposals and all fees associated with design, fabrication, and transportation of final selected public art works.