Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Nature Conservancy in Vermont and the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation are pleased to announce the addition of the 164-acre Alburgh Bluffs parcel to Alburgh Dunes State Park, expanding the park to 789-acres. The Nature Conservancy acquired the Alburgh Bluffs property in January 2021 and has been working with the Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation to add the parcel to the State Park in the time since. The waterfront property is significant for both people and nature. It is a biodiversity gem with sixteen natural communities and twenty-five rare or endangered species. As part of Alburgh Dunes State Park, the parcel expands public access to Lake Champlain, while also protecting the lake’s water quality.

by John McClaughry Relax, Vermonters. Nothing will prevent you from buying and registering your new gasoline or diesel-powered sedan, SUV or light duty truck – until 2035. Then if the Vermont Public Interest Research Group, Vermont Natural Resources Council. Conservation Law Foundation and their allies have their way, if you want to buy a new car or truck, you’ll have only the one choice of buying a California-compliant electric car. In 1977 California, concerned about the persistent smog in the Los Angeles bowl caused by nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, ozone, and other harmful tailpipe emissions, obtained a Clean Air Act waiver. It allowed the state to adopt more stringent emission rules than those required of the rest of the country. Vermont signed on as a “California state” in 1996.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) invites all to Harvest New England Day, this Friday September 30^th. This exciting event, with over 30 Vermont businesses, takes place from 10am to 5pm on the Avenue of States at the Big E in West Springfield, Massachusetts. During Harvest New England Day you’ll find 31 Vermont vendors set up to serve you inside and outside of the historic Vermont Building. Additionally, you can visit each New England state on the Avenue of States to answer trivia questions about agriculture in that state and get a passport stamped. Get a stamp from each state and get a free gift.

Vermont Business Magazine The Addison County Economic Development Corporation (ACEDC) and the Addison County Regional Planning Commission (ACRPC) are partnering with other regional organizations, developers, and municipalities to develop a Regional Priority Project List for state and federal funding.

The Regional Priority Project List process is occurring in every region of the state and the final product is submitted in January to the Agency of Commerce & Community Development (ACCD), who will use it for funding decisions and share the lists with other state and federal funders for consideration in making decisions on grant programs.

Vermont Business Magazine The Walter Cerf Community Fund, a component fund of the Vermont Community Foundation, has announced $290,480 in grants to 40 nonprofits in its 2022 competitive grant round, including 14 multiyear awards to be distributed over the next three years. In addition, the fund is pleased to support two applicants with large, single-year grant awards: The Essex Community Historical Society received $10,000 to support the Fort Ethan Allen Water Tower restoration project, and the Middlebury Studio School received $15,000 to support educational programming. Additional grants include a combination of awards supporting youth and families, seniors, historic preservation, arts, and community enrichment.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermonters and their children who have been to a doctor’s office in the last six months may receive a survey about their health care experience in their mailbox this fall. This will be a chance to offer valuable feedback and help identify opportunities for providers to improve care.

Every year, Vermont’s Blueprint for Health asks whether Vermonters can get the health care they need and how well doctors are meeting Vermonters’ health care needs. The Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) survey takes a broad, statewide look at how patients experience primary care providers – usually, your family doctor or pediatrician. Since 2011, this survey has provided valuable insights into how easily Vermonters can access the care they need, how well providers communicate and work together to coordinate care, and how patients and their loved ones are supported in managing their care needs.

Vermont Business Magazine The Senate will vote to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to H.R. 6833, and take up a substitute amendment containing a continuing resolution to fund the federal government through December 16. I will vote to invoke cloture and move the process forward. I urge my colleagues to do the same.

Funding the federal government is the most basic responsibility of Congress. The continuing resolution before the Senate today will keep vital services running for the American people through December 16, provide critical support for Ukraine, secure the LIHEAP safety net ahead of winter, and provide emergency relief to communities recovering from natural disasters around the country.

Vermont Business Magazine The Bennington County Regional Commission (BCRC) announced today that Bill Colvin, currently the organization’s assistant director and coordinator of community and economic development programs, will be taking the reins as executive director in the coming weeks. Jim Sullivan, the current executive director, is retiring after 30+ years at BCRC - 12 years as executive director. Colvin was offered the position following an extensive search process conducted by the BCRC’s Executive Committee. Colvin has been with the BCRC for over ten years, having been hired by current executive director, Jim Sullivan, to launch an economic development initiative to serve the region’s seventeen communities.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Women’s Fund, a component fund of the Vermont Community Foundation, is seeking up to six new council members through its first-ever open application process. From now through October 10th, the Women’s Fund is accepting applications for new council members that will serve three-year terms beginning on December 9th, 2022. The new process is aimed at encouraging a broader and more diverse council as the organization advances its values of shared power, revolutionizing systems, and equity for all.

by Bill Smith, NEFCU SVP, Chief Marketing and Retail Officer Sixty years ago, nobody in Vermont said, “local banking.” They didn’t need to. There was only one way to bank--the branch close to your home, or office, or—even closer--right inside the office building itself. Your banker often was a friend or neighbor and personally knew his customers. Banking was by definition local. I know this because my dad managed one of those branches sixty years ago and I managed one forty years ago. But that was then. What’s local got to do with anything now? For starters, “local” and “banking” are no longer synonymous.

Vermont Business Magazine The work of economic development specialist Cairn Cross will be celebrated Friday, September 30 at Caledonia Spirits in Montpelier. Cairn’s work has helped grow the entrepreneur ecosystem in Vermont. In turn, Vermont entrepreneurs have created thousands of jobs. Since it was founded in 2000, FreshTracks has catalyzed more than $500 million in investments to high-growth Vermont companies, including the EatingWell Media Group, still based in Vermont and now a leading national source of diet and wellness information, and SunCommon, which has now helped 8,000 homeowners go solar and expanded to serve customers in New York’s Hudson Valley.

Vermont Business Magazine Amorepacific has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Tata’s Natural Alchemy, LLC, known as Tata Harper, a pioneer in natural luxury skincare, in a move that further signals the company’s intention to continue its penetration of global markets with a firm focus on consumers in North America. Tata Harper is based in Whiting. Financial terms were not disclosed, but Amorepacific has set aside $125 million for the transaction, which was announced on September 1 and is scheduled to close October 31.