Current News

VermontBiz The best piece of advice sales coach and keynote speaker Jack Daly says he has delivered in the last 18-plus months, is this: Focus on what you have control over and don’t worry so much about the rest.

Daly shared his thoughts on being successful in sales while the country and its sales force are grappling with how to do business during a pandemic in the February 2022 episode of the 21st Century Business Forum. The webcast that features monthly one-on-one interviews with some of the nation's most prominent business minds and thought leaders.

“Fifty percent or more of success at selling has nothing to do with Covid,” Daly says. “Half of selling is believing that you can be successful, and then taking the initiative to do what you can do, irrespective of what the environment is.”

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health today is reporting 497 cases of COVID-19 for Tuesday, which was more than double from Monday's 206. The VDH today also reported four additional deaths from yesterday for 562 statewide. One of the deaths was in the 70-79 age group and three were in the 80+ age group.

Vermont Business Magazine Soldiers and Airmen of the Vermont National Guard will participate in a medical readiness exercise (MEDREX) in Senegal for approximately two weeks as part of the National Guard Bureau's State Partnership Program. 15 medical professionals with the Vermont National Guard will travel to Saint Louis, Senegal, during the second week in February. Personnel will include providers, public health nurses, combat medics, and bio-medical technicians in addition to command and control staff.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) will hold a statewide virtual town meeting with Vermont middle and high school students on Wednesday, February 16. A panel of students will join Sanders for a discussion to speak about the issues that matter most to them. The panel discussion will be followed by a question and answer session, with participants able to ask questions about how the federal government can address the needs of young people.

Vermont Business Magazine Ben & Jerry's and Colin Kaepernick's Know Your Rights Camp are joining forces for a new billboard campaign hitting Los Angeles as it prepares to host the Super Bowl on February 13. The campaign asks state and local governments to invest in programs and services that address the root causes of social harm rather than in policing and prisons. Despite police spending being at an all-time high, crime rates are increasing.

“Can You Start Over, Your Call Dropped…”

by Public Service Commissioner June Tierney It’s happened to all of us. Traveling over hill and dale, connecting to a needed service, or getting work done thanks to Bluetooth. And then, nothing. Silence. Blank screens. Your tires roll on as your work comes to a screeching halt… spotty cell service strikes again, leaving you frustrated, lost or unproductive. Governor Scott has proposed spending $51 million of our state’s federal relief dollars on a program to build 100 cell towers that will substantially extend the coverage along roads and throughout rural communities.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott, Senator Bernie Sanders and Vermont Afterschool today announced that the application is now open for a wide variety of organizations – including non-profits, municipalities, and licensed/regulated providers of school age childcare – to apply for grant funds to support afterschool and summer programming. In partnership with Vermont Afterschool they are launching a $4.8 million grant program for summer 2022 and 2023, and the 2022-2023 school year.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health today is reporting 206 cases of COVID-19 for Monday. The VDH today also reported five additional deaths from yesterday for 558 statewide. Two of the deaths were in the 70-79 age group and three were in the 80+ age group. Health Commissioner Dr Mark Levine said that most of the recent deaths are in people who are elderly and either not fully vaccinated or have underlying health conditions. Deaths had not been falling even as case counts subsided in late January, which had the second most COVID-related fatalities since the beginning of the pandemic.

Vermont Business Magazine Today the Vermont House of Representatives passed the Reproductive Liberty Amendment (Prop 5) in a vote of 107-41. The amendment will now appear on the 2022 General Election ballot in November and will be decided on by Vermont voters. This was the final step in the four-year legislative process.

Vermont Business Magazine Engelberth Construction, Inc (ECI) employees have pledged $15,000 to the Vermont Foodbank as part of their 2022 charitable campaign. On Tuesday, February 8, a check was presented to Vermont Foodbank Special Assistant to the CEO, Hillary Orsini. Foodbank highlights in 2021 included distribution of 17.6 million pounds of food to communities across Vermont (over 50% more than pre-pandemic times). Of that, a record 4.8 million pounds was fresh fruits and vegetables, and a full 61% of the food distributed was fresh food.

Vermont Business Magazine Bar Harbor Bank & Trust employees recently presented $12,000 in donations from the Bank’s employee-driven charitable giving program, Casual for A Cause, to six nonprofit organizations in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The recipients of the contributions collected in Q4 2021 are: Community Closet and New Hope Midcoast in Maine; Kearsarge Food Hub and Willing Hands in New Hampshire; and Boys & Girls Club of Rutland County and LISTEN Community Services in Vermont.

by Agriculture Secretary Anson Tebbetts and Commerce Secretary Lindsay Kurrle When the pandemic arrived on our doorstep, life changed profoundly. Our daily routine was disrupted, from home to school, office to farm. We even had to learn how to play differently. We also found that our food system was fragile. The governor’s budget proposes that the Legislature fund initiatives to grow our food system and protect the most vulnerable. Many of these needs were outlined by the Governor’s Commission on the Future of Agriculture, a group of citizens tasked to work with the Agencies of Agriculture and Commerce to ensure the viability and adaptability of Vermont’s agriculture and food system.