Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Over 300 Vermont National Guard soldiers will return home from deployed locations over the course of several days from December 1-10. The 172nd Law Enforcement Detachment deployed in January 2021 to support US Europe Command, and the 3rd Battalion, 172nd Infantry (Mountain), departed in February to US Central Command.

The SBA and Public Private Strategies Institute are hosting a COVID EIDL webinar at 2 p.m. today, Dec. 1. During the webinar: Learn more about COVID EIDL and how you can take advantage before December 31, 2021; Discover tools and resources you can use to start and grow your business; Have your questions answered by SBA leadership and small business experts; Learn how you can become a vaccine leader in your community; Get an update regarding programs and recent policy announcements made by the Biden-Harris Administration.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont Health Network and the Community College of Vermont (CCV) are collaborating to offer a new Pharmacy Technician Apprenticeship Program to create rewarding local careers in health care that will also help meet the community’s pharmacy needs. The program provides fully-funded course work through CCV and a full-time position with either The University of Vermont Medical Center or Central Vermont Medical Center (CVMC). Applicants hired into the program will earn at least $15.50 per hour to start, with additional pay increases upon program completion. The program provides an opportunity to launch a career with opportunities for growth.

​Vermont Business Magazine This week, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) began distributing nearly $46 million to 143 of Vermont’s rural medical providers and suppliers serving Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and Medicare beneficiaries. Awarded under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Rural payments, this funding will provide much-needed relief for Vermont’s rural health care providers, who have struggled under the financial and operational challenges of the pandemic.

by Amy Spear, Vermont Chamber of Commerce Every holiday season, restaurateurs, retailers, and other small businesses encourage customers to shop local, with the shopping season formally kicking off with Small Business Saturday. As COVID challenges continue to plague businesses in all areas of operation from employee recruitment to competition for sales against giant online marketers, Vermont’s small business community is getting creative and taking advantage of the digital marketplace.

Vermont Business Magazine Former NBA player Ulysses ‘Junior’ Bridgeman talks about his rise to incredible success as a business owner during the December episode of 21st Century Business Forum webcast.

This webcast, Nothing But Net: Scoring Big in Business, will broadcast at 11 a.m. Wednesday, December 8. Registration is free.

Mr. Bridgeman accomplished the amazing task of turning his $350,000 salary into $600 million.

Vermont Business Magazine The Champlain Housing Trust has closed on the purchase of TownePlace Suites in Williston, and announced plans to convert the hotel to 72 apartments affordable to people with a mix of incomes. The property was purchased from the Williston Inn Group, Inc for $13,450,000.

Vermont Business Magazine Initiatives in Richford to purchase an electronic community message sign and also build a safety fence around an outdoor skating rink both recently received grant support from the VEC Community Fund. Irish said that Richford residents have expressed the desire for information about the community to be more accessible.

Vermont Business Magazine In a special honor for the town, Stephen Perkins, Executive Director of the Vermont Historical Society (VHS), will travel to Brattleboro to present the annual Richard O. Hathaway Award for best historical project in the state to the five local institutions who created and led the National Endowment for the Humanities, multi-year Brattleboro Words Project. The award presentation will take place on Thursday, December 2, 2021, at noon at 118 Elliot, 118 Elliot Street, Brattleboro.

Vermont Business Magazine Looking for holiday gift ideas that are unique, special, and delicious? We've compiled a list of Vermont specialty food and beverage products that are sure to delight each and every taste bud. From maple to pickles, chocolates to craft spirits, and everything in between, Vermont’s specialty foods and beverages make the perfect gift for the food-lover in your life. Celebrate with these Vermont made products at your next holiday party or give the gift of good food to friends and family near and far.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health today reported 214 cases of COVID-19 (down 23 from Monday) and no new deaths (410 total statewide). Health Commissioner Dr Mark Levine cautioned that while numbers appear down, because of the holiday there have been fewer people seeking to be tested. Health officials anticipate that COVID cases in December will look more like the relatively high numbers earlier in November. Hospitalizations also are elevated. More than 70 percent of those in the hospital are not fully vaccinated, even though they represent less than 20 percent of the eligible population 12 and over.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont Health Network announced today that in order to care for an increased number of patients in need of acute inpatient care, as well as a growing number of COVID-19 patients in Vermont’s hospitals, the University of Vermont Medical Center and Central Vermont Medical Center are standing up additional Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and COVID-19 bed capacity, in accordance with calls from the state for more ICU beds. This means that more physical space and staff within the hospitals will be devoted to patients in need of intensive care. Currently, five ICU beds are being added at UVM Medical Center and capacity equal to three beds at CVMC; 10 COVID-19 beds are being added at UVM Medical Center.