Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Storytelling workshops that engage families of children with disabilities and performances of new work by Vermont musicians and composers are among the projects that received Arts Impact grants from the Vermont Arts Council. Vermont nonprofits, municipalities, and schools can apply for the grants, which support projects that broaden access to arts and cultural activities, engaging individuals with limited access due to age, ability, income, race, geography, or other factors.

Vermont Business Magazine The progressive UNITED! Slate on Sunday in Jay overwhelmingly won their third straight election for leadership positions within the Vermont State Labor Council, AFL-CIO at their annual Convention. United! prevailed in winning 18 of 19 Executive Board positions including David Van Deusen for President (2nd term), Dwight Brown for Executive Vice President (1st term), and Danielle Bombardier for Secretary-Treasurer (2nd term).

Vermont Business Magazine From supply chain disruptions to complete business closures, the public health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have created a ripple effect throughout our economy, and business owners continue to struggle to maintain operations while keeping their employees and communities healthy and whole. While Vermont has set the benchmark for pandemic response both regionally and nationally, the rise in the recent Delta Variant of the COVID-19 virus threatens to compromise not only the health of our communities but that of our shared economy.

For the safety of our employees and enterprises, VBSR has adopted the following policy position surrounding the use of vaccine and/or masking mandates to contain the spread of the virus.

Masking Mandates

Vermont Business Magazine The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report Monday requested by Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.) that found the Department of Defense has not finalized and implemented a comprehensive approach to combat department-wide fraud. Despite the Pentagon regularly signing contracts worth hundreds of billions of dollars, the Department’s ability to conduct fraud risk assessments and report procurement fraud risk remain incomplete and inadequate.

Vermont Business Magazine As COVID-19 infection rates continue to rise in Bennington County, United Counseling Service (UCS) announced it will require all employees, interns, and volunteers to be fully vaccinated by November 1, 2021, unless exempted due to medical or religious reasons. The community behavioral health center which employs approximately 300 people and serves over 3,000 individuals per year, is a large employer in the county and one of the first to mandate the vaccine.

Vermont Business Magazine Norwich University recently received a $20,000 grant from the TD Charitable Foundation, the charitable giving arm of TD Bank, to fund the development of the Affordable Shipping Container Homes Project. The Affordable Shipping Container Homes Project will design affordable housing units with recycled shipping containers.

Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food & Markets Most of us know the joys of Vermont maple syrup poured over a hot stack of pancakes, but there are plenty of other creative (and delicious) ways to enjoy maple. From mid-September to mid-October, Vermont’s Maple 100 invites you to explore all the ways to enjoy one of the state’s most treasured treats - through themed fall activities, events, and specialty products found around the state.

by Michelle Monroe, Vermont Business Magazine The strength of Franklin County’s economy has always been its diversity. The county houses multiple manufacturing operations, government workers, health care and agriculture, along with a touch of tourism and attractive, historic downtowns. But 2020 was still a challenging year. Northwestern Medical Center laid off workers, while damage to the building housing US Citizenship and Immigration Service’s Vermont Service Center had workers leaving St Albans City to work in Essex.

by Michelle Monroe, Vermont Business Magazine By just about any measure St Albans City’s economic development strategy has been a success. In a decade, the city has added $75 million to its tax base, a roughly 60 percent increase, without increasing taxes, according to city manager Dominic Cloud. The key to that success has been public private partnerships and a tax increment financing (TIF) district.

​by Michelle Monroe, Vermont Business Magazine Census data from Vermont’s fourth most populous county reflects ongoing population trends in Vermont and around the world – people leaving rural areas for more urbanized ones. Communities on the western side of Franklin County, which benefit from proximity to Chittenden County, home to the state’s largest city and Vermont’s economic powerhouse, gained population. Those on the more rural eastern side lost.

Vermont Business Magazine “At Last!” exclaimed Saint Michael’s College President Lorraine Sterritt as she welcomed 206 members from the Class of 2020 and their families to their long-awaited “In-Person Celebration of the 113th Commencement” on Saturday morning, September 18, 2021, outdoors on the Durick Library steps and lawn.

Burlington Parks, Recreation & Waterfront The third and final phase of the Burlington Greenway has kicked off, with BPRW contracting with VHB, a South Burlington engineering firm that has provided design services for phases 1 and 2 previously. Phase 3 begins at the City’s southern border (Queen City Park Road), parallels the Champlain Parkway alignment, connecting to Oakledge Park via Austin Drive, through the Lakeside neighborhood, behind the former Blodgett Oven factory, then passing through Roundhouse Park and Perkins Pier.