Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont (UVM) and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have established a joint appointment program to increase collaborative research and joint funding opportunities between UVM faculty and PNNL researchers. PNNL is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory and a leading center for scientific discovery in chemistry, Earth sciences, biology and data science, and for technological innovation in sustainable energy and national security.

Vermont Business Magazine The Walter Cerf Community Fund, a component fund of the Vermont Community Foundation, has announced $52,461 in grants to 20 organizations in its 2021 competitive grants round, building on $97,000 previously granted to 24 organizations in April of this year. The competitive grants include a combination of organizations supporting youth and families, historic preservation, arts and community engagement, and education. In addition, the fund made proactive grants to longstanding grantee partners continuing to experience considerable disruption from the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of the organizations receiving funding are based in Addison County and northern Rutland County.

Vermont Business Magazine You don't have to be a barista to enjoy Ben & Jerry's newest Limited Batch flavor—a cool combination of cold brew coffee ice cream, marshmallow swirls and fudge brownies. "Change is Brewing" was created to help transform the nation's approach to public safety to one that prioritizes community needs. Change is Brewing is part of Ben & Jerry's ongoing work to advance racial justice, calling for the nation to divest from a broken criminal legal system and invest in services that help communities thrive, like mental health treatment, counseling, substance use treatment, and healthcare.

Vermont Business Magazine The SBA Vermont District Office hosts a free webinar at 11:30 a.m. Sept. 21 and Sept. 23 about changes made to the Covid-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan. Topics include the increase from $500,000 to $2 million, deferred payments, expansion of eligible use of funds and more. Updates made to the COVID 19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan Sept. 8 increased the potential loan amount for new applicants and existing COVID 19 EIDL borrowers

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.