Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Mike Smith, Secretary of the Vermont Agency of Human Services, announced Thursday that Deputy Commissioner of Health Tracy Dolan will become the new director of the State Refugee Office effective August 30. Dolan will assume the responsibilities for day-to-day operations, management, and expansion of services for Vermont’s refugee program.

Vermont Business Magazine Community Bank N.A. recently donated $15,000 to The DREAM Program to sponsor its “Coast 2 Camp” fundraising initiative. This is the eighth consecutive year Community Bank has supported DREAM, with donations over the years totaling more than $90,000.

Camp DREAM is a free residential summer camp for children in DREAM, a nonprofit organization that pairs college students with children living in low-income housing neighborhoods throughout Vermont for mentoring and adventure programming. Camp DREAM also serves youth from Boston and Philadelphia.

Vermont Business Magazine Extreme price increases continued in July for a wide range of goods and services used in construction, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government data released today. Association officials urged President Biden to immediately end tariffs and quotas on steel, aluminum, lumber and other essential construction items to help stave off inflationary pressure in the construction industry.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s farmers continue to grow, innovate and feed us. This theme is on full display during Vermont Open Farm Week. Leaders from the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets, the Vermont Agency of Education, the Vermont Fresh Network and the University of Vermont visited several farms Tuesday to celebrate Vermont agriculture and working lands.

Vermont Business Magazine A research team including Saint Michael’s College Professor and Canadian politics expert Jeffrey Ayres recently made public “The 2021 Border Barometer.”

This collaborative report from a team of American and Canadian scholars, publically available online since early August, responded to a request from Canada’s government months ago for an assessment of the impact of the border closure due to COVID on businesses and communities from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

Vermont Business Magazine Heritage Aviation Inc., a 100% Employee-Owned company and Certified B Corporation located at the Burlington International Airport has been recognized by B Corporation as one of the Best for the World™ B Corps of 2021 for their excellence in the “Workers” category. Heritage ranked in the top 5% of the Best for the World – “Workers” out of all B Corporations in the world in the 50 – 249 employee class. Heritage Aviation was also recognized for this award in 2019 after becoming a Certified B Corporation in 2018. In addition, Heritage Aviation has been recognized as a “Best Place to Work in Vermont” for 5 consecutive years (2017-2021).

Vermont Business Magazine Tony Blake of V/T Commercial announced that the popular Essex restaurant known as Railroad & Main has signed a lease for a new free-standing building at Finney Crossing in Williston. The owners plan to open at their new location in the fall of 2022. Tony Blake assisted the owners and the developers in this lease.

Vermont Business Magazine After nearly eight months as a member of the psychiatric team at Washington County Mental Health Services (WCMHS), Justin Knapp, MD, has accepted the role as Medical Director of the state-designated Agency that serves the Washington County catchment area. Dr. Knapp’s extensive experience in leading and providing psychiatric services to the individuals under his and his team’s care will help guide the Agency in meeting the increasing clinical demands at one of the County’s largest employers and the State’s second largest designated agency. Dr. Knapp took the helm as Medical Director on July 30 and will provide oversight to all five agency divisions and a psychiatric staff of five professionals. He will continue to be located at the Agency’s Center for Counseling & Psychiatric Services (CCPS) offices and Building C, both located on the Central Vermont Medical Center (CMVC) campus in Berlin. He will also become a member of the Agency’s Senior Managers leadership team.

Vermont Business Magazine Clean Energy Group (CEG), a national nonprofit advocacy organization focused on enabling a just clean energy transition, has announced that Melanie Santiago-Mosier will join CEG and its sister organization, the Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA), as Deputy Director in mid-September 2021. Santiago-Mosier previously served as Managing Director for Access and Equity at Vote Solar, where her work centered on implementing the organization’s vision for diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice.

Vermont Business Magazine The Burlington Electric Department today issued a peak day alert for Thursday as part of its newly-launched Defeat the Peak program, encouraging members of the Burlington community to reduce their energy usage tomorrow between 3:00pm and 7:00pm. Burlingtonians can lend a hand by taking the following steps on what is projected to be a very hot, summer day.