Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Open Farm Week is coming back strong in 2021. This summer, Vermont Open Farm Week will be held Sunday, Aug. 8 through Sunday, Aug. 15, and features 90 events at over 45 farms across the state. For the seventh consecutive year, farmers across Vermont will open their barn doors and garden gates to welcome the public for a behind-the-scenes look at Vermont’s vibrant working landscapes. Event listings can be sorted by day and location on DigInVT.com.

​Vermont Business Magazine The US solar industry is on the upswing, thanks to a pro-renewables presidential administration and increased concern over climate change. Aegis Renewable Energy has had a front-row seat to this action, with business increasing over the last year. Solar Power World has recognized the company's installation success by ranking Aegis Renewable Energy at No. 206 on the 2021 Top Solar Contractors list. Aegis is ranked 74 among solar Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) firms.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, AARP Vermont announced that six Vermont organizations will receive more than $54,000 in 2021 Community Challenge grants – part of the largest group of grantees to date with $3.2 million awarded among 244 organizations nationwide. Grantees will implement quick-action projects to promote livable communities by improving housing, transportation, public spaces and encourage civic engagement.

“We are incredibly proud to collaborate with these organizations as they work to make immediate improvements in their communities, encourage promising ideas and jumpstart long-term change, especially for those age 50 and over,” shared Greg Marchildon, AARP Vermont state director. “Our goal at AARP Vermont is to support the efforts of our communities to be great places for people of all backgrounds, ages and abilities.” There were some 67 applicants for the grants this year.

​​Vermont Business Magazine This month Goodwill Northern New England launched a $50,000 program to help move more Vermonters into personal stability. The Partner Stability Fund gives vouchers to nonprofits, who in turn gift them to their clients who need clothing and household items most. Joint Urban Ministry Project (JUMP) and Committee on Temporary Shelter (COTS) were selected to help push this goal forward.

Vermont Business Magazine Giving back to the communities it serves has long been central to New England Federal Credit Union’s (NEFCU) mission. As an ongoing part of this effort, four times each year, NEFCU selects four recipient organizations at random to receive $625 each, for a total of $10,000 annually.

Vermont Business Magazine Now with temperature control up to 70°C, BioTek’s Synergy Neo2 Hybrid Multi-Mode Reader and Synergy H1 Hybrid Multi-Mode Reader aid in more assay workflows than ever before. Application flexibility extends to enzyme kinetics, protein stability and aggregation, and projects incorporating loop mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assays.

by Don George, President and CEO, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Vermont The Vermont Department of Financial Regulation (DFR) last week released the results of an intensive examination of the financial impact of the pandemic on Vermont’s health insurance marketplace. [Anchor] The report verifies that for the majority of our insured members, the temporary reduction in medical care in 2020 was offset by emergency health coverage expansions for pharmaceuticals and telehealth, the continued prevailing costs of specialty and maintenance drugs, the cost of COVID-19 testing and treatment, and the return of postponed medical care. Therefore, refunds are not necessary.

Vermont Business Magazine Three times each year, New England Federal Credit Union (NEFCU) conducts its Shred Fest events to help prevent identity theft by destroying documents and hard drives with sensitive personal information. All Shred Fests are free and open to the public. Document destruction services are provided by SecurShred, a local company specializing in secure information management solutions.

Vermont Business Magazine Mack Molding, a leading custom plastics molder and supplier of contract manufacturing services based in Arlington, announced Tuesday that Greg Cebular has been named president of its wholly-owned subsidiary, Mack Prototype. Within this role Cebular will report directly to Mack Molding President Jeff Somple. Cebular succeeds Ric Perry, a rapid prototyping industry veteran who is retiring after more than 25 years with the business.

Vermont Business Magazine Funded by a new $2.7 million grant from the US Department of Energy (DOE), Dartmouth Engineering Professor Geoffroy Hautier will lead a three-year, multi-institutional effort to identify qbits, a basic unit of quantum information, in order to transform and advance quantum computing. The team aims to build a database of viable qbits, which can store information in their spin, by analyzing defects in solids.

Vermont Business Magazine NBT Bancorp Inc (NASDAQ: NBTB) reported Monday net income and diluted earnings per share for the three and six months ended June 30, 2021. NBT Bank has branches in Northwest Vermont. Net income for the three months ended June 30, 2021 was $40.3 million, or $0.92 per diluted common share. Net income increased $15.6 million from the second quarter of 2020 primarily due to the estimated impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on expected credit losses in 2020, which resulted in a second quarter 2020 provision for loan losses of $18.8 million. Net income increased $0.5 million from the previous quarter primarily due to lower provision for loan losses and higher noninterest income, partly offset by higher noninterest expense.