Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Over the past ten years, the Vermont Farm Fund, a non-profit revolving loan fund, has made over $2 million in loans to Vermont farmers and food producers to help build the local agricultural economy. Originally founded by Pete’s Greens and the Center for an Agricultural Economy in 2011 in response to Tropical Storm Irene, the Vermont Farm Fund has grown to provide not only emergency loans to farmers who have experienced a fire, flood or storm, but also to help food-related businesses grow and expand.

by Kelly Notterman Fresh from a year-long stint at Groupon, Dan White moved to Vermont in 2011 with an idea – to localize the popular couponing platform in a way that supported Vermont farmers, producers, and restaurants. By 2017, the Localvore app had 20,000 customers and $3 million in gross sales.

Vermont State Police On May 23, 2021, at approximately 5:09 pm, Susan Colburn had stopped on the dirt road near a campsite in Brookside Campground in Enosburg to let a 7 year old passenger out of her vehicle. When she started to drive again she struck a 2 year old pedestrian who had previously been on the side of the road and had since walked in front of her car.

Windham County Economic Report

by Olga Peters, Vermont Business Magazine When Adam Grinold’s phone rings he expects one of two questions: What do I do? I can’t find enough employees. Or, I want to expand. Do you know of available industrial space? According to the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation executive director, businesses have “a lot of pent up” energy. This is only one piece of good news for the Windham County economy.

by Olga Peters, Vermont Business Magazine Windham County Senator Becca Balint, D-Brattleboro, is watching the county’s migration patterns carefully. The Legislature is preparing to redistrict senate and house districts in response to the 2020 Census. According to Balint, it’s possible Windham County’s population has dropped enough that it risks losing representation.

by Olga Peters, Vermont Business Magazine In April 2020, Grace Cottage in Grafton was “in the worst place pandemic wise,” said President and CEO Doug DiVello. What a difference a year has made for the small community hospital.

Vermont Business Magazine The Community College of Vermont (CCV) will celebrate its 2021 graduates, along with the Class of 2020, with a virtual event on Saturday, June 5 at 2 pm. More than 450 students from the Class of 2021 will receive associate degrees. Graduates represent all 14 Vermont counties, 10 states, and 15 countries. The youngest graduate is 17 and the oldest is 78. Also among the graduates are 23 veterans and active members of the military.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott on Friday made an update to the Vermont Forward Plan, announcing the state would move to Step 4 and drop all COVID-19 restrictions when 80% of eligible Vermonters have received their first dose of vaccine. Also, Vaccine clinics for hospitality and tourism workers continue around the state, with more being confirmed soon. And, the US Small Business Administration announced that eligible eating establishments have until Monday at 8 pm to submit applications to the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF).

Vermont Business Magazine The Jacob and Valeria Langeloth Foundation has awarded Bennington College a $10,000 grant to support the Incarceration in America think tank that will be held October 1-2, 2021. This think tank will focus on building out a continuing education program for students with long-term or life sentences. The event will be live-streamed, free, and open to the public.

Vermont Business Magazine Shelburne Museum will open on Wednesday, June 2 with a full slate of new exhibitions and programs. Northern New England’s largest art and history museum will be open five days a week, Wednesdays through Sundays, from 10 am to 4 pm through October 17. Seventeen of the museum’s 39 buildings will be open—including the Pizzagalli Center for Art and Education, Pleissner Gallery, Webb Gallery of American Art, and the 220-foot steamboat Ticonderoga. The Weathervane Café and Museum Store at Diamond Barn will also be open along with a popular favorite, the Carousel, with free rides scheduled every 15 minutes.

Vermont Business Magazine Bolton Valley is excited to announce that on July 1, 2021 mountain bike lift operations will begin anew with lift service to the top of Vista Peak. Conveniently located under 2 hours from Montreal, 3 hours from Boston and just 30 minutes from Burlington, Stowe and the Mad River Valley in north central Vermont, the new lift serviced downhill mountain bike park is expected to be popular with locals and regional visitors alike.

Public Assets Institute The number of hotel and restaurant jobs increased by 1,800 in April, out of 1,900 total new private-sector jobs last month. As COVID-19 cases declined and business restrictions loosened, jobs in the hospitality sector grew to 24,300. The sector is still down more than 20 percent from pre-pandemic levels.