Current News

Vermont Business Magazine US Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) announced Friday that Applied Research Associates of Randolph has received an award totaling $5,237,915 from the US Army Corps of Engineers Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory. This initial award gets work under way on a total contract worth more than $9 million to develop and install a transportation loading system inside the Army’s Frost Effects Research Facility in Hanover, NH, the country’s largest refrigerated warehouse designed to investigate, test, and evaluate the effects of extremely cold ambient and ground temperatures on different kinds of roadways and airstrips.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Today, Mayor Miro Weinberger announced that the city will resume its search for Burlington’s next permanent Police Chief. One year ago, Mayor Weinberger suspended the Police Chief search due to the uncertain circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the goal of re-starting the search after the mayoral election in March. After stakeholder and public input in May, the mayor will announce members of a full search committee, who will begin the interview process in mid-July. Weinberger’s goal is to forward an appointment to the Council for confirmation in September.

by C.B. Hall, Vermont Business Magazine The mess surrounding the fate of the campus of the defunct Marlboro College entered a new phase on May 12, when the Marlboro Music School, Inc – popularly known as the Marlboro Music Festival – filed a complaint in the Vermont Superior Court, Windham Division, seeking the court's help in resolving questions that are much more complicated than they might appear to be.

Vermont Business Magazine LaunchVT has kicked off its ninth Accelerator Cohort with eight promising Vermont startups. The businesses were chosen from a competitive field based on the quality of their product, market, and founding team. All eight businesses have the potential to scale and create significant economic opportunity in their local communities. During the ten-week virtual accelerator, entrepreneurs in the LaunchVT cohort will work with a dedicated coach, business experts, and each other to understand their customers, refine their business models, solve their most pressing challenges, and hone their value and message.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) invites people to take part in a new statewide community mapping project to improve state maps of where wetlands occur. People can submit observations of the wetland species they find by using the free iNaturalist website or phone app and upload these observations to the iNaturalist Vermont Wetland Mapping Project.

“By using this crowd-sourcing approach, community members can help us add to and update our existing information,” said Brock Freyer, DEC District Wetlands Ecologist. “This will allow us to offer high quality wetland maps to the public. These maps will help Vermonters plan and develop projects to avoid wetlands and assist in wetland preservation and restoration efforts.”

Vermont Business Magazine Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) will administer COVID vaccines 8 am – 4 pm on Saturday, May 22 at the gymnasium on the former Southern Vermont College campus at 981 Mansion Drive in Bennington. Members of the general public ages 12 and older are eligible to schedule an appointment using the “make an appointment” link at www.healthvermont.gov/covid-19/vaccine/getting-covid-19-vaccine. Registration is open now.

Vermont Business Magazine Northern Vermont University has announced the guest speakers for Commencement 2021. Dr Francois S Clemmons will address the NVU-Johnson graduating class and Dr Henry S Parker will address the NVU-Lyndon graduating class. Though the ceremonies for both campuses will be held virtually this year, they will include time-honored traditions. The commencements will premiere on YouTube on Saturday, May 15 at 11 am (Johnson Campus) and Sunday, May 16 at 11 am (Lyndon Campus).

Vermont Business Magazine The US Small Business Administration's RRF program has received more than 147,000 applications from women, veterans, and socially- and economically-disadvantaged business owners requesting a total of $29 billion in relief funds, and more than 266,000 applications overall representing over $65 billion in requested funds nationwide. Though the program is oversubscribed, money remains in the $500 million carve out for the smallest restaurants with revenues up to $50,000. The application portal remains open for these businesses.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Taxes wants to remind Vermonters of the upcoming May 17, 2021 due date for federal and Vermont personal income taxes. Earlier this year, the federal and state filing due dates were extended to provide taxpayers additional time to navigate challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic or manage extra complexity in their tax returns this year.

Beer garden will be open seven days a week, offering fresh brews and an expanded food menu

Vermont Business Magazine Craft beer fans across the Northeast region can now make reservations at Lawson’s Finest Liquids outdoor beer garden, the brewery announced Thursday. Beginning May 15, Lawson’s Finest Liquids will be pouring fresh brews and serving up an expanded food menu seven days a week at its destination taproom and brewery located at 155 Carroll Road in Waitsfield, Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine Since the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) opened in 2020, NBT Bank has funded over 6,000 loans exceeding $830 million in relief. These funds support small businesses and not-for-profit organizations in the communities NBT serves. NBT Bank has branches in western Vermont.

"With more than $285 million secured through 3,000 loans in 2021, the average size PPP loan at NBT for this most recent round of funding was $94,000,” said NBT Bank President and CEO John H. Watt, Jr. “In total, we provided support to organizations that employ 96,000 workers.”

The organizations supported by the PPP loans secured through NBT Bank include numerous main street retailers and minority and women-owned businesses, as well as rural hospitals and nursing homes, human and family services organizations, farms and other agricultural businesses, educational institutions, manufacturers, restaurants, contractors and construction businesses.

Vermont Business Magazine On a perfect day for its first outdoors Commencement since 1979, Saint Michael’s College welcomed several hundred vaccinated and distanced guests as nearly 300 members of the still-larger 437-member Class of 2021 graduated during separate morning and afternoon ceremonies to meet state COVID safety guidelines.