Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Land Trust is pleased to announce the addition of three new trustees to its Board: Sam Burr of Bristol, Lizah Makombore of Burlington, and Arwen Turner of Wallingford. The nonprofit’s Board guides its mission to protect, steward, and restore the farms, forests, and community spaces that define Vermont. The new trustees bring expertise in agriculture, sustainability, and community engagement.  

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund (VSJF) has announced that Bullfinch Earth has been selected by its peers to receive the $15,000 final award in the 2025 Forest Business Accelerator. The Forest Business Accelerator program supports early-stage companies innovating in the forest sector – from sustainable materials and forest byproducts to advanced technologies and energy systems. This year’s cohort included eight visionary companies from across North America.

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (VAAFM) and Vermont Specialty Food Association (VSFA) invite specialty food and beverage businesses to showcase their products in the Vermont Pavilion at the 2026 Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City from June 28-30. The Summer Fancy Food Show, hosted by the Specialty Food Association, is a premier business-to-business trade show for specialty food and beverage products. This is an ideal event for established businesses that are poised to expand into new domestic or international markets. Joining the Vermont Pavilion provides businesses with enhanced exposure and allows them to fully benefit from the strength of the Vermont brand. Pavilion members will also benefit from a series of pre-show calls, hosted by VAAFM and VSFA, designed to help businesses prepare for the show and to facilitate networking and resource sharing between Pavilion members.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC), Conservation Law Foundation (CLF), Sierra Club - Vermont Chapter, Vermont Conservation Voters (VCV), Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG), and ACLU Vermont have received responses from state agencies that confirm our position that portions of Governor Scott’s Executive Order (EO) 06-25 are unconstitutional and unlawful. In response to the organizations’ October 15th letter, Vermont’s Land Use Review Board (LURB) and Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) raised questions to Governor Scott about their legal authority regarding certain provisions and indicated that the Vermont Legislature would need to change laws or the agency would need to update regulations to legally implement key aspects of the EO.

Vermont Business Magazine Abu Dhabi Airports has contracted U.S. aerospace company, BETA Technologies (NYSE: BETA), to deploy its certified Charge Cube and Battery Thermal Management System as it rolls out an advanced air mobility (AAM) ecosystem across the emirate of Abu Dhabi. This year, Abu Dhabi Airports was awarded a mandate to lead the development of public infrastructure, operations, and commercial readiness for a strategic network of vertiports across Abu Dhabi. It has selected BETA’s electric chargers and thermal management systems to power its first two sites — Al Bateen Executive Airport (AZI) and Zayed International Airport (AUH), where initial UAE air mobility routes will launch. BETA will also provide onsite technical consulting on equipment and installation, as well as maintenance support and training.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Futures Project today released the results of the 2025 Vermont Business Climate Survey, offering an in-depth, data-informed look at how Vermont employers are experiencing the state’s economic landscape. The survey gathered insights from 139 employers across all fourteen counties and a wide range of industry sectors. The results reflect a nuanced view of Vermont’s economic conditions, marked by persistent structural challenges, cautious outlooks, and a continued need for long-term policy alignment. Respondents rated Vermont’s overall business climate 2.86 out of 5, a middle-of-the-scale sentiment that closely aligns with last year’s findings. Business performance over the past year was mixed, and employers anticipate similar conditions in the year ahead. The top concerns were workforce, taxes and fees, housing and healthcare.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Law and Graduate School (VLGS), a leader in graduate education, is proud to announce a partnership with the New Hampshire Municipal Association (NHMA), an organization dedicated to supporting effective municipal government. This partnership will provide NHMA members — consisting of municipal officials and staff — specialized, co-developed professional development programming, such as webinars and workshops. Members will also receive discounted tuition for VLGS’s juris doctor and master’s degree programs.

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, this week joined U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and 18 Senate colleagues in demanding answers from the Trump Administration regarding delays in disbursing Head Start funds, which the Government Accountability Office found violated the Impoundment Control Act. The Senators also called for immediate clarification on authorization of the delays, legal rationale, and measures to prevent recurrence, as well as assurances that Head Start programs can continue providing inclusive services for children with disabilities.  

Vermont Business Magazine Burke Mountain Resort of East Burke, Vermont announced today that Gabe Porter-Henry has joined the mountain as its new General Manager.  Porter-Henry has more than two decades of management success within the ski and outdoor industries. He will join the mountain on December 1 in order to spend time with the resort’s interim GM Tom Day as Day transitions out of his role at Burke. For the past decade, Porter-Henry has worked at Berkshire East Mountain Resort. Involved in all aspects of the operations, he held numerous leadership positions at Berkshire East, as well as its affiliated companies, Zoar Outdoor in Charlemont, Mass. and Big Red Cats in Rossland, B.C.

Vermont Business Magazine After tallying up over 1000 votes from fifth graders across the state, Vermont Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas announced the winner of the election for Vermont’s first Kid Governor today. The winner of the election is Roslyn Fortin, a fifth-grade student at Highgate Elementary in Highgate Center. Teacher Courtney Kiser brought the Kid Governor program to Highgate. Roslyn ran on a platform addressing homelessness. As Roslyn explained in her campaign video, “This plan isn’t just about giving things - it’s about giving kindness, giving time and giving hope.”

Vermont Department of Economic Development Commissioner Jepson: As I start this new role as Commissioner of the Department of Economic Development (DED), I want to thank Governor Scott for placing his trust in me and the new Deputy Commissioner, Nick Grimley. We are excited for this opportunity and committed to maintaining the consistency and predictability you’ve come to trust from this department. I’m also grateful to be joining a team with such invaluable institutional knowledge and an impressive record of delivering results for Vermonters. We are also thrilled to welcome Farida Ibrahim to the team. She will be managing the upcoming Community and Housing Infrastructure Program (CHIP), a statewide tool to help communities invest in infrastructure that will unlock housing opportunities.

Vermont Business Magazine The Northeast Delta Dental Foundation announced it supported oral health initiatives in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont with over $974,000 in funding. Sixty-six organizations received grants in two rounds, awarded in March and September 2025. Giving covered a wide spectrum of programs including support for dental clinics, events, in-school programs, oral health education, scholarships, recruitment, dental education for professionals and research.