Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Citizens Bank, with branches across Vermont, has opened its annual Small Business Community Champion Award Contest, aimed at recognizing the positive contributions small businesses make to their communities. Now in its fourth year, the contest will award $10,000 each to 30 small businesses across Citizens’ 11-state footprint, including at least ten minority-owned and ten women-owned businesses, to help further strengthen their communities and their businesses.

Vermont Business Magazine With only 7 days left to vote, Vermont’s own SheFly Apparel is looking for community support to win the opportunity of a lifetime. Middlebury’s own SheFly Apparel has been chosen as one of 10 finalists for Moosejaw’s Outdoor Acceleration program, aimed at supporting small businesses in the outdoor industry. This year, the program has placed additional emphasis on supporting underrepresented groups in the outdoor industry.

Vermont Business Magazine Driverbase, the dealers-only vehicle marketplace in Colchester that provides personalized vehicle recommendations, has announced it has completed integrations with 23 of the leading providers in automotive. Driverbase is charging dealers zero fees to take advantage of these new integrations. Whether dealers connect their inventory data to launch listings on the dealers only marketplace or deploy the Personalize vehicle recommendation engine on their website platform, these integrations enable over 90% of the dealerships in the United States to leverage Driverbase.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of health is reporting today 131 new cases of COVID-19 and two more deaths for a statewide total of 193. Those 70 years old and older may now sign up to get vaccinated. Nearly 81,000 Vermonters have received at least one dose. There is no cost to get vaccinated. Updated guidance to travel restrictions are expected to be forthcoming from Governor Scott and his team Friday.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Labor announced today it is now accepting applications for the 2021 Vermont Internship Program. Funded by VDOL, the program will award $350,000 to eligible organizations. The program promotes internships by providing grants to organizations that support or match Vermont employers with student-interns from public and private secondary schools, regional technical centers or postsecondary educational institutions.

Vermont Business Magazine The Medicare Part D program pays far more than any other federal health program for prescription drugs, according to a report released today by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The report, “A Comparison of Brand-Name Drug Prices Among Selected Federal Programs,” commissioned by Senate Budget Committee Chair, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), found that on average Medicare Part D pays nearly three times more for brand-name drugs purchased at retail pharmacies than Medicaid.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Vermont Conservation Voters (VCV) shared the results of the 2020 National Environmental Scorecard from the League of Conservation Voters (LCV). The Scorecard is a valuable tool for evaluating the environmental voting records of every member of Congress, and is available online at scorecard.lcv.org.

Vermont Business Magazine The Agency of Natural Resources, Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced today that the Rutland County Solid Waste District was fined $37,000 for multiple violations of Vermont’s hazardous waste and solid waste management rules. Hazardous wastes are substances that contain chemicals that are corrosive, flammable, reactive or toxic, and have harmful effects on public health or on the environment. Many sectors create hazardous wastes in Vermont, including small and large businesses, municipalities, and even households.

Vermont State Police Police in South Burlington located all three juveniles at about 3 pm today. Investigators thank the public and partner agencies for their assistance with this case.

Vermont Business Magazine Bee's Wrap LLC in Middlebury has been sold to an undisclosed, Vermont-based private investor. Financial terms of the sale, which was announced today, were not disclosed. Bee's Wrap is a leading producer of sustainable food wraps that serve as a natural alternative to plastic wrap. The company distributes its products through 3,000+ retail locations across the US and ecommerce channels and reaches over 40 countries across the world. Founder Sarah Kaeck will remain as CEO.

by Matt Cota The old adage, don’t put your eggs in one basket, is as true for energy as it is for eggs. Witness what has happened over the past few days. An energy spike in Texas causing rolling blackouts, leaving 2 million people without power, cold and in the dark. Here in Vermont, many homeowners that have an electric air source heat pump received an email warning on February 12 that that their utility will “manage” the device remotely to lower energy consumption during peak demand.

Vermont Business Magazine The Federal Nuclear Waste Policy Committee of the Vermont Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel (VT NDCAP) will hold a Special Meeting on Monday, February 22, 2021, from 1 PM to 2 PM. In accordance with Vermont Open Meeting Law changes due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this meeting will be conducted as a Microsoft Teams webcast and teleconference.