Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Montpelier Development Corporation and the Montpelier Foundation have distributed more than $200,000 under the auspices of the Montpelier Economic Need and Distress (MEND) Fund to 74 businesses within Montpelier’s downtown. Grant awards ranged from $1000-$5000. The MEND Fund was created to respond to the burden faced by storefront businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic and the State of Vermont’s subsequent ‘Stay Home, Stay Safe’ order. Collectively, corporate donors Union Mutual, Vermont Mutual, National Life, Northfield Savings Bank, and Noyle W. Johnson, along with local individual donors including Susan Ritz, contributed over $200,000. MEND grants are intended to assist with business recovery and revitalization efforts during this time of unprecedented economic hardship.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Public Utility Commission has extended the moratorium on involuntary utility disconnections on ratepayers until September 30. It was instituted at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Governor Phil Scott has announced $8 million in available grant funding to assist Vermonters with overdue utility bills as a result of economic hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott on Friday announced that the COVID-19 State of Emergency has been extended to September 15, 2020, as well as additional local discretion for gathering size limits and liquor sales. The latest order enables cities and towns to enact stricter local limits for gathering sizes than those established by the State. Municipalities may also mandate shorter hours for the sale of alcohol by bars and clubs than those set forth by the Department of Liquor and Lottery.

Vermont Business Magazine Springfield Regional Development Corporation (SRDC) has announced that they have been awarded a $550,000 EDA CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to capitalize and administer the Springfield Area Revolving Loan Fund for loans to coronavirus-impacted small businesses in Southern Windsor County.

Vermont State Police On August 15th 2020 at approximately 7:22 PM Troopers from the Middlesex State Police Barracks and Middlesex Fire Department responded to a reported motorcycle crash on RTE 2 approximately 1/8 mile north of the Middlesex Barracks in Middlesex Vermont. This crash involved only 1 motorcycle and was not witnessed. The operator of the motorcycle was identified as Paul Lavalley of Northfield Vermont. Lavalley was pronounced deceased at the scene.

by Bruce Edwards, Vermont Business Magazine Rob Carter calls it a mixed bag. “Certainly, those (businesses) mandated to close are really being challenged in trying to get back open,” said Carter, president of the Addison County Chamber of Commerce. As if the COVID-19 pandemic wasn’t bad enough, Middlebury is also facing another challenge: a 10-week shutdown in the downtown to complete an $80 million infrastructure project. Despite the challenges, he said business owners are trying to make a go of it.

by C.B. Hall, Vermont Business Magazine Shoreham-based WhistlePig, a distiller and distributor of premium rye whiskeys, has seen the buffets of fortune but continues to grow at what chief marketing officer Jason Newell termed "a sustainable pace," although that growth may be tested as the COVID-19 epidemic continues to strain the hospitality sector that has been a key partner in the company's success. That success has been highlighted, for example, by WhiskeyPig's receipt of best-in-show honors at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition of 2017.

by Bruce Edwards, Vermont Business Magazine Middlebury College is implementing the following three-phase approach to the fall semester Before coming to campus, all students must sign the Middlebury Health Pledge that is specific to students, and faculty and staff must sign one designed for employees to affirm they are willing to comply with the state’s COVID-19 restrictions and Middlebury’s health and safety policies. There will be three phases of the fall semester.

by Bruce Edwards, Vermont Business Magazine Middlebury has dedicated four-and-a-half years planning for every contingency related to an $80 million bridge and rail project smack in the middle of the downtown. Every contingency, that is, except one - a pandemic.

​Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Republican Party Chair Deb Billado issued the following statement after learning of the passing of long time Republican leader and legislator George Shiavone. While Primary Day can be a buzz of excitement this year Republicans were sobered by the loss of one of their most beloved Republicans, Representative George Schiavone.

by Don George, CEO and President of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont All of us Vermonters are worried right now. There is a lot going on. Parents and teachers are struggling with the bleak reality of school during a pandemic. Our downtown businesses are battling to survive with fewer people walking through the door. We miss being surrounded by our friends and family. And health care costs continue to rise at an alarming pace. At Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont, we have always worked diligently to keep our premiums as lean as possible. This year is no different. Unlike many insurers, BCBSVT is a non-profit company and therefore our rates reflect the actual cost of care, and do not have profit margins built in. Unlike many other states, Vermont has stringent health insurance oversight and regulations.

by Joyce Marcel, Vermont Business Magazine A little over a year ago, Xusana Davis was hired by the State of Vermont to do something that more than a few people have called “humanly impossible.” Davis, 31, is the state's first executive director of racial equity. In a state that is approximately 94 percent white, her job is not to undo 400 years of racism; it is not even to bring more diversity to state government. Instead, it is to bring our state government closer to equity — so all Vermonters have equal access to state services. And that alone is a daunting task.