Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced that beginning Tuesday, August 4, public safety, public health, health care and human services employers whose employees worked to help mitigate or respond to COVID-19 may apply for hazard pay grant funds for their employees. The Front-Line Employees Hazard Pay Grant Program was established in Act 136 of 2020 using Coronavirus Relief Fund dollars to pay eligible employees who worked during the COVID-19 public health emergency from March 13 through May 15, 2020.

Vermont Business Magazine Last Friday, the Vermont-based hospitals of the University of Vermont Health Network – Central Vermont Medical Center, Porter Hospital, and the University of Vermont Medical Center – submitted a collective fiscal year 2021 budget to the Green Mountain Care Board that charts a path to recovery, while meeting essential patient care needs and supporting employees with a slim, combined margin target of 2.2 percent. Vermont's community hospitals were required to file their proposed budgets to the GMCB by last Friday.

SBA Vermont Learn about the unique benefits and challenges of employee ownership during a full-day virtual event August 18, featuring 15 informative workshops and a keynote by Blake Jones. The online event logistics will take place via Microsoft Teams with extensive support from the University of Vermont Conference and Events Services. The SBA Vermont District Office hosts a free daily webinar from 9 to 10 a.m. Monday to Friday to discuss Paycheck Protection Program forgiveness and other changes. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic the SBA Vermont District Office hosts a free webinar from 9 to 10 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays to discuss the Paycheck Protection Program, the Economic Injury Disaster Loan and Advance, and any pertinent updates.

Vermont Business Magazine In response to uncertainties facing the Vermont high school class of 2021 as they plan for the future amid COVID-19, the Community College of Vermont (CCV) is giving students an extra month to enroll in its Early College program. Early College, supported by the Flexible Pathways Initiative created by Act 77, allows high school seniors to complete their last year of high school and first year of college simultaneously and tuition-free. CCV will now accept applications for fall 2020 until September 1st, a full month beyond its typical August 1st deadline. The new date is intended to provide students and families with more time and flexibility in making decisions for fall.

Vermont Business Magazine and the Vermont Chamber of Commerce announced the ranking of the top 51 Best Places to Work in Vermont 2020, at a virtual ceremony July 30, 2020. These companies had the honor of saying they are a Best Place to Work in Vermont.

The awards program was created in 2006 and is presented in partnership with the Society for Human Resource Management, Vermont State Council, (SHRM), the Vermont Department of Economic Development and Best Companies Group.

This statewide survey and awards program were designed to identify, recognize and honor the best places of employment in Vermont, benefiting the state's economy, its workforce and businesses.

To be considered for participation, companies had to fulfill the following eligibility requirements:

Vermont Business Magazine As summer continues, families across Vermont are looking to their own backyards to safely get outdoors, taking to the road to see and stay in new nearby destinations that they may not have otherwise thought to discover. Along with providing a responsible way to enjoy a change of scenery, these local trips are ensuring that even more Vermont communities can benefit from tourism. In Vermont alone, Airbnb hosts statewide earned nearly $1.7 million from welcoming guests living within 300 miles during the month of June, and in many destinations, hosts have earned more welcoming local guests than they did in June 2019. The top trending destinations for local travel in Vermont -- with percentage increases in host income from nearby guests -- include: Killington (68%), Stratton (52%) and Stowe (32%).

Vermont Business Magazine Funding is now available for organizations and projects across the state of Vermont through the Spark Connecting Community second round of 2020 grant making. Spark awards grants in the range of $500 to $3,000 to further grassroots work that benefits the people and projects of Vermont communities. First-time grant writers are encouraged to apply. Applications will be accepted through 5:00 p.m. Thursday, October 15, 2020.

Spark Connecting Community looks to support projects that nurture community and build social capital. The program prioritizes community resilience and strength, increased civic engagement, and collaboration among organizations.

Visit vermontcf.org/NonprofitsGrants/AvailableGrants/SparkConnectingCommunity to learn more and apply.

Vermont Business Magazine The Scott Milne for Lieutenant Governor campaign announced today the endorsement of former Vermont Governor Jim Douglas. Governor Douglas joins Governor Phil Scott and 38 currently elected Republican legislators to have endorsed Scott Milne for Lt. Governor ahead of the August 11th primary. Jim Douglas was governor of Vermont from 2003 to 2011.

Vermont Business Magazine Retreat Farm, the 600 acre, nonprofit Brattleboro property that is dedicated to connecting people to the land and to one another, is receiving a $40,000 Historic Places planning grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The grant will fund the planning for permanent interpretive outdoor walking paths and interactive museum exhibits that teach people the many stories of human life as it has evolved over thousands of years on this iconic landscape. It will allow Retreat Farm and its advisors to research the vast history of the property and determine how best to share the stories of the land with the public.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott, the Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD) and the Department of Taxes today announced expanded eligibility for Economic Recovery Grants for Vermont businesses negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the original eligibility criteria, a business was required to have at least one W-2 employee who was not an owner of that business. Starting today, August 3, businesses with at least one W-2 employee - now including those who are an owner - are also eligible and encouraged to apply.

Vermont Business Magazine The town of Fair Haven is getting over $6 million in financing from the USDA to modernize its wastewater treatment infrastructure. This is part of a $462 million investment by the United States Department of Agriculture to upgrade infrastructure in rural towns and cities nationwide.

by Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos I love voting. Going to the polling place to engage in the democratic process alongside family, friends, and neighbors is something I always look forward to. In fact, that is one of the reasons why I got involved in public service and ran to become your Secretary of State. Like so many other aspects of our lives, the COVID-19 pandemic has created significant challenges for our elections process.