Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health is reporting today that there were 12 new cases of COVID-19 since Friday, with seven Saturday and five Sunday for a total of 1,426 total cases. There are two people hospitalized and deaths are holding at 57. The number of new cases has been running in the single digits for more than a week.

Vermont Business Magazine This weekend provided significant upgrades to the state's pandemic response. Governor Phil Scott announced Friday that non-essential retail businesses can operate at 50% of approved fire safety occupancy; or 1 customer per 200 square feet; or 10 total customers and staff combined, whichever is greater, as of August 1, 2020.. Also on Saturday, Governor Scott's order on a mask mandate went into effect. This provides the legal basis for requiring mask wearing in public places. Also, while much of the economic recovery money has been distributed, there is still money and time for businesses to apply.

by Joyce Marcel, Vermont Business Magazine Packetized Energy Technologies, winner of this year's Small Business Administration's Vermont Microenterprise of the Year, was founded in 2016 as the brainchild of three University of Vermont professors: Paul Hines, Mads Almassalkhi and Jeff Frolik. In a 2018 article, UVM Today said, “Packetized Energy, it turns out, is the hottest of hot commodities in electric utility circles, the creator of a set of clever algorithms with products to match that could go a long way toward addressing the great challenge facing the energy sector and the planet: how to harness the increasingly abundant, but fickle, power of renewables like wind and solar when the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow.”

by Joyce Marcel, Vermont Business Magazine Bike Track, Inc in Woodstock is one of those Vermont companies where, when you hear about them, you say, “Who knew?” The company is famous for the durable, modular, hardened plastic flooring that it sells to military, government, and private organizations.

by Joyce Marcel, Vermont Business Magazine At only 26 years of age, Waste Free Earth's Marina McCoy has seen enough highs and lows to last a lifetime. Vermont's Young Entrepreneur of the Year, McCoy was raised in Vermont. She graduated Cum Laude from Sierra Nevada College in May 2016 with a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies in Sustainability and a BSBA in Ski Business and Resort Management.

by Joyce Marcel, Vermont Business Magazine Even on the phone, Burlington's Sarah Degray, 36, sounds like she's bursting with energy. A fan of indoor cycling — also called spinning — since 2005, she turned her passion into a $1 million business. Things were going great — REV is the Small Business Administration's Vermont Woman-Owned Company of the Year— until COVID-19 took most of her growth away. Now she's struggling to keep her business open.

by Joyce Marcel, Vermont Business Magazine Northshire Living, which designs and installs upscale custom kitchens and bathrooms, is the Small Business Administration's Vermont Veteran-Owned Business of the Year. On its website (northshireliving.com), Northshire describes itself as “a complete kitchen, bath, and interior design showroom located in Manchester, Vermont. We offer complete white glove installation services, general contracting, and project management in addition to our award winning design services. We are also happy to work with your contractor and supply high quality materials and detailed installation plans.

by Joyce Marcel, Vermont Business Magazine The Britton Lumber Company in Fairlee is the winner of the SBA Vermont Family-Owned Business Award. But it is really the story of two families, sequentially owning and running the same business. That’s because the Moses family purchased the lumber mill from the Britton family in 2013, after the Britton family had been running it since 1946.

by VBM Staff The Vermont Small Business Administration is presenting two additional awards this year. The 2020 New England Excellence and Innovation Center Award is being given to the Vermont Small Business Development Center, led by State Director Linda Rossi. The Vermont SBA is also presenting the Vermont Award of Distinction to Chris Carrigan, Vice President of Business Development, at the Vermont Chamber of Commerce.

by Joyce Marcel, Vermont Business Magazine Rise to the Top in South Burlington won the Small Business Administration's Vermont Minority-Owned Business of the Year. The company, founded and run by Jason Gordon, 37, provides coaching and mentoring for young student athletes. Gordon's wife, Kourtny, is vice president. Rise to the Top does not contract with schools or institutions. Individual parents who hear of Gordon's work through word-of-mouth or Facebook register their kids for the programs.

Vermont Business Magazine This year, the annual campaign is centered around the essential role that farmers markets play in providing healthy local food access to everyone in our state during the coronavirus pandemic. Farmers Markets build prosperity among Vermont’s farmers and small businesses and help create healthy communities. Farmers market organizations are local food heroes! In the midst of a global pandemic, farmers markets — like all other small businesses — have been scrambling to continue operations for the farmers and communities that depend on them. Market managers across Vermont were able to quickly shift operations to ensure customer and vendor safety while continuing to serve the community. Always a hub for innovation, this season has highlighted the adaptability of farmers markets while emphasizing the need for investment in local food systems.

Tricia Coates, Interim Executive Director, LUND For Claire, the pandemic has been harsh on her and her young children. Between juggling care for her children as a single mom already living in poverty before the pandemic, worrying about paying her bills because of reduced hours at work, and isolation from her support network, she sought relief in the drugs she hadn’t touched in three years.

Will Claire sink back into her addiction? Will she lose her job because of it? Will she lose her children? Will she lose her life?

According to the CDC, a spike in substance misuse and overdose deaths has occurred across the nation during the pandemic. The New York Times reports that drug deaths have risen by 13% over the last year. Vermont may be losing ground in its hard-won gains in recovery and overdose deaths.