Current News

by C.B. Hall, Vermont Business Magazine "Devastating," said Joe Tisbert, president of the Vermont Farm Bureau, describing the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. "This whole thing has been devastating to agriculture across the board." The same adjective depicts the state of Vermont's food retailers: In big-box supermarkets and village stores, the impact has been extreme, although not without some silver linings in the cloud.

by C.B. Hall, Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott's March 24 "Stay Home/Stay Safe" order suspended in-person retail commerce with an exception for "critical" businesses such as supermarkets, but it took another day before the state clarified that the "critical" category would not include Vermont's approximately 55 farmers' markets. But some limited re-opening could be announced as soon as Friday.

Vermont Business Magazine Middlebury College Physician Mark Peluso received a welcome delivery on April 15–a donation of 10,000 surgical masks from 79 families of Chinese students who attend Middlebury. Middlebury will keep 6,000 of the masks to meet immediate and possible future needs on campus. The College will donate the remaining 4,000 to help with the safety efforts of local long-term care facilities, fire fighters, law enforcement, and organizations that support the homeless and mentally ill. College health officials approached Porter Medical Center first, but staff there reported that they currently have a sufficient supply of surgical masks.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont State Colleges System Chancellor Jeb Spaulding announced this morning that he is withdrawing the reconfiguration recommendations he brought to his Board of Trustees earlier this week. That proposal included reducing the number of career focused liberal arts campuses from three to one, closing the Northern Vermont University and growing at Castleton University. In addition, Vermont Technical College’s Randolph Center campus would have been closed, consolidating selected programs to their Williston Campus.

by Betsy Bishop, President of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce In the last few months, our world changed. Vermonters and people around the globe are reeling from the impact of COVID-19 on their lives, work, and loved ones. Throughout the pandemic, the Vermont Chamber has advocated for financial assistance and regulatory relief to help businesses throughout our state survive, helping their communities and their workers.

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General TJ Donovan is putting debt collectors, creditors, and financial institutions on notice that, in Vermont, federal stimulus money is protected from garnishment or collection. According to the directive issued today by the Attorney General, payments authorized by the federal government’s Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, are exempt from garnishment or collection under Vermont law. The Attorney General is also urging the banking community to voluntarily suspend collection activity for overdrafts or other administrative fees that could otherwise jeopardize the receipt, reallocation, and circulation of stimulus monies issued to Vermonters as a result of the COVID-19 public health emergency.

by Joyce Judy, CCV President The Vermont State Colleges System is weathering the roughest days of its 60-year history. The potential changes facing our sister institutions are painful and the challenges are real. While the Community College of Vermont (CCV) is not immune to these challenges, we are fundamentally unique, financially stable, and poised to help rebuild Vermont in the wake of COVID-19.

Vermont Business Magazine Mack Molding and Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) have partnered to develop an innovative alternative for Personal Protective Equipment for the health system. Similar to the rest of the country, southern Vermont has not been immune to the challenges of acquiring PPE during the COVID-19 crisis, and most specifically disposable masks. Through their collaboration, Mack and SVHC began investigating alternative mask options that could be modified since N95s masks and 7700 respirators are in high demand.

Christopher Darby, RN, CEN, Emergency Department Clinical Coordinator, using the mask in the SVMC Emergency Department. SVMC photos.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s state colleges have provided Vermonters with access to higher education and helped to build the Vermont workforce for the past 60 years. They are an essential part of our post-secondary system and the economic drivers of rural regions around the state. Community members, students and faculty have reached out to us over the last several days worried about the future of their education, jobs and towns. We share their concerns.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Foodbank and Vermont National Guard will distribute food to those in need at five different areas of Vermont beginning on Wednesday, April 22. These points of distribution will meet the increased demand on food shelves around the state.

by David Blittersdorf, AllEarth Renewables We are in the beginning of the largest crisis our world has seen in almost a century. COVID-19 has rapidly triggered a human health and economic disaster in our fragile modern society, the likes of which we have never experienced before. Crises are chaotic and disruptive, but in every crisis there is opportunity for positive systemic change.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA) approved over $16 million in new financing for Vermont businesses and farms for the quarter ended March 31, a $7 million increase in volume over the previous quarter. The $16 million in new loans helped 41 different borrowers, of which 28 were in the small business and agricultural sectors. Of the $16 million in loan approvals, $9 million were in direct commercial loans, $2.5 million in small business loans, $2 million in agricultural loans, and another $2 million in renewable energy loans. VEDA also facilitated the approval of $483K for its affiliate loan programs like the Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Fund and the Vermont Brownfields Revitalization Fund.