Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) has been awarded more than $850,000 from the US Department of Transportation in airport safety and infrastructure grants for four State airports. The federal funding is intended to keep the nation’s airports in a state of good repair and make air travel a better experience for passengers.

Vermont Business Magazine Mayor Miro Weinberger and community partners today announced the progress of the first year of the Burlington Early Learning Initiative’s First Steps Scholarship Program and plans for an expanded year two. In its pilot year, the scholarship program achieved its goal of supporting and placing at least 20 children whose families have low incomes in high-quality child care in the Burlington area. Now, in the program’s second year, the City plans to double the size of the program from 20 to more than 40 children. The second year application period will be open from March 2 to April 17.

Vermont Business Magazine VBSR has announced that Roxanne Vought will be its new executive director. Vought brings over 20 years of experience in Vermont’s private, public, and non-profit sectors, including business development, education, human resources management, workforce development, and non-profit management. She takes over from Jane Campbell, who announced she was stepping down last November.

Roxanne Vought

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness & Sports is pleased to announce recipients of 2020 Exercise is Medicine Community Wellness Grants. Funds for the grants are raised by the annual Vermont Corporate Cup Challenge and State Agency Race. The 2020 race will take place on Thursday, May 7, 2020 in Montpelier. The grants are guided by the principles of Exercise is Medicine (EIM), a global health initiative led by the American College of Sports Medicine. EIM is committed to the belief that physical activity plays an integral role in the prevention, treatment, and management of chronic diseases and should, therefore, be considered and promoted as a vital sign of health.

Vermont Business Magazine Last week officials from Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports filed an Act 250 permit application with the state of Vermont to build a new, $2 million adaptive sports facility at Sugarbush Resort’s Mt. Ellen. The application states that Vermont Adaptive is the applicant and Sugarbush Resort is the landowner. If approved, Vermont Adaptive’s Executive Director Erin Fernandez said the organization will break ground on the new facility in the spring.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Burton officially announced that John Lacy will become the company’s CEO, a role he has shared for the past 18 months with Burton owner Donna Carpenter. Donna will become Chair of the Burton Board of Directors, a position formerly held by her late husband and Burton founder, Jake Burton Carpenter.

Vermont Business Magazine Eight months after a law went into effect requiring Vermont schools to test their drinking water taps for lead, most are finding at least one tap with elevated lead levels – results that health officials say are in line with expectations. Of the 168 schools that have received their water test results to date, 79% have at least one tap with lead levels at or above 4 parts per billion (ppb) – the action level set by state law. If schools have a result at or above 4 ppb, they are required to immediately stop using the fixture and either replace it or permanently disable it. The state’s 440 public and independent schools and 1,200 child care programs must test all taps used for drinking water and cooking by the end of this year. The 2019 law was created after a pilot study of drinking water taps at 16 schools detected lead levels of at least 1 ppb at all the schools tested.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont lost solar industry-related jobs last year, but still ranks third overall in solar jobs per capita. Meanwhile, the US solar industry employed nearly 250,000 workers in 2019, an increase of more than 5,600 jobs (or 2.3%) since 2018, according to the 10th annual National Solar Jobs Census released Thursday by The Solar Foundation. This marks a resurgence in solar industry employment following two years of job losses in 2017 and 2018. Jobs peaked in 2016 with 260,077.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Green Building Network’s (VGBN) eighth annual Vermont’s Greenest Building Awards Competition is now open for submissions. This statewide competition recognizes exemplary residential and commercial buildings that excel in green building strategies – including water, health, transportation, and affordability – and meet the highest standard of demonstrated energy performance.

Submissions are due on Friday, March 6, 2020 at 5 pm EST. Winners of the awards will be announced and showcased at VGBN’s annual Vermont Green Building Celebration on Thursday, April 2 from 6:00 to 8:30 pm at Main Street Landing in Burlington.

Vermont Business Magazine Celebrate the world of wizardry at the 2nd Annual Harry Potter Party at the Fletcher Free Library on Sunday, February 23, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. Watch a movie from the series, create Harry Potter themed crafts, and enjoy magical activities and snacks. There will be life-size cut-outs of the characters to take pictures with and costumes are strongly encouraged. The party is free and open to all ages, but suggested for ages 8 and up.

Vermont Business Magazine Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital (NVRH) and Northeast Kingdom Human Services (NKHS) partnered with Boston-based artist Lynda Cutrell to bring The 99 Faces Project – an exhibit of 99 portraits, sculptures and paintings that destigmatize mental health – to the Northeast Kingdom. A community-focused conversation on mental health – as well as a closing reception for the exhibit – will be held on Friday, March 6, 4 – 6 p.m. in NVRH’s Gray Gallery and NVRH conference rooms 126 and 127.