Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Several news sources are reporting that Jake Burton Carpenter died Wednesday evening. Carpenter is the founder of Burton Snowboards based in Burlington. Carpenter formed the company in the 1970s, which created the sport and became its most visible brand. Carpenter was hospitalized last week at the UVM Medical Center in Burlington for an upper respiratory ailment. He had informed Burton staff earlier in November that his cancer from 2011 had returned. Co-CEO John Lacy, who runs the company with Carpenter's wife Donna Carpenter, sent an email to employees Thursday morning announcing his death. Jake Burton Carpenter was 65.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s Killington Resort, the largest ski and snowboard resort in Eastern North America, reported today that it has received a positive snow control announcement from FIS (Fédération Internationale de Ski), the governing body of the Audi FIS Ski World Cup. This comes as no surprise to those of us in Vermont experiencing an early start to winter. But the FIS decision is not a mere formality. In 2016 FIS canceled the parallel men's races in Colorado set for the same Thanksgiving weekend. And just last year the opening races in Austria were rescheduled by FIS because of wind that blew in as part of a snow storm in October.

Vermont Business Magazine GasBuddy, the smartphone app helping consumers avoid paying full price for fuel, today projects the national average gasoline price for Thanksgiving will be at its highest since 2014. While it may lead to some complaints — 30% of Americans saying high prices are impacting their plans — it won’t slow them down much, with a 7% rise in motorists on the road for Thanksgiving versus last year. Vermont prices are averaging $2.62 per gallon, the same as a week ago but 15 cents lower than last year.

Vermont Business Magazine Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Representatives John Yarmuth (D-Ky.), Don Bacon (R-Neb.), Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.),and Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) Wednesday reintroduced the bipartisan Runaway and Homeless Youth and Trafficking Prevention Act. The legislation will reauthorize key federal grant programs to provide states with grants to help thousands of homeless young people nationwide.

Vermont Business Magazine Many Vermont residents will have heating oil tanks inspected before the first fill of the winter season. The inspections, required by a 2017 Rule, reduce the number of spills or leaks from these tanks. Under the 2017 rule, inspectors must attach a “do not fill” or “red-tag” if the tank is at risk of spilling or leaking fuel.  

“To protect the environment and keep people safe from hazardous fuel leaks, we’re working with fuel suppliers to inspect tanks so that we’re able to prevent spills before they happen,” said Emily Boedecker, Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation. "The inspections and the red-tag rule identify problems in advance, avoiding dangerous and costly oil spills.” 

Vermont Business Magazine Tech Vault, the premier multi-tenant data center and cloud provider in the region, announced today that Mach7 Technologies has selected Tech Vault as its Data Center and Network Service provider. Tech Vault’s secure, LEED certified Data Center will provide Mach7 with a HIPAA certified, fully redundant, collocation environment.

Mach7, also based in South Burlington, VT, delivers a software platform that enables healthcare organizations to store, manipulate and distribute medical image information throughout an enterprise. Mach7 is a global technology provider that is publicly traded on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX: M7T). With an install base in the USA, UK, Saudi Arabia, Qatar & throughout the Asia Pacific region they have delivered their software in both an on premise solution as well as a cloud-based solution in partnership with Microsoft Azure.

Vermont Business Magazine Southwestern Vermont Health Care’s (SVHC) Centers for Living and Rehabilitation (CLR), a skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility in Bennington, recently earned Vermont regulators’ highest commendation, deficiency free. It is the third time in 6 years they have received a deficiency-free rating.

Vermont Business Magazine Five Vermont schools are among the nation’s 300 State Finalists in the 10th annual Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest, a program that encourages 6th-12th  grade students to solve real-world issues in their community using classroom skills in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). They are from Burliington, Essex, Moretown, St Albans and Hartford. The Vermont State Finalist classrooms were chosen based on their creative and strategic proposals to solve complicated issues that affect their communities by using STEM learning. All 300 teachers that submitted these finalist proposals will receive one Samsung tablet for their classrooms and have the opportunity to advance in the competition with their students for additional prizes.

Vermont Business Magazine Omega Optical, a southern Vermont-based manufacturer in Brattleboro, has received a $9,000 Vermont Training Program (VTP) grant from the Vermont Department of Economic Development. For decades, Omega Optical has made a variety of optical filters products used by both government and private organizations. Omega Optical continues to create innovate products and serves as a key supplier to companies involved in aerospace, defense, and life science operations. Omega Optical will use the grant to train employees a valuable curriculum of basic inferometry training, machine math training, advanced machine tool technology training, and CNC machine training.

Vermont Business Magazine Strolling of the Heifers will host three Holiday Pop-Up Gift Shop events in the River Garden (157 Main Street) this November and December. Products from over 40 local artisans will be available for purchase at each pop-up. All events are free and open to the public. The first pop-up begins on “Black Friday”, the Friday following Thanksgiving. 

by John R Brumsted November 21, 2019 is Rural Health Care Day across the United States. In honor of this day, I want to illustrate the work we are doing locally in Northern New York and Vermont, as we adapt to meet the needs of aging populations, changes in how care is paid and reimbursed, and ever-increasing costs of serving every patient who walks into our clinics or emergency rooms. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Grants and Loans Committee of The Episcopal Church in Vermont has approved more than $32,000 in grants during the second half of 2019. Combined with almost $18,000 in grants announced in the first half of the year, the Committee has awarded a total of about $50,000 in grants for the calendar year.