Current News

by Bruce Edwards, Vermont Business Magazine With declining enrollments coupled with ever increasing overhead, surviving as a small college these days is more of a challenge. This year alone, three small, private Vermont colleges have closed their doors: Southern Vermont College, Green Mountain College and the College of St Joseph, and Marlboro College has merged with the University of Bridgewater in Connecticut.

by Bruce Edwards, Vermont Business Magazine Agri-Mark’s Cabot cheese plant is one of Addison County’s largest employers, with 115 workers producing more than 70 million pounds of Vermont cheddar a year. Agri-Mark spokesman Doug DiMento said the plant is running at full capacity to meet demand for its cheese products. 

Vermont Business Magazine Origin, an award-winning outdoor sport and tourism-focused creative, content and strategic marketing agency founded in Whistler, Canada, has opened a United States presence as of April 2019. The subsidiary, located in Shelburne, Vermont, marks Origin’s growth and continued commitment to its clients.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott and members of his cabinet will be in Grand Isle County on Tuesday, August 20 as part of their second round of his 14-county initiative, Capitol for a Day. Governor Scott launched the tour in June 2017, and he and his cabinet visited all 14 counties over the following 10 months. The group has relaunched the initiative and will revisit each county over the next several months. Grand Isle County is the second stop on this second, statewide tour.

Capitol for a Day gives local constituents, municipal government leaders and other partners the opportunity to connect directly with state leadership and staff.

Follow along on social media using the #VTCapitol4aDay hashtag.

WHEN:                Tuesday, August 20

                             8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

(Details below)                               

Vermont Business Magazine Global healthcare and automotive contract manufacturer GW Plastics, Inc is rapidly growing in its home state of Vermont due to its dedication to workforce development, and has been inducted into the Vermont Business Hall of Fame. The Vermont Business Hall of Fame recognizes previous recipients of the Deane C. Davis Outstanding Business of the Year Award who continue to demonstrate exceptional growth.

by Robert Zulkoski, Social Entrepreneur Comparing Vermont to a mosquito may hit a little too close to home now that summer is in full swing, but the metaphor is too apt to pass by. Just as a mosquito can disrupt a night’s sleep, our small state can disrupt industry. As I have said in this column before and countless others have espoused, Vermont is small, but we can sometimes punch above our weight.

Vermont Business Magazine Vergennes Day kicks off its 38th year on Friday, August 23rd with a street dance in City Park featuring the music of “The Hitmen” from 7 to 10 p.m. The weekend’s activities, hosted and sponsored by the Addison County Chamber of Commerce, City of Vergennes and area businesses, is a celebration of city and community to be enjoyed by all ages. Full details of the event and a schedule of activities are available at VergennesDay.com.

Vermont Business Magazine Inc. magazine has revealed that New Breed is number 2487 on its 2019 Inc. 5000 list. The list includes the most successful privately-held, independent American companies. New Breed is a Burlington, Vermont-based company that helps B2B companies worldwide acquire customers by aligning people, processes and platforms. They were founded in 2002 and saw a three-year revenue growth of 158 percent.

Vermont Business Magazine In February 2018, six companies in the Rutland area received nearly $700,000 in grants for workforce development from the Vermont Training Program. Almost 18 months later the owner of Awesome Graphics said the grant exceeded expectations.

by Olga Peters, Vermont Business Magazine The fact is this: Windsor County struggles with many of the same issues as other counties in Vermont. The population is aging. According to the US Census Bureau, the county’s median age is 47.4. Employers have trouble finding workers. The County experienced an overall decline of 1.05 percent in the number of workers between 2016 and 2017, said the US Census Bureau.

by Olga Peters, Vermont Business Magazine On a muggy evening in July, the leadership of Springfield Medical Care Systems and Springfield Hospital sat with community members and explained what comes next for the financially beleaguered health provider. The Charlestown, NH, meeting held at the Senior Citizens Center on July 18 was the fifth meeting that Joshua Dufresne, Acting Chief Executive Officer of SMCS and Halstead have held in the SMCS coverage area.

by Olga Peters, Vermont Business Magazine It is easy to focus on the big population centers in the Upper Valley. Here are a few highlights from other communities. Anne Marie Delaney and her partner Peter Jillson started Silo Distilleries six years ago. They're iconic red barn and business are located in a place called Artisans Park in the town of Windsor.