Current News

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.

Vermont Business Magazine With summer at its height and the Green Mountains truly showing their name, the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation announced the addition of 758 acres to CC Putnam State Forest in Stowe. As part of the state forest, the Brownsville Forest property, as the land is locally known, will be open to the public and managed by the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation.  

Vermont Business Magazine As with the overall unemployment rate, weekly unemployment numbers are holding at a very low level with very little movement. Summer usually brings low claim levels, but sub-300 claims indicates very low volume. Initial claims for the week of August 10, 2019, totaled 289, down 7 from last week. Claims were 26 more than they were at this time last year.

Vermont Business Magazine From state policy issues to local business concerns, energy information helps people make informed decisions. To that end, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) maintains a portal for state energy information that provides dynamic, timely data on the energy market conditions in each region. Recently, EIA updated the energy data and facts about Vermont. For instance, Vermont’s five utility-scale wind farms accounted for 17 percent of the state’s electricity net generation in 2018. In 2016 Vermont set a goal to obtain 90% of all its energy from renewable resources by 2050 and reduce energy use by more than one-third.

Scammers Demanding Personal Info and Payment While Threatening Immediate Disconnection

Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Power (GMP) is warning customers about a rise in scam calls, after dozens of reports today. The scammers are claiming to be from GMP and threatening to cut off power within just 30 minutes if you don’t pay immediately. GMP would never do that. If you receive a call like that, just hang up - it is a scam.

“We got flooded with calls starting this afternoon – customers alerting us, and wanting to let other customers know that a scammer is calling Vermonters,” said Mary Morris, Manager of Customer Care for Green Mountain Power. “GMP does not threaten immediate shut off, or demand immediate payment by credit card or pre-paid cards. If someone does this – it is a scam,” she said.

These calls are not from Green Mountain Power. If you get a call like this you should hang up.  Also remember: