Current News
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Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont and the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) signed an Educational Partnership Agreement today that will lead to a wide range of education and research-oriented exchanges between the two organizations. CRREL, based in Hanover NH, is part of the United States Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC). It is a national resource for cold regions science and engineering. CRREL scientists and engineers seek innovative, interdisciplinary solutions to the challenges faced by the Army, the Department of Defense and the nation in the earth’s cold and complex environments.
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Vermont Business Magazine The Small Business Innovation Research Road Tour is coming to the University of Vermont from 7 am to 3 pm September 16 at the Dudley H Davis Center. The SBIR Road Tour is a national outreach effort connecting entrepreneurs working on advanced technologies with Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs, the country’s largest source of early stage funding. Also known as America’s Seed Fund, the SBIR and STTR programs provide more than $3 billion annually to small businesses in a variety of technology areas.
Attendees will have the opportunity to hear directly from federal agency program managers that administer more than 5,000 new awards annually and to meet one-on-one with program decision makers.
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Vermont Business Magazine Removal of Mill Pond Dam on Indian Brook in Colchester is now under way following a two-year design and permitting process. The Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC) has been leading this project since the dam owner, Kim Scofield, requested assistance to remove the dam. Dams have existed on Indian Brook since the early 19th century to provide power for a series of sawmills, but the Mill Pond Dam has not served a purpose since the last mill burned down in 1941. Meanwhile, its impoundment has eliminated 2,200 feet of free-flowing riverine habitat, which is now choked with sediment carried from upstream. The deteriorating dam is classified by the state Dam Safety Program as a “significant hazard.”
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Vermont Business Magazine Mt Ascutney Hospital and Health Center (MAHHC) has announced that it has been selected as a recipient of a 2019 Couch Family Foundation Community Grant. The grant, which will be distributed over three consecutive years, was awarded in June 2019 to support the Family Wellness Coach in the Hospital’s Family Wellness Program. The grant was awarded following a detailed application process.
Dr Joseph Perras, CEO and Chief Medical Officer at MAHHC, expressed the Hospital’s gratitude at being awarded the grant. “We are profoundly grateful to the Couch Family Foundation for supporting the health and wellness of local children and families. Our Family Wellness Program is designed to have a significant, long-term positive impact. We look forward to delivering that impact for years to come, for the benefit of the entire Upper Valley.”
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Vermont Business Magazine ReArch Company, Inc has announced a $1,000 sponsorship donation to Vermont Tech for the 2018 Construction Project Management contest. This donation is specifically important to us as it fosters the development of skills that graduates need to build rewarding careers in our industry. Their graduates help provide a dedicated workforce for Vermont and the region.
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Vermont Business Magazine Cannabis media and events company Heady Vermont is excited to announce The Headies 2020, their second annual cannabis cup. The inaugural 2018 competition attracted over 80 competitors in categories including THC and CBD flower, concentrates, topicals and edibles. Given that 2019 was the first full legal season for home grow, organizers anticipate increased participation as well as a wider variety of entries. In support of maximizing participation, they’ve expanded the range of entry categories to include CBD edibles and topicals, hybrid flower, hemp, and a special Masters flower division, where participants will all be given the same seed stock - Grimace OG - from Masters category sponsors Archive Seed Bank.
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Network similar to Amber Alerts would provide rapid public notification when a law-enforcement officer is at risk of harm or has been seriously injured or killed
Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Public Safety and the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont announce Vermont’s Blue Alert network. The newly developed Vermont Blue Alert system is designed to rapidly disseminate information to the public when a law enforcement officer has been seriously injured, killed, or is missing in the line of duty warranting concern for the officer’s safety, and the suspect(s) involved have fled and pose an imminent threat to the public or other law enforcement officers.
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Vermont Business Magazine Rhino Foods, a food manufacturer, has recently been awarded $9,600 through the Vermont Training Program (VTP), a workforce development program. The grant will be used to fund on-site English instruction to Rhino employees, many of whom are new Americans. At these training sessions, Vermont Adult Learning will come to the facility to train the employees in English, reading, and writing. The prime emphasis of the curriculum will focus on English for workplace operations. Rhino Foods provides this benefit to its employees at no cost.
“We are proud to provide grant funding to Rhino Foods,” Joan Goldstein, Department of Economic Development Commissioner, said. “Currently, Vermont is suffering from a labor shortage. Rhino Foods is helping fill this gap, becoming an employer of choice for many new Americans.”
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Vermont Business Magazine A central Vermont tradition continues August 16-17 with Gifford’s 14th annual Last Mile Ride to support end-of-life care for patients and their families. The two-day, family-friendly event includes a motorcycle ride, 5K run, and 1- and 2-mile walks to raise funds for palliative care and special services. Last year, the Last Mile Ride’s 415 participants and 53 business sponsors raised $110,000 to support end-of-life care for central Vermonters, bringing the grand total to more than $760,000 since the inaugural LMR in 2006. Proceeds are used to help ease the end-of-life experience and support grieving families.
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Vermont Business Magazine Continuing efforts to oppose the federal government’s plan to repeal the Clean Power Plan, Attorney General TJ Donovan announced that he joined with 21 other states, the District of Columbia, and six cities to file a lawsuit seeking review of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) replacement rule. In a petition for review filed at the DC Circuit Court of Appeals, the coalition asked that the court review the final version of the “Affordable Clean Energy Rule,” the EPA’s intended replacement for the Clean Power Plan.
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Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Education has awarded seven Equity Literacy grants to 13 Vermont school districts and supervisory unions across the state. The grants, totaling nearly $200,000, will support individual and collaborative projects in addressing equity gaps in their school communities. The applications involved numerous partnerships and collaborative work. Grantee awards will range in funding from approximately $4,000 to $44,000. Summaries of the grant proposals can be found on the agency’s website.
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Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Chamber of Commerce announced the nine recipients for the Above and Beyond Awards, an award category designed to showcase the inspiring workforce shaping Vermont today. The Above and Beyond Awards will be given to individuals who have taken that extra step in their job, industry, or community work, thus contributing to a more vibrant state for Vermonters to live, work and play. Special recognition for their outstanding qualities and achievements will be showcased during the annual Vermont Chamber Citizen of the Year & Above and Beyond Awards Dinner on Tuesday, November 19, 2019 at the Hilton Burlington Hotel.
2019 Above and Beyond Award Recipients:
• Steve Bryant, Dorset Inn
• Steve Costello, Green Mountain Power
• Mark Delaney, Smugglers’ Notch Resort
• Leslie Griffiths, GlobalFoundries
• Julie Holcomb, Vermont Employment Agency