Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Hilco Real Estate, LLC has announced that a 125± acre development site in Groveton, NH, is for sale in a Federally Designated Opportunity Zone – a parcel of land ideal for the energy, manufacturing and technology sectors and easily divisible and ready for immediate redevelopment. The site was originally developed by Chapman Development and features the expansion of the nearby machining company NSA Industries in St Johnsbury, Vermont. An asking price was not revealed.

Vermont Business Magazine Darn Tough Vermont, the fastest growing American manufacturer of premium performance outdoor and lifestyle socks, is furthering its ongoing support of Spartan racers as the official sock of the Spartan Race US race series, which now includes Spartan Trail US.  As athletes dig deep to push their mental and physical limits while training for and completing Spartan series races, Darn Tough socks offer unmatched comfort, durability and fit for the toughest obstacles and terrain, and unrivaled durability for long months of cross training, all backed by an unconditional lifetime guarantee.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont receives a C for manufacturing and D- for logistics, says annual report from Ball State University. The 2019 Manufacturing Scorecard from Ball State’s Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) analyzes how each state ranks among its peers in several areas of the economy that underlie the success of manufacturing and logistics.

Vermont Business Magazine Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) were detected by New Hampshire Health Officials in bottled water produced by Spring Hill Dairy, Inc., of Haverhill, Massachusetts, and sold in Vermont as well as other New England states. The water, which is sold under various brand names and lists the source as spring water on the label, tested above Vermont’s drinking water standard. As a result, the state is working with the company and their distributors to ensure they remove the products from Vermont stores.  In the interim, the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is advising people not to drink bottled water from that source.

Vermont Business Magazine US Route 2 at the temporary drawbridge connecting North Hero to Grand Isle is open to two lanes of traffic. VTrans expects intermittent stops and releases of traffic by flaggers to allow for construction vehicles to enter the work zone. The contractor is currently working 7AM to 6PM, Monday through Thursday, and 7AM to 1PM on Fridays. No weekend work is scheduled at this time.

The temporary bridge has a speed limit of 25mph. There are tight curves approaching the temporary bridge, and trucks are advised to reduce speed to 15mph. Bicycles should use caution while crossing the bridge.

The work zone speed limit is enforced, and individuals have been ticketed for excessive speeding. Obeying the speed limit is extremely important for everyone's safety.

Vermont Business Magazine The UVM Medical Center is requesting that the Green Mountain Care Board approve the addition of two hospitals to the unified electronic health record system that is now being implemented across four affiliate hospitals in the University of Vermont Health Network. The overall project’s goal is to improve the quality and efficiency of care by giving providers instant access to a patient’s most updated medical information, no matter where they are receiving care across the health network.

Vermont Business Magazine Sunsoil, a Hardwick, Vermont-based national leader in manufacturing full-spectrum hemp extract (CBD Oil) with organically-farmed ingredients, has joined Burlington, Vermont-based 1% for the Planet, committing to donate 1% of its annual sales to support nonprofit organizations focused on the environment. Through this landmark partnership, Sunsoil, the largest nationally-distributed CBD oil brand ever to partner with 1% for the Planet, is continuing its mission of supporting people, plants and our planet – while producing safe, lab-tested USDA Certified Organic Hemp CBD products of the highest quality.

Vermont Business Magazine An anonymous donation of more than $1.1 million will be divided between the UVM Health Network-Porter Medical Center and the UVM Foundation as the result of a collaborative proposal to an Addison County supporter of both entities. The donation will provide $575,000 for a new air handling system at Helen Porter Rehabilitation and Nursing, as well as $98,000 for a new nurse-call system at Helen Porter, for a total gift of $673,000 to Porter. The balance of the donation, $500,000 will support the Frank Ittleman, MD Endowed Chair in Cardiac Surgery at the UVM Medical Center.

by Darren Springer, BED General Manager Driving an electric vehicle (EV) is a great transportation choice – it’s better for the environment and less expensive than using gasoline. EVs are efficient and fun to drive, with instant torque and responsiveness. Also, EVs are becoming less expensive and offering longer driving ranges that are starting to rival conventional vehicles. Charging around town and beyond is becoming more widely available.

For Burlingtonians not ready to take the leap to fully electric vehicles, I encourage you to look closely at the benefits of driving electric by choosing a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle.

Brandon Arcari, Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont announced the operational launch of its new supercomputer upgrade, dubbed “DeepGreen.” The new computing cluster is intended to massively expand UVM’s available computational power and speed by a factor of over 200, according to a press release. Part of the Vermont Advanced Computing Core, the new cluster is 50 times more powerful than the other seven rows of computers lodged in the same room, combined.

Vermont Business Magazine Rachel Schattman has experienced first-hand the impacts of climate change on Vermont farming. Schattman's areas of expertise include climate change in the northeastern United States, local agriculture and food insecurity in Vermont, and Spotted Wing Drosophila (fruit flies) management on organic farms.