Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Peck Company, a leading commercial solar engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) company, on Tuesday provided an update to investors on the company’s business and strategic growth plan as a public company. Peck, formerly Peck Electric, was acquired by Jensyn Acquisition Corp of Freehold, NJ, on June 20. The Peck management team has assumed leadership of the now-publicly traded company and is based in South Burlington.

Vermont Business Magazine Many species of wild bumblebees are in decline—and new research shows that diseases spread by domestic honeybees may be a major culprit. Several of the viruses associated with bumblebees’ trouble are moving from managed bees in apiaries to nearby populations of wild bumblebees—“and we show this spillover is likely occurring through flowers that both kinds of bees share,” says Samantha Alger, a scientist at the University of Vermont who led the new research.

Vermont Business Magazine The Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission (TRORC) and the Connecticut River Conservancy (CRC) recently completed a tree planting at Billings Farm in Woodstock. A total of 112 trees were planted along the Ottauquechee River thanks to the help of 9 volunteers, including members of the Greater Upper Valley chapter of Trout Unlimited, Sustainable Woodstock, Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, the Ottauquechee River Group, and additional members of the community! These trees will help protect the Ottauquechee River by slowing rainwater runoff, capturing carbon dioxide, and improving water quality.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont State Parks is happy to announce an exciting new program geared towards helping campers and would-be campers enjoy cooking over a campfire at Vermont’s 55 beautiful state parks. All summer, we’ll be sharing creative recipes that can be prepared with minimal equipment, and which make use of the bounty of ingredients made and grown by the state’s farmers and food producers.

Vermont Business Magazine Starting July 1, 2019, an applicant for a generation facility within Vermont, including all net-metering facilities, must pay an application fee. The fee must be paid in advance of filing the application with the Public Utility Commission. An application to construct or modify a generation facility that is filed with the Public Utility Commission must include a form indicating that the fee has been paid. 

Vermont Business Magazine KeyBank has launched the Small Business Wellness Index, which measures the drivers, challenges, payment trends and financing needs of small business owners across the country. Data is drawn from KeyBank’s proprietary Small Business Wellness Review, a first-of-its-kind program driven by artificial intelligence, which guides small business owners through a comprehensive conversation about their business to identify their needs and offers industry-specific guidance and customized cash flow recommendations.

Vermont Business Magazine Demont & Associates, in partnership with the Association of Fundraising Professionals Northern New England (AFP-NNE), has opened nominations for a $5,000 college scholarship to a youth aged 10-23; the AFP-NNE Demont Scholarship for Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy is available to Vermonters.  Robert Demont, President of Demont & Associates says, “We are delighted to recognize the efforts of an outstanding youth philanthropist with this scholarship award. We know that there are many very deserving kids doing inspirational work raising funds for many worthwhile programs in our region.” 

The recipient of this scholarship award will be chosen from a pool of nominations by a New England Region Philanthropy Committee comprised of development professionals working in the fields of education and youth services in Northern New England. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Community Bank N.A. New England region branches recently presented a $15,000 donation to United Way of Northwest Vermont to supports it annual campaign. In addition, the bank’s New England area employees have pledged $10,152 to the organization for 2019.

Vermont Business Magazine At its 65th Annual Meeting on June 19, 2019, at the Echo Leahy Center on the Burlington Waterfront, the Greater Burlington Industrial Corporation (GBIC) presented its highest recognition award to Seven Days. Attended by approximately 300 members of the Northwest Vermont community, GBIC presented the 2019 C. Harry Behney Economic Development Achievement Award to the publishers of the Burlington weekly newspaper: Paula Routly, Pamela Polston, Cathy Resmer, Colby Roberts and Don Eggert.

Vermont Business Magazine The $6 billion state FY20 budget bill (H542 state budget) passed with overwhelming support this year. By the end of April, general fund tax revenue projections for FY19 were a whopping $50 million more than projected, which held through the May report and are expected to finish the fiscal year on June 30 at about that number. Lawmakers decided to dedicate a portion of the rooms and meals tax to the clean water fund and backfill the hole with the projected surplus funds rather than raise new taxes. Key areas of investment in the budget include early childhood education, workforce and economic development and programs to combat climate change.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Student Assistance Corp is giving over $1.3 million in interest rebates to borrowers this year, part of its “borrower benefits” program that has saved students $181 million in loan costs since 1995. “There’s no question that Vermonters need to continue their education and career training after high school, and most students will need to borrow to make it happen,” said Scott Giles, VSAC president and CEO.

Vermont Business Magazine The Snelling Center for Government has announced the graduates of the Vermont Leadership Institute Class of 2019. At the Commencement Ceremony held at Basin Harbor in Vergennes on June 1, Champlain College Vice President of Student Affairs and Institutional Diversity and Inclusion Dr Angela Batista congratulated the class on their rite of passage from the Vermont Leadership Institute and encouraged them to take action and exercise all they have learned in their continuing efforts to create change and strengthen Vermont through their own unique experiences and purposes.