Current News

Vermont Business Magazine More than 840 people gathered for the 2026 Better Building by Design (BBD) conference this week, the region’s premier design and construction conference held each year by Efficiency Vermont. Ten organizations were honored with “Best of the Best” awards for leadership and innovative projects, including the event’s first-ever award recognizing a workforce development program. Architects, designers, builders, contractors, and more from across the northeast gathered at the DoubleTree Hotel & Conference Center in South Burlington from May 6-7. The theme for this year’s event was “Tight Margins, Bold Moves: Building for Affordability, Efficiency, and Electrification.” 

Vermont Business Magazine Saint Michael’s College will hold its 119th Commencement ceremony on May 10, 2026, in celebration of graduates in the Class of 2026. The graduates, faculty, and administration will process through campus about 10 to 15 minutes before the start of the ceremony, led by bagpipers from Matthew Brouard Music. The ceremony will then begin promptly at 10 a.m. in the Ross Sports Center. More than 300 students will receive bachelor’s and master’s degrees or recognition for completing a graduate certificate program during the ceremony. The graduates represent approximately 27 states or U.S. territories and 11 countries.

Vermont Business Magazine Maple Broadband has announced Nonprofit Connect, a new program offering all 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations in Maple Broadband’s service area in Addison County access to Gigabit fiber internet at the provider's most accessible price point. Through Nonprofit Connect, qualifying nonprofits receive Maple Broadband's Amber Bold fiber internet package at the Amber Light rate of $69.95 per month, a savings of $50.00 per month. The program includes all standard Maple Broadband benefits: no contracts, no data caps, no promotional pricing that increases later, and free equipment.

Vermont Business Magazine StandardAero (NYSE: SARO), a leading independent pure-play provider of aerospace engine aftermarket services including engine maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) and engine component repair, today announced it has acquired Unified Turbines, LLC (Unified Turbines) in an all-cash transaction. Unified Turbines represents StandardAero’s 14th acquisition since 2015 and eighth acquisition in its Component Repair Services (CRS) segment. Founded in 1997 and operating out of its facility in Milton, VT, Unified Turbines is an FAA Repair Station. The company provides hot section component repair and overhaul services for a range of Pratt & Whitney and Honeywell engines.

Vermont Business Magazine ATTOM, the leading provider of property data, AI-powered analytics, and real estate intelligence solutions, today released its first quarter 2026 U.S. Home Equity & Underwater Report, which shows that 43.3 percent of mortgaged residential properties in the country were equity-rich, meaning the combined estimated amount of loan balances secured by those properties was no more than half of their estimated market value. Vermont had the highest percent of equity rich homes, nearly 30 percent higher than second place New Hampshire. The states with the highest shares of equity rich homes in the first quarter of 2026 were Vermont (85.7 percent), New Hampshire (58.1 percent), Montana (57.7 percent), Rhode Island (57.2 percent), and Hawaii (55.8 percent).

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Democrat Becca Balint officially launched her reelection campaign seeking a third term as Vermont’s Representative in the U.S. House, pledging to continue fighting for working families, protecting fundamental freedoms, and lowering costs. After filing candidacy paperwork and submitting signatures at the Vermont Secretary of State’s office, Balint spoke before supporters in Montpelier, highlighting her work in Congress to address the affordability crisis, defend reproductive and voting rights, stand up to corporate influence and corruption, protect Social Security and Medicare, strengthen rural healthcare, and address Vermont’s housing crisis.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Vermont Speaker of the House Jill Krowinski made the following statement on the House passage of S.325, an act relating to regional planning and Act 250 Tier jurisdiction: “Today’s vote to pass S.325 is a direct response to Vermonters and their concerns on the use of their property and land in their communities. S.325 updates many areas of Act 181 and includes the repeal of the Road Rule and Tier 3. The legislation also designs a public engagement plan to gather statewide input from Vermonters while ensuring comprehensive legislative oversight during the off session."

by Julie Lowell, Public Assets Institute In the last year we’ve seen firsthand the dangers of sharing and using people’s data without their consent. The Department of Homeland Security has used data from the IRS and Center on Medicaid Services to locate and detain people in many communities. This has had a chilling effect on people accessing services they are entitled to, like medical care, childcare and food assistance. In 2023 a poll by the Pew Research Center found that 67 percent of Americans had little knowledge about what companies do with the data they collect about them. While people share some information willingly on social media, data are also collected on search engines and websites, by automobiles and doorbells, and at the doctor’s office. The use of the data can lead to real economic harm—one example is surveillance-pricing, where companies use consumer data to set different costs for buyers.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott and the Vermont Department of Health today announced deaths from drug overdose continue to decline in Vermont, according to new data from the Department of Health. The newly released 2025 Fatal Overdose Report shows that 170 Vermonters died from a drug overdose in 2025 which is a 37% decrease in overdose deaths following a historic peak in 2022 with 269 deaths. This is also the lowest number since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Opioid-involved overdoses continue to account for a significant share of drug-related fatalities, with 121 deaths recorded in 2025 compared to 183 in 2024. Fentanyl and cocaine remain the number one and number two substances involved in overdose deaths, often in combination.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont small businesses with two or more employees will soon receive instructions to register for Vermont Saves or certify their exemption from the program, Treasurer Pieciak highlighted today.  Earlier this year, the employer eligibility threshold for Vermont Saves was lowered from five employees to two, extending the program to thousands of small businesses.  In recognition of National Small Business Week, Treasurer Pieciak is reminding newly eligible employers to enroll in Vermont Saves and highlighting the unique benefits the program delivers to small businesses. 

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont lawmakers joined gun violence prevention advocates in Montpelier on Tuesday to call for swift action on key legislation aimed at strengthening public safety across the state. The proposed legislation represents a comprehensive approach to reducing gun violence in Vermont. Key provisions include keeping firearms out of bars, strengthening processes to ensure firearms are relinquished when required by law, and restricting access to firearms for individuals deemed a danger to themselves or others.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $4.52 per gallon, up 28 cents per gallon from last week, up 41 cents/g from last month and up $1.45/g from this time last year, according to AAA. The lowest price in the state this week was $3.99/g. Prices are lowest in Windham ($4.44/g) and Bennington ($4.42/g) counties and highest in Lamoille ($4.57/g), Franklin ($4.54/g), and Chittenden ($4.52/g), according to AAA. The national average price of gasoline has risen 25 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $4.55/g today.