Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Creamery, makers of fresh and aged goat cheeses, cultured butter, and crème fraiche, has been granted more than $65,000 in Vermont Training Program (VTP) funding. The funding will support Vermont Creamery’s workforce expansion of eighteen full-time production employees and allow for deepened cross-training efforts.

by Michael Seaver, People’s United Bank President, Vermont Throughout the course of my life I have had countless opportunities to learn the same lesson: When you engage with children and invest in them at a young age, their opportunity for success skyrockets. In January, I joined fellow business leaders, state legislators, early educators and community members at a State House press conference announcing new legislation proposing significant investments in high-quality, affordable child care. It was an opportunity to reflect on my experience as a child growing up in Northfield, Vermont; a parent raising my children and volunteering in our community; and a business leader responsible for growing a statewide company with over 800 employees.

Public Assets Institute Legislators in Montpelier are getting close to the end of the session, but they’re still in search of that elusive prey: revenue. According to legislative watchers, our elected officials are trying to find revenue sources for state investments that are widely acknowledged to be long overdue: clean water, child care, Reach Up, weatherization. Here’s an idea: How about using some of the $350 million in federal tax breaks delivered to upper-income Vermonters in 2018?

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont House of Representatives today gave preliminary approval to S86, raising the legal age for buying and using cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, and other tobacco products from 18 to 21 years of age on a vote of 124-14.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Women’s Fund awarded $103,000 through its competitive grant program to 15 nonprofit organizations that work to improve the economic security of women and girls in Vermont. In addition to its annual competitive grant round, the Women’s Fund is the lead funder of Change The Story. This initiative is the result of a partnership of three statewide organizations that also includes the Vermont Commission on Women and Vermont Works for Women. 

Vermont Business Magazine There is an important association between maternal cigarette smoking cessation during pregnancy and risk of preterm birth, according to a new Dartmouth-led study published in JAMA Network Open. The negative health impacts of cigarette smoking during pregnancy—which include low birth weight, delayed intrauterine development, preterm birth, infant mortality, and long-term developmental delays—are well known. In good news, the proportion of women who start their pregnancy as smokers has been declining in recent years.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (VAAFM) has released a set of proposed rules that set the stage for growing the Vermont hemp industry and the state’s economy.  The Agency filed the rules with the Interagency Committee on Administrative Rules (ICAR), which begins the rule making process in Vermont. The Agency will hold public hearings around the state to take comments on the rules from all partners in the industry.

“Farmers are buying seed, equipment and land. Processors are opening facilities and hiring people. These proposed rules help shape the future. We are excited to help improve the rural economic landscape with this important step,” said VAAFM Secretary Anson Tebbetts. 

Vermont Business Magazine At a press conference Monday afternoon at Rutland Pharmacy, Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) unveiled two bills that will protect Vermont’s local independent pharmacies that are at risk due to anti-competitive practices by middlemen in the prescription drug market.  There are 41 independent pharmacies in Vermont employing 381 full time employees.

“When Vermonters get sick, their local pharmacy is often the first place they visit for advice and care,” said Welch. “Community pharmacies are locally owned.  Their pharmacists have earned the trust of customers. My legislation will level the competitive playing field to help ensure these vital small businesses remain open to serve their customers.”

Welch’s legislation tackles two significant threats to local pharmacies from behind-the-scenes “Pharmacy Benefit Managers” (PBMs) who act as middlemen in the prescription drug marketplace. 

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced the recipients of nearly $2.2 million in federal funds for municipal grant projects under the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) for stormwater quality improvements across Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine The Department of Veterans Affairs has appointed Brett D. Rusch, MD, as the new Director of White River Junction VA Medical Center (WRJVAMC). Dr. Rusch will oversee the delivery of health care to approximately 26,000 Veterans throughout Vermont and the four contiguous counties of New Hampshire.

“We are excited to have Dr. Rusch on board as the new director of White River Junction VA Medical Center,” said Ryan Lilly, Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 1 Director. “His sound leadership qualities and proven experience will continue to be valuable assets for the network, the employees and volunteers, and most importantly, for the Veterans we are honored to serve.  He is currently serving as White River Junction’s chief of staff, so our Veterans throughout the region will benefit from his experience.”