Current News

by Robert Zulkoski, Social Entrepreneur, and Edward Cameron, Climate Advocate and Strategist Dirt farmers must anticipate everything about their crops before they even begin to sow their fields.  They must consider the soil, seeds, compost, plowing, insects and weather before they decide what crop they’re going to plant. They must participate in preparing the soil, setting the seeds, fertilizing the sprouting plants, understanding and watching for insect infestation, and building and monitoring proper irrigation as they toil toward a bountiful and profitable harvest.

by Olga Peters, Vermont Business Magazine Local. One of Vermont’s popular buzzwords. But for The Bank of Bennington’s President and CEO James Brown, local is how the bank does business. The philosophy remains simple: local customers deposit local money, that stays in the local economy, which supports the local community. If done well, then everyone’s boat rises.

Vermont State Police A Vermont state trooper is recovering Saturday after he collapsed following a traffic stop in the Addison County town of Leicester and was revived by multiple doses of Narcan. The incident began at about 11:25 p.m. Friday, March 15, 2019, when Acting Sgt. Brett Flansburg of the New Haven Barracks stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation on Leicester Whiting Road in the town of Leicester. While speaking with the driver, Sgt. Flansburg observed the passenger swallow an item. The passenger, later identified as Taylor C. Woodward, 25, of Brandon, admitted the item was a baggie of cocaine.

Taylor C. Woodward, 25, of Brandon

Vermont Business Magazine Mark your calendar, set your alarm, and get ready for the Ben & Jerry-est day of the year. Free Cone Day is April 9! Every year Ben & Jerry's fans (and future fans) get a scoop of the good stuff ABSOLUTELY FREE. The tradition started in 1979, when Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield wanted to thank their Burlington, VT community for helping them make it through their first year in business.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Public Utility Commission is seeking to fill two vacancies on the Vermont System Planning Committee (VSPC) to represent the interests of electric power supply resources, such as electricity generators. The openings are for one primary member and one alternate member, who would attend VSPC meetings when the primary member is not available.

Bromley Mountain Resort Spring or Winter weather, we're always having a good time on the slopes! If you're a forecast follower, you know we're heading into some T-shirt temperatures (in the 50s!) for Friday, and then back to mid-30s for Saturday. The marketing spin? Our superb base (5 feet deep, in spots!) will remain fully slashable. There's a chance of a few quick showers on Friday, but the warm temps and our superb grooming team will keep the surface fun through the weekend.

Senator Patrick Leahy Marcelle and I are shocked by the barbaric act of terror against innocent Muslims in Christchurch, New Zealand – a mass murder that took the life of 49 human beings. Our hearts ache with the families of the victims and the communities that have been rocked by this attack.  Let us be clear about one thing: This wanton violence was explicitly motivated by Islamophobic and xenophobic vitriol that has spread like a cancer in the age of social media.

Public Assets Institute Reach Up is Vermont’s primary cash assistance program for families in poverty. It focuses on helping “eligible parents gain job skills and find work so they can support their minor dependent children.” 1 One function of the law, according to state statute, is to “improve the well-being of children by providing for their immediate basic needs, including food, housing, and clothing.” But due to years of under-funding, Reach Up is not fulfilling the state’s fundamental obligation to ensure that families with children can meet those needs.

by Shawn Shouldice McShane A bill under consideration by the Vermont Legislature allowing employees to take up to 12-weeks of paid leave a year for an illness, to care for a relative or the birth of a child, will cripple many small businesses in the state. It will also hurt the employees if those companies are forced to scale back operations or shut down because they don’t have enough staff to accommodate the workload.

At a mom and pop auto shop in Northeast Vermont, the owner says their ten employees are a prized asset and they do all they can now to accommodate requests for family leave. But that flexibility would vanish under a government mandate allowing up to three months of leave, especially if a specialty mechanic were off, or two workers took leave simultaneously.

Vermont Business Magazine In celebration of their Diamond Jubilee Anniversary, Sugarbush Resort announces the inaugural class in their newly established Wall of Fame. Similar to a Hall of Fame, Sugarbush’s Wall of Fame seeks to recognize some of the most significant contributors to the Sugarbush experience from 1958 to the present. The Sugarbush Wall of Fame recognition will be awarded annually to those who have made a significant contribution to “cultivating a spirit of lifelong adventure and camaraderie among Sugarbush staff, guests, and the community.” The Wall of Fame Review Committee met in late February to review those nominations submitted for the Wall of Fame.

Vermont Business Magazine Waterbury flower shop, Proud Flower, is excited to announce the launch of Proud Flower Studio – a branch of the business that will focus on weddings. Nina Towne, founder and owner of Proud Flower, has partnered with Jasmine Bigelow, who will be the owner-manager of Proud Flower Studio. Jasmine will provide all wedding flower services on behalf of Proud Flower, and also offer event design and specialty rentals, as Proud Flower Studio.

“I am so excited to have Jasmine join the Proud Flower family,” says Towne, “She is a creative soul, talented designer, and a resourceful, caring individual. Jasmine’s talents are a fabulous fit for the floral business, and she’s the perfect person to be working with our customers and friends on their special celebrations. After 10 years in business, as primarily a one-woman show, I’m welcoming a savvy, smart, creative partner, and we will grow Proud Flower together.”

Vermont Business Magazine Northern Power Systems Corp, a distributed wind company based in Barre, announced Thursday that John Simon and Kevin Kopczynski, each a member of the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Northern Power Systems Corp., provided the Board with a notice of his resignation from the Board, effective February 23, 2019. The Board has initiated a process to identify new directors to fill recent vacancies on the Board. NP has suffered financially over the last year and was recently de-listed by the Toronto Stock Exchange.