Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Over 225 secondary students and their teachers from around the state participated in the 10^th annual Entrepreneurship Day/Event February 5, 2019 in Montpelier to celebrate the importance of Vermont Entrepreneurs and small businesses in helping to create a vibrant Vermont economy. Governor Phil Scott addressed the packed crowd in the Capital Plaza Hotel’s ballroom and signed a Proclamation designating February 4^th – 8^th 2019 Entrepreneurship Week. 

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s Killington Resort, the largest ski and snowboard resort in Eastern North America and a POWDR company, charges into spring with the NOR’BEASTER Spring Pass and a jam-packed event series as the longest season in the East extends towards Memorial Day and beyond. The 2019 NOR’BEASTER Spring Pass is available for $219*, providing skiers and snowboarders of all ages with unlimited spring skiing and riding from March 15 through June, or as far as Mother Nature will allow. The Spring Pass also unlocks access to live music, events and a 20% discount on Killington managed lodging beginning March 15 through the remainder of the 2018-19 winter season.

​Better Business Bureau Are you a small business owner in Vermont? It could be time to take the next step and form a Limited Liability Company (LLC). This type of business entity is growing in popularity as it has both the features of a partnership and a traditional corporation. A key point to remember about LLCs is that they provide businesses with greater liability protection while being simple to manage. Under the formation of an LLC, the owner isn’t personally responsible for the debts and liabilities of the business.

Vermont Business Magazine Business leaders from some of Vermont’s most iconic companies on Wednesday called on the Governor and the Legislature to pass a comprehensive climate action package this session that moves the state off of fossil fuels and to local, renewable energy. The CEOs and company founders from Black River Produce, Danforth Pewter, Rhino Foods, Ben & Jerry’s, Seventh Generation, and The Alchemist made the announcement at a State House press conference Wednesday, warning that Vermont’s failure to reduce carbon emissions is damaging to the economy and the environment.

Vermont Business Magazine During a Thursday event at the Middlebury Town Offices, US Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) announced that all communities in Vermont are now eligible to apply for funding from the Northern Border Regional Commission’s (NBRC) grant programs. The NBRC is a federal-state partnership with a mission to help alleviate economic distress and encourage private-sector job creation throughout portions of Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire and New York.  Leahy included legislation in the 2018 Farm Bill to make communities in the entire state of Vermont eligible, expanding the important grant program that previously only covered the northernmost six counties in the state.

In all, $25 million will be available to Vermont, NH, NY and ME in 2019 for the grant projects.

Vermont Business Magazine The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to conduct comprehensive reviews of site cleanups at six National Priorities List (NPL) Superfund sites in Vermont by performing required Five-Year Reviews of sites. The sites under review are the Bennington Municipal Sanitary Landfill; BFI Sanitary Landfill, Rockingham; Elizabeth Mine, Strafford; Parker Sanitary Landfill, Lyndon; Pownal Tannery; and Tansitor Electronics Inc, Bennington. 

Vermont Business Magazine Burlington School District (BSD) on Wednesday released its proposed line item budget for fiscal year 2020, as well as a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document related to the budget proposal. All told, the proposed budget represents a 4.36 percent increase from last year which the District estimates will have a tax impact of a 4.86 percent increase for residents paying taxes based on their property values. The total budget is for $88,706,132, on which voters will decide on Town Meeting Day March 5.

The BSD said in a statement that it is encouraging community members to visit www.bsdvt.org to view the documents and a complete list of budget reductions and additions, and learn more about the plan forward for fiscal year 2020.

Vermont Business Magazine The assets of JOY all things underthings, a full-service bra fitting and lingerie store in Manchester Center in business since June 2013, have been sold to Julie Isaacs and Katherine MacLauchlan, two long-time employees. "Julie and Katherine have a combined eight years experience at JOY and their contributions have been a large part of the success. They are a perfect combination to take over the retail operations and continue providing bra fitting expertise and women's underpinnings selections in our beautiful town," Joy Proft, JOY's founder and owner, said in a press release announcing the sale.  

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont-based NGO Food 4 Farmers has been named a nonprofit partner of 1% for the Planet, a global alliance of more than 1,200 member companies in 40 countries. Bluestone Life, a 1% for the Planet member, sponsored Food 4 Farmers. 1% is a collaborative platform to address environmental issues, with companies like Bluestone committing 1% of their revenues to environmental causes.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Procurement Technical Assistance Center (VT PTAC) is hosting a series of workshops throughout the State of Vermont on the recently released VTrans Job Order Contracts (JOCs). The JOCs will replace the Category I Maintenance and Rental Agreements (CAT I MRAs) currently in use. Experienced procurement counselors will assist Vermont contractors with understanding the new JOCs Response process in this two-hour workshop.

“This workshop is a valuable tool for existing VTrans CAT I contractors or any contractor looking for guidance on submitting a compliant bid proposal for this procurement opportunity,” said Bonnie Sanders, VT PTAC Procurement Specialist.

Intro to VTrans Job Order Contracts (JOCs) Workshops

COLCHESTER

Friday, February 22, 2019

9:00am - 11:00am

VTrans District 5 Office

189 Troy Ave, Colchester

Vermont Business Magazine Consolidated Communications (NASDAQ: CNSL), a leading broadband and business communications provider and Vermont's largest telecom, has announced it has added a virtual intelligent agent application to its robust portfolio of products and services that improve and enhance how businesses communicate. Consolidated’s virtual agent tool is a cloud-based, intelligent automation solution that enables businesses of all sizes to automate many of the routine and repetitive conversations handled by live agents. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Public Utilities Commission on Tuesday issued an order granting certificates of public good to Champlain Broadband, and approving the sale of Burlington Telecom to Champlain Broadband, the local subsidiary of Schurz Communications from Indiana. This is the final stage of a process that the city began in 2014, with the resolution of the Citibank litigation and the transfer of assets to Blue Water Holdings, which allowed the city to stabilize its finances and improve its credit rating in order to save taxpayers millions. Bluewater will get $30.8 million and the city will get about $6.3 million.

In response, Mayor Miro Weinberger issued the following statement: