Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Prime Minister of Ireland Leo Varadkar TD announced today that Bethel, Vermont-based GW Plastics, Inc is expanding its advanced manufacturing operations in Sligo, Ireland. GW Plastics, an industry-leading healthcare injection molding and contract manufacturing company, established its first European location with the purchase of Avenue Mould Solutions in 2017 and is growing its operation in response to increased customer demand in its medical device and drug delivery business. The project is supported by the Irish Government through IDA Ireland.

Vermont Bsuiness Magazine The Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development honored the Preservation Trust of Vermont Executive Director Paul Bruhn and Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA) Chief Executive Officer Jo Bradley Wednesday for their efforts to grow Vermont’s economy. The two Vermonters received the Agency’s Vermont Economic Advancement Award during the ThinkVermont Legislative Luncheon in Montpelier.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott, House Speaker Mitzi Johnson and Senate President Pro Tem Tim Ashe on Thursday hosted Jennifer Garner and Mark K Shriver, CEO of Save the Children Action Network (SCAN), at the Robin’s Nest Child Care Center in Burlington to highlight the educational and economic impacts of increasing access to high-quality, affordable child care.

Vermont Business Magazine Snowboarding is an integral part of Stratton Mountain’s history, and a story that continues to be celebrated on the slopes. Now in its seventh year, Stratton welcomes back the Vermont Open Snowboard and Music Festival from March 8-10. Snowboarding got its big break when Stratton became the first major resort to open its lifts and trails to what was a new sport. Jake Burton Carpenter, founder of the famed snowboarding brand Burton, had been testing his prototypes under the cloak of darkness on the Suntanner trail, and convinced the VP of Mountain Operations Paul Johnston to give it a try. That was 1983, and the rest, as they say, is history.

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.