Current News

Dartmouth Athletics and The Richards Group are pleased to announce their partnership, with The Richards Group becoming the “official insurance agency of Dartmouth Athletics.”

“Dartmouth is a tremendous resource for the Upper Valley and for our region,” commented Drew Richards, Vice President of The Richards Group and a 2006 Graduate of the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. “We are excited to support the school’s outstanding athletic program and all of the student-athletes who make such a great commitment.”

Burlington Harbor Marina, a project by Charles DesLauriers, Jack Wallace and Trident Marine Group, is pleased to announce that they will be open for business starting in May 2019, and are currently accepting slip reservations for the 2019 season.

Offering 160 slips available for both seasonal and visiting rentals, accommodating boats up to 80 feet long, Burlington Harbor Marina is the premier marina on Lake Champlain - featuring high-end marine amenities that emphasize hospitality. 

The Skinny Pancake is one of those iconic Vermont brands: unique, mission-driven, community-focused, a cool back story…and bringing a distinctly ‘Vermont flavor’ to the table.

Since its introduction via a hand-hewn food cart traversing Burlington’s Church Street mall back in 2003, the Skinny Pancake has attracted fans and fanfare across multiple locations in Vermont and New Hampshire. With the Vermont Community Loan Fund now partnering on a new round of growth financing, the restaurant group continues to blaze a trail for local food and purpose-driven businesses.

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Monday announced the winners of his ninth annual State of the Union essay contest, which gives Vermont high school students an opportunity to describe which issues they would prioritize if they were president.

This year, 590 students from 50 Vermont high schools submitted 250-500 word essays on issues that included climate change, gun safety, substance use, immigration, political polarization, higher education and more. A panel of six Vermont teachers served as volunteer judges, scoring the essays and choosing the 20 finalists and three winners.

Vermont Mutual Insurance Group®, has again been named one of the Best Places to Work in Vermont for 2019. This is the fourth year in a row that the 191 year old company has participated in the comprehensive evaluation that was created by Vermont Business Magazine, the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, the Vermont Department of Economic Development, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) – Vermont State Council and Best Companies Group.

In a letter sent Monday to the CEO of Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) demanded the company explain its decision to set the price of Firdapse, a drug used to treat a rare neuromuscular disease called Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS), at $375,000 per year.  

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Department of Public Service has created an interactive map that shows the results of a drive test of mobile wireless coverage in the state. After reviewing providers’ maps that purport to show the extent of their coverage, the Department undertook a drive test of all major roads in the state to collect data and assess where mobile wireless service is actually available from a consumer perspective. The interactive map shows considerably less service than providers claim, which could result in more money for carriers to expand service in Vermont.

Detail of drive test map showing wireless coverage in western Vermont from Poultney to Vergennes along major routes. Green is good and red is bad.

Leonine Public Affairs Week four was defined by a fast tax and slow political wrangling over Act 46 forced school district mergers. The House Ways and Means Committee approved a 92 percent wholesale tax on e-cigarettes on Tuesday with minimal deliberation. Emboldened by Governor Phil Scott’s support of the tax the House approved the proposal on Friday.

by Robert Zulkoski, Social Entrepreneur Spending $10,000 to entice a small handful of people to move to Vermont is eye-catching press…but not an effective solution to the State’s challenges in creating living wage jobs and bending our demographic curve in a more promising direction. Let me say it – It’s a short-term gimmick lacking long term value from our tax dollars.  I respect that some will argue a different view.  For me, where is the ability to think about or plan the future with imagination or wisdom? This is another example of piecemeal policy rather than comprehensive vision or strategy.  As an investor, I think in terms of “return on investment”.  This is a low ROI.

Building on the regional marketing campaign and grassroots efforts to help people move to Vermont, Rutland’s Regional Marketing Initiative (RMI) is “rolling out the red carpet” to prospective new Rutland County residents.

The RMI today announced the creation of “Rutland Red Carpet,” a program to provide a local “concierge” to help people considering a move make a host of connections and facilitate the transition.

Killington Resort is pleased to announce it will expand its partnership with Castleton University to deliver its new cooperative education program in Resort Hospitality Management starting this fall. For 18 years, Killington delivered a similar program through Green Mountain College (GMC), offering students the opportunity to get hands-on experience while earning their bachelor’s degree. With the impending closure of GMC this summer, Killington was able to secure Castleton as its educational partner.

Today, the House gave unanimous approval to H.3, the Ethnic Studies Bill.  This bill creates an Ethnic and Social Equity Standards Advisory Working Group that will set standards and review student performance in order to accurately represent various ethnic and social groups in Vermont schools.