Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont House Committee on Appropriations will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, January 22, 2019 at 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. in room 11 of the State House. The Committee will take testimony on the Governor’s recommended FY 2019 budget adjustment proposal. It adds about $54 million and moves $266 million from the State Health Care Resources Fund into the General Fund.

Vermont Business Magazine Wright Construction Company, Inc is ahead of the winter curve – right along with the snowfall amounts, with projects throughout the southern Vermont corridor. Following a year of great finished projects such as Pittsford Fire Academy Burn Building, Norwich Fire and Police Department, Arlington School Renovations, Paramount Theatre Emergency Structural Repairs, Large Private Residence Ski House and many many more, the company is currently busy working the winter season.

Vermont Business Magazine MEDITECH, a leading Enterprise Health Record (EHR) vendor and Contributor Member of CommonWell Health Alliance, has deployed CommonWell interoperability services at Northwestern Medical Center in St Albans, taking another meaningful step forward in the goal of more connected care between healthcare organizations. 

Vermont Business Magazine Coldwell Banker Hickok & Boardman Realty based in Burlington has announced that it has activated the Adwerx Enterprise Automated Listing Advertising Program to showcase its listings in Northern Vermont. Adwerx has developed an easy-to-adopt advertising platform to allow businesses to create customized ads at scale. The Adwerx Enterprise Automated Listing Advertising Program has seen widespread adoption throughout the industry with one in ten properties for sale in the United States in 2018 advertised through Adwerx. These ads have been seen over 2.4 billion times. 

Vermont Business Magazine State Representative Bob Helm (Rutland-3) is leading the way in Vermont to term limit Congress by sponsoring a resolution for a national term limits amendment proposal convention. The resolution is expected to be introduced in the Vermont House of Representatives within the week. Through Article V of the US Constitution, 34 state legislatures can team up for a convention to propose a congressional term limits amendment to the Constitution. The Term Limits Convention campaign is shepherded by the nonpartisan, nonprofit advocacy organization, US Term Limits.

Representative Helm commented on the resolution saying, “I believe it’s time to look at term limits in Congress very seriously and, in return for passing term limits, I firmly believe we will gain a less political and more constituent-minded Congress.”

Vermont Business Magazine Dealer.com, the premier digital marketing solution and partner for auto dealerships based in Burlington, will unveil new capabilities this month at the NADA Show. The new innovations will enable dealers to leverage cutting-edge data and technology to create a more personalized online shopping and buying experience, unlock digital marketing efficiency and cater to emerging consumer needs.

The new solutions being launched help dealers deliver a more complete and connected digital storefront, with personalized experiences that reach and engage customers at every step of the shopping process while providing improved flexibility, customization, and Managed Services options. The innovations include:

Vermont Business Magazine When you picture the biggest craft beer loving state, you might immediately conjure up images of a sunny San Diego brewery or a vegan taco truck surrounding an Austin microbrewery—but would you guess that Vermont is the craft beer capital of the United States? Vermont is home to 11.5 breweries per capita – that’s a lot of beer for the Green Mountain State. Vermont also ranked second overall in economic impact.

Vermont Business Magazine Representative Peter Welch (D-Vermont) took to the House floor today to call for an end to the 25-day partial government shutdown and share the stories of affected Vermonters ranging from furloughed federal employees struggling to pay their bills to those unable to access to critical government services.

“It’s somebody who has a microbrewery and can’t get the FDA inspection, it’s the construction company that can’t get the sign-off on a permit, it’s a home closing that can’t occur because the paperwork can’t be signed. And this is costing our economy about $1 billion a week. We must make off-limits the tactic of shutting down government in order to get our way. As vigorous as we argue our point of view, we should not cause collateral damage to others to get our way.”

Vermont Business Magazine Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel brewed up $5,557 for the Vermont Foodbank and JCEO Plattsburgh Foodshelf through some clever fundraising events this holiday season. For the second year in a row, Lenny’s teamed up with Darn Tough Vermont to create a limited-edition sock. The Lenny’s Shoe and Apparel Darn Tough 802 Sasquatch Sock was released exclusively at Lenny’s in October and sold out by mid-December. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets is taking applications for the 2019 Vermont Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. This funding opportunity will provide awards for projects that strengthen Vermont specialty crop industries. Awarded projects will enhance the competitiveness of Vermont specialty crops defined as: fruits and tree nuts; vegetables; culinary herbs, spices, medicinal plants; nursery, floriculture, horticulture, Christmas trees; honey, hops, maple syrup; and mushrooms.

by Robert Zulkoski, ​Social Entrepreneur Hay fields grow constantly. They sprout in the spring, shoot up and bloom in the summer, are harvested in the fall (at a minimum), and gather strength in winter to do it all over again come spring. It takes a lot to kill hay. Fire might, but only if it gets to the roots. Extended drought could, but one good downpour and it will pop back. Even too much fertilizer may burn it, but it will still come back, because it is always adapting and growing.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Legislature this session will weigh-in on a scathing series of articles last fall that described the Vermont National Guard as a frat house full of womanizing and over-flowing with beer. The Guard bristles at that portrayal and has called the reporting in some respects false and reckless.