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Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Public Radio has announced that journalist Mark Davis will join VPR as Assistant News Director early next month. Davis will be a leader in shaping VPR's news coverage and long-term reporting projects, helping VPR refine and strengthen our reporting In the coming year, Davis will also play a role in helping us improve how Vermont Edition, Brave Little State and the newsroom work together to cover important and pressing issues across the state.

"I have always admired Vermont Public Radio, and I have a lot of respect for the many VPR staffers I have gotten to know in my time as a reporter in this state,” Davis said. “Some of the most powerful and innovative journalism today is coming from public radio stations, and I think this is a particularly exciting time to join VPR and help produce rich storytelling and in-depth news across its many platforms."

​Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s independent newsweekly, Burlington-based Seven Days, has hired three experienced writers to join its editorial staff. They include a new Sate House reporter, an arts reporter, and one staff reporter.

First step toward requesting federal disaster declaration
Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Emergency Management (VEM) Director Erica Bornemann has requested a Preliminary Damage Assessment (PDA) from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to determine if the state qualifies for a federal Public Assistance disaster declaration following a winter storm and power outages that began November 26. The request asks for assessments in Caledonia, Chittenden, Essex, Franklin, Lamoille, Orange, Orleans, Washington, and Windham counties.

Local, state, and federal officials will begin the assessments on Thursday, December 6.

A broken pole lies across a power line from the November 2018 storm. GMP photo

Vermont Business Magazine Over the years, mechanical engineering professor Dryver Huston and his team have become adept at understanding the needs of what they’ve always thought of as their main customers -- federal agencies like the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and NASA that fund their research. “It's a bit of a mystery, but we think hard and we can often figure out what the US government wants,” Huston said.

Vermont Business Magazine The Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce (LCRCC) will once again have access to a variety of health insurance plans through the Vermont Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (VACE). BlueCross BlueShield of Vermont will provide three plans to businesses with 100 employees or fewer: the VACE Advantage 100 percent Health Savings Account, the VACE Advantage Copay, and the VACE Advantage Copay HSA.

Vermont Business Magazine On December 5, from 5-7 pm, Magic Hat is set to debut two new wine-beer hybrids and a special barrel-aged collaboration at a release party at their brewery. Throughout 2018, the brewer has been busy traveling Vermont, making “accidental friends” by meeting local growers and tippling local wines, seeking varietals that would pair perfectly with a beer base.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Peterson Quality Malt and the owners of Hotel Vermont in Burlington have purchased Nordic Farm. The historic, long-time dairy with its famous red roof stands above Route 7 just before the highway dips down into Charlotte village. The dairy farm, like many others in Vermont, financially failed last year. Until 2014 it was owned by the Hinsdale family. This new endeavor enables Monkton maltster Andrew Peterson to expand capacity and supply Vermont breweries with local malt and keep the iconic 583-acre farm in agriculture.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Student Assistance Corp and the Vermont State Colleges System were joined by state leaders in the education, business, and policymaking communities at a summit today to discuss results of a comprehensive VSAC study that looked at college retention and completion rates among Vermont’s high school class of 2012.

Vermont Business Magazine On November 14, over 150 community members joined with Howard Center to celebrate Gretchen Morse as the 2018 Help is Here Award honoree. Now in its third year, the award recognizes an individual or organization whose contributions personify the agency’s mission and demonstrate a passion for helping the people served by Howard Center. Past award recipients include Lisa Steele (2016) and Whit Smith (2017).

Gretchen was chosen for her long-time support of Howard Center through her work as Secretary of the Vermont Agency of Human Services, Executive Director of the United Way of Chittenden County, and in the Vermont House of Representatives. Her efforts have helped to improve the lives of Vermonters.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott and members of his Cabinet will be in Lamoille County on Wednesday, December 5 for its tenth Capitol for a Day visit. The initiative has brought the governor and members of his cabinet and extended cabinet to Rutland, Caledonia, Windsor, Franklin, Bennington, Addison, Chittenden, Orleans and Windham counties since the start of the summer.

“These visits have been tremendously valuable to me and my entire Cabinet, as we work to learn more about each region’s opportunities, challenges and the positive impact we can have when we work together,” said Governor Scott. “As we look towards the upcoming legislative session, better understanding the needs of each community is critical.”

by Julie Lowell, Public Assets Instutute Vermont has a fairer tax system than most states, but we still have work to do. That’s the message from “Who Pays?” released by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) in October. The report looks at how well states distribute taxes based on family incomes. In most states lower-income families pay a higher percentage of their income in state and local taxes than those at the top. That’s the definition of a regressive tax system. Vermont’s is one of the least regressive in the country.

Vermont Business Magazine Community National Bank and Community Bancorp President and Chief Executive Officer Kathryn M Austin has announced the appointment of Jeffrey Moore to the Boards of Directors of Community Bancorp and Community National Bank. Moore was appointed to the Boards on Wednesday, October 10, 2018, to be effective January 1, 2019. He will serve on the Corporate Governance/Nominating Committee of the Company’s Board and the Risk Management Committee of the Bank’s Board.