Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont.) and eight other Democratic senators Wednesday wrote to President Donald Trump and to the Trump Organization seeking a full accounting of any financial ties between the Trump Organization and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The senators’ letters follow the disappearance and reported killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a resident of the United States and Washington Post journalist, whose whereabouts have been unknown since he entered a Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey on October 2nd.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, RuralEdge, a rural regional housing non-profit organization, announced the appointment of Frances Pheeny as Executive Director. Pheeny comes to RuralEdge from Franklin County Regional Housing & Redevelopment Agency, in rural western MA, where she most recently served as the Executive Director. As head of RuralEdge (RE), Pheeny will oversee 600 housing units scattered across the 2,000 square miles of three counties comprising the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Target is nearly here, for the first time in Vermont. The new store at the University Mall in South Burlington, when it opens in full October 21, will complete the circuit for the Minneapolis-based retailer, which will now be in every state. And everyone in the Burlington area couldn’t be happier. Target held a VIG opening Tuesday evening, with a soft opening today. Customers are called guests. There were snacks for the VIGs. TV crews prowled the sparkling new store, interviewing customers, employees and managers.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont Health Network Home Health & Hospice (formerly VNA of Chittenden and Grand Isle Counties) has been named a 2018 HomeCare Elite agency, a designation awarded to the top-performing home health agencies in the United States. This year, 8,898 home health agencies were considered, resulting in Elite recognition for 2,223.

In partnership with Decision Health, ABILITY Network’s HomeCare Elite ranking program performs a comprehensive analysis of all home health care agencies in the country evaluating their overall performance to identify the top 25 percent of all Medicare-certified home health agencies in the United States.

Vermont Business Magazine In response to consumer concerns after published reports of fraudulent organic grain imports flooding the American market, The Cornucopia Institute, an organic industry watchdog, has released a web-based Buyer's Guide that identifies brands of organic dairy products, eggs, and poultry derived from animals that are exclusively fed US-grown grains.

Vermont Business Magazine Jasmine Bigelow, Executive Director of the Mad River Valley Chamber of Commerce, has announced the launch of a new “Community Conversation Series.” “A groundswell of positive energy is spreading across the Valley,” noted Bigelow. “The goal of our new series is to inform and enlighten, share progress and optimism, and invigorate discussions around economic vitality in the Mad River Valley.”

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Attorney General T.J. Donovan is warning Vermonters about a spike in scams by fraudsters pretending to be utilities. The Attorney General issued a “Scam Alert” and joins Vermont power companies in warning Vermonters about the scam. These scammers call residents and businesses demanding immediate payment for electricity with a credit card, pre-paid card, or money order. Utilities reported a sharp increase in complaints from consumers this week. In response, the Attorney General issued a “Scam Alert” to over 4,000 Vermonters to warn them of this fraudulent activity.

“Our team is working with local utilities to raise awareness and stop these scams,” said Vermont Attorney General T.J. Donovan. “If any Vermonter is not sure about who is on the other end of the phone, you should not make a payment. Hang up and call the AG’s office or your local utility.”

Vermont utilities also issued statements warning consumers:

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Personal income tax revenues, Vermont's most vital revenue source, continues to exceed targets. General Fund tax revenues collected for the month of September totaled $137.88 million, or $11.95 million above the monthly consensus revenue target, according to Secretary of Administration Susanne Young. The Corporate tax was half-again above its target in helping to drive GF revenues. While the Rooms & Meals tax, which largely tracks tourism activity, finished slightly below targets. Through the last few years, including times when the personal income tax has struggled, the R&M has remained consistently buoyant.

Vermont Business Magazine Speaking in Vergennes this morning, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Christine Hallquist presented her plan to grow Vermont’s rural economy and revitalize communities across the state. Hallquist, in a statement, said, “Vermont, like rural areas across the country, is struggling. We see young people moving away to pursue economic opportunity elsewhere and our aging population struggles to access services and stay in their homes. It’s clear to me that we have control of our future - with the right investments in infrastructure, business, and people, we can reverse these demographic trends and grow Vermont’s economy, making our state a place that attracts people, talent, and investment.”

Vermont Business Magazine Social Sentinel, the market leader in providing safety and security insights from social media and public data sources, is heading to the Vermont Tech Jam annual career fair on Friday, October 19. The company will set up camp - literally - in the Champlain Valley Expo with its unmistakable Social Sentinel Sprinter van surrounded by a team ready to share the company mission, shared experiences and new opportunities available to join the team.

by Cairn Cross & Diane Abruzzini US Companies in multiple industries seek private capital to kindle a startup or fuel growth. Most entrepreneurs are aware of venture capital and angel investors as target sources of funds. Pop culture shows such as Shark Tank and Dragon’s Den, as well as press-earning “unicorn” valuations, have earned ‘Venture Capital’ a spot in layman’s language. Far less understood is the work of investment bankers – particularly those raising capital in the private market.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s Killington Resort has begun snowmaking in advance of the 2018 Audi FIS Ski World Cup on November 23-25, 2018. Killington Resort was the first Eastern American ski mountain to open its season to the general public in 2017 and last to close in 2018, in part because of the resort’s advanced snowmaking and grooming prowess. Killington Resort is the largest ski and snowboard resort in Eastern North America and part of the POWDR resort group.