Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation launched the newest initiative of the Southern Vermont Workforce Center of Excellence, the Pipelines and Pathways program. The launch of the program took place at Leland & Gray High School, and was attended by representatives from Leland & Gray, Twin Valley Middle-High School, Bellows Falls Union High School, Brattleboro Union High School, SeVEDS Municipal partners, the Vermont Community Foundation, McClure Foundation, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Economic Development Brett Long, Commissioner Kurrle from the Vermont Department of Labor, and Secretary Dan French from the Agency of Education.

Education Secretary Dan French joined the discussions. BDCC photo.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Student Assistance Corp will offer free workshops at local high schools beginning in early October through November to help families fill out financial aid forms. These informal workshops offer guidance on filling out the FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid, and the Vermont State Grant application. The FAFSA is the basis for determining eligibility for federal Pell grants, the Vermont State Grant, financial aid from the school that the student attends, and for student loans.

Students and parents also can ask questions and learn about the college financial aid process, including how to apply for scholarships. Internet access will be available and space is limited.

Vermont Business Magazine The Killington World Cup Committee (KWCC) awards $207,000 to more than 15 nonprofits in the Northeast area. Eight of the nonprofits being in Vermont - include the Cochran’s Ski Area in Richmond, The Green Mountain Valley School in Waitsfield, The Kelly Brush Foundation in Burlington, The Killington Ski Club in Killington, The Middlebury Ski Club and The Stride Foundation for Female Athletes in Middlebury, The Pico Ski Education Foundation in Rutland and The Woodstock Ski Runners in South Pomfret. Also expanding through seven states, the competitive grant opportunity supports programs that increase winter sports participation for youth and assist with competition and training infrastructure.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine DE Lorraine Sterritt, the 17th president of Saint Michael’s College and the first woman to hold that title, was direct, clear, optimistic and warmly personable in her Saturday afternoon Inauguration Address that celebrated roots, scholarship, confident aspirations and the primacy of serving others. Her lyric speech with a hint of her Northern Ireland homeland focused on service to the college and to each other.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Day at the region’s biggest fair was one for the record books. The Eastern States Exposition, or Big E Fair, in West Springfield, MA, set an all-time attendance record with 172,659 people coming through the gates on Saturday September, 22. This new record came as more than 30 Vermont businesses showcased their innovative products to out-of-state consumers in the Southern New England market on Vermont Day.

Vermont Business Magazine Fairbanks Mill, a leading provider of hydro-electric services in northern New England, has been sold. Longtime owner of the St Johnsbury-based business, Robert Desrochers, has announced the sale to Brandon Boudreau of Bradford, VT.

“I am thrilled to have Brandon come on board and take the reins”, said Desrochers. “We have been looking for the right combination of energy, experience, and integrity, and Brandon fits the bill perfectly”. Boudreau worked for Fairbanks Mill a number of years ago, went on to work for Trans Canada on the Connecticut River hydro stations, while also providing maintenance and repair services to several independent power producers in his spare time.

Vermont Business Magazine The Council of State Governments, or CSG, the U.S. Department of Defense’s Federal Voting Assistance Program, or FVAP, and the 25 state and local election official members of the Overseas Voting Initiative, or OVI, recently met for a two-day facilitated meeting to inform the program's research agenda with the goal of aiding the nation's military and overseas citizen voters and the election officials who serve them.

Vermont Business Magazine Expanding their footprint to the Queen City, Middlebury, Vt.-based distillery Stonecutter Spirits is celebrating the opening of their Burlington cocktail bar and tasting room, Highball Social.

“It’s exciting to be joining the Burlington cocktail scene at a moment when there’s a lot of energy around great spirits,” said Sas Stewart, co-founder and president of Stonecutter Spirits. “At the heart of all of it, we are cocktail nerds, and we’re really thrilled to share our approach to spirits with more people.”

Vermont State Police A crash on I-89 in Hartford has resulted in the fatality of one and serious injury on the other occupant in a one-vehicle accident. The two occupants have been identified and family has been notified. Investigation is ongoing to identify which occupant was operating the vehicle at the time of the crash.

by James Dwinell Christine Hallquist already has made history and will need to make more to become Vermont’s next governor. The former CEO of Vermont Electric Cooperative and an engineer by education, Hallquist is the first transgender, major-party candidate for governor in the nation. But the Democratic contender also will need to reverse a near-60-year trend in Vermont. To beat Republican Governor Phil Scott, she’ll have to unseat an incumbent, which hasn’t happened here since 1962 when Phil Hoff beat Republican F Ray Keyser Jr. This article will also run in the October issue of Vermont Business Magazine. One on Phil Scott ran in the September issue.

Vermont Business Magazine Northern Power Systems Corp (TSX: NPS), a Barre-based renewable energy and energy storage technology company, announced on September 20, 2018 that it had received a letter from the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) notifying the company that the TSX will delist the company’s securities, effective October 22, 2018. TSX imposed the delisting for the failure of the company to meet certain continued listing requirements of TSX. The TSX identified several deficiencies regarding the company’s compliance with the TSX continued listing requirements, including the fact that (i) in the opinion of TSX, it is questionable as to whether the company will be able to continue as a going concern, (ii) the market value of the Company’s listed securities has been less than $3.0 million for the 30 previous consecutive trading days, and (iii) market value of the Company’s publicly held listed securities has been less than $2.0 million for the 30 previous consecutive

Vermont Business Magazine US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) will deliver remarks Monday morning during the University of Vermont’s Youth Rally for Climate Action. UVM students are hosting the Rally for Climate Action. Colleges and high school students from around the state are invited to attend. The goal will be to shed light on what Vermont colleges and high schools are doing to cut greenhouse gas emissions and lead climate education and action by example.

UVM students and elected representatives will speak. The morning will also include an online address from Marlow Baines, youth regional crew director of Earth Guardians, reporting on youth-led climate action at the national level.