Current News

Vermont Business Magazine LineSync Architecture in Wilmington, Vermont, has recently undergone a rigorous assessment to earn B Corporation certification for the second year. B Corps form a global community of leaders that use business as a force for good. 2,500 B Corps now exist, spread over 50 countries. B Corps are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability to balance profit and purpose.

LineSync photo of Joseph Cincotta and Julie Lineberger, center, with their team.

Vermont Business Magazine An $11.7 million Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) grant renewal to the Vermont Center on Behavior and Health (VCBH) at the University of Vermont will support another five years of research on addressing and better understanding the unhealthy behaviors that negatively impact health. Those behaviors also cost the US healthcare system billions of dollars. The funding comes from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) and National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

Vermont Business Magazine Berkshire Bank, with branches in southern Vermont, is partnering with GreenPath Financial Wellness to offer its employees, customers and communities with practical resources and tools to improve their financial well-being. The goal of the new partnership is to enhance Berkshire’s ongoing commitment to helping individuals realize their financial goals. Funding for the new collaboration was made possible, in part, by a contribution from Berkshire Bank Foundation.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Interfaith Power and Light (VTIPL) has announced that matching grants for renewable energy projects are now available through the Katy Gerke Memorial Program (KGMP) to Christian churches in Vermont and the following twelve (12) Upper Connecticut River Valley towns in New Hampshire: Bath, Charleston, Claremont, Cornish, Hanover, Haverhill, Lebanon, Lyme, New London, Oxford, Piermont and Plainfield.

Vermont Business Magazine Get your taste buds and fully loaded credit card ready. On Wednesday WhistlePig Rye Whiskey, based in Shoreham, announced the release of The Boss Hog V: The Spirit of Mauve, the fifth edition of their most profound whiskey. As the biggest and best expression of WhistlePig, The Boss Hog is only produced when the brand feels they can create something superior to anything they have previously made. This marque fulfills the five promises WhistlePig makes to each edition of The Boss Hog: single barrel, bottled at barrel proof, powerfully complex, distinctly unique from anything they have done before, and stupendous. The Boss Hog V targets the senses with a unique balance between sweet and spiced flavors and a fine balance between American power and French sophistication. Proof 115.8. Suggested retail price $499.99.

Vermont Business Magazine A new type of captive insurance company created by Vermont in response to US tax reform provides an onshore reinsurance alternative for companies facing an added tax burden due to the so-called BEAT tax, and likely will further enhance Vermont’s standing as a captive domicile industry, according to an A.M. Best briefing released Wednesday.

Vermont Business Magazine US Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) announced Wednesday that the US Fish and Wildlife Service continues to support the fight against the bat-killing fungal disease white nose syndrome (WNS) by awarding $1 million in grants to 39 states, including Vermont, and the District of Columbia.

Lake Champlain Committee From July 18 to August 16, a stretch of 29 days, the daily high temperature in Burlington, Vermont never fell below 80 degrees F. The streak eclipsed the previous record for consecutive days over 80 by four days. Keep in mind, the streak of hot days began AFTER temperatures climbed into the 90s for six straight days earlier in July. During that heat streak the region set another record, the highest ever daily low temperature of 80 degrees.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott and the Vermont Agency of Education announced this week the start of two major initiatives to develop state-wide career pathways in advanced manufacturing and cybersecurity. The Agency of Education is working in close collaboration with employers, regional CTE centers, high schools and colleges in Vermont to coordinate efforts and create opportunities to provide seamless transitions for Vermont students when they graduate high school. Manufacturing companies are actively involved in the process of designing these pathways so that students graduate high school with credentials and certifications the companies value.

Senator Patrick Leahy (Judge Kavanaugh) testified under oath — and he testified repeatedly — that he never received any stolen materials, and that he knew nothing about it until it was public. He testified that if he had suspected anything “untoward” he would have reported it. At the time, we left it there. We didn’t have evidence to suggest otherwise. Today, with the limited amount of Judge Kavanaugh’s White House record that has been provided to the Judiciary Committee, for the first time we have been able to learn some information about his knowledge of this theft.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Attorney General TJ Donovan announced that today his office filed a lawsuit against the pharmaceutical company Purdue Pharma. The lawsuit alleges violations of the Vermont Consumer Protection Act and public nuisance law concerning Purdue’s marketing and promotion of opioids. Purdue is the manufacturer of Oxycontin.

“The State of Vermont has been hit hard by the opioid epidemic. We have made strides in the areas of prevention, treatment, and enforcement, but corporate accountability is also necessary. I look forward to telling Vermont’s story,” Attorney General Donovan said.

The lawsuit is based on Purdue’s behavior surrounding marketing of OxyContin and its other long-acting opioid products for the treatment of chronic pain, including:

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Today the State of Vermont submitted an administrative appeal to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in response to their July 3, 2018 Notice of Termination of the Vermont Regional Center (VRC). The VRC termination is related to scandal involving the Jay Peak immigrant investor EB-5-funded projects. The administrative appeal continues to advocate for an orderly wind-down of the VRC to best preserve the economic benefits while also protecting those immigrant investors whose immigration status remains unresolved.