Current News

by Timothy McQuiston Vermont Business Magazine The United Nurses and Allied Professionals Union members at the Brattleboro Retreat are beginning a series of public protests with an "informational picket" on Tuesday afternoon on The Brattleboro Common. The Common overlooks the Retreat. The Retreat is a private, mental health and treatment facility. Union members said they overwhelmingly voted at meetings last Friday to begin a series of pickets following administrative policy changes.

Vermont Business Magazine Champlain Housing Trust (CHT) announced today a three-year $240,000 commitment from KeyBank Foundation to support the organization’s goal of eliminating chronic homelessness in Chittenden County. The grant will be used by CHT to hire a social worker to help homeless individuals and families attain access to permanent housing, as well as provide ongoing support and services to help them retain housing.

“KeyBank’s recognition that this bold goal is achievable demonstrates what a committed community partner they are,” said Brenda Torpy, CEO of the Champlain Housing Trust. “In collaboration with many partners, we’ve made tremendous progress over the past few years. With this infusion of funds we will eliminate chronic homelessness in Chittenden County.”

Vermont Business Magazine In an email sent late Monday night, a frustrated Governor Phil Scott issued a statement announcing that he would let a third budget attempt become law without his signature. He said Democratic leadership ultimately reneged on a compromise over property taxes negotiated last Friday. Despite that, he said the state needed to avoid a government shut down, which would have occurred on July 1 without a budget deal. Democratic leadership, meanwhile, itself frustrated by the process, said in its own statement early Tuesday that it had offered several compromises and moved farther than the governor to find a solution. Both statements are below.

Governor Scott Statement

Vermont Business Magazine Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) is pleased to announce that Mack Molding, the privately-owned business of Don Kendall and his family, has donated $5 million for the emergency department expansion and renovation project at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center. "The Kendall Emergency Department" will be unveiled at a ribbon-cutting event once the future project is approved by the state and construction is completed. The gift constitutes the largest in the health system’s history since Henry W. Putnam, Sr. bequeathed the Bennington public water system for the construction of this community hospital over 100 years ago.

"Mack Molding is pleased and honored to be able to give something back to the people of Bennington County, who have been so good to our company for over 85 years. After all, what could be more important than a modern emergency department," commented Don Kendall.

Vermont Business Magazine The House of Representatives last Friday approved a bipartisan package of opioid bills, including three bills co-authored by Representative Peter Welch (D-Vermont). While supporting the package, Welch decried the lack of a more comprehensive approach to combating the opioid public health epidemic ravaging communities in Vermont and across the country.

Vermont Business Magazine Strolling of the Heifers and Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation are now accepting applications from entrepreneurs for the 2018 FreshTracks Road Pitch. The Road Pitch will take place at the River Garden on Wednesday, August 1 at 3 pm. The Road Pitch, a gang of motorcycling business investors and advisors, is stopping in Brattleboro on the afternoon of August 1 to hear funding pitches from local businesses that are ready to scale up.

Brattleboro area entrepreneurs interested in pitching to the motorcyclists should apply at www.strollingoftheheifers.com/roadpitch.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) announced that the “minibus” appropriations bill that passed the Senate Monday by a 86-5 vote includes a Sanders-authored amendment to provide $4 million in federal funding to continue operations of the Vermont Regional Test Center (RTC) dedicated to researching solar technologies. The Vermont RTC, located on land owned by GlobalFoundaries in Williston, is one of five U.S. Department of Energy facilities in the United States that give solar technology manufacturers the opportunity to test and validate the performance and reliability of their products in real-world conditions.

The Trump administration has proposed eliminating funding for the RTCs for the past two years. Sanders’ amendment, however, provides more than $4 million to ensure the ongoing operation of the RTCs. Sens. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) cosponsored Sanders’ amendment.

Leonine Public Affairs Late last Friday, the House passed the Senate’s version of H16, but not before amending it at the behest of House Appropriation Chair Kitty Toll, D-Danville. Under Rep. Toll’s amendment the property tax rates established by the Senate for FY2019 are unchanged. However, she proposed language providing that unless the General Assembly acts otherwise, the residential rate will remain the same as in the previous fiscal year. In addition her amendment tinkered with the allocation of some of the one-time monies, but did not apply any more of that money to education property rates in FY2020. House Minority Leader Don Turner vowed a revote on the bill on Monday, an action that would be allowable because he voted in favor of the bill. He said he would call for a revote on the grounds that the changes voted on late Friday night were unclear. This sentiment highlights the frustration House Republicans were feeling after the tentative budget deal fell through. Will there be a revote? Will the Senate accept changes made by the House? Will negotiations continue with the governor? Time is running short to avert a shutdown of state government on July 1. The saga continues into week six.

by Christine McGowan, Forest Program Director, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund Vermont’s forests are one of our greatest natural resources, contributing to the economy through industry and recreation to the tune of $3.4 billion, and supporting countless non-economic benefits such as clean water and wildlife habitat. Unique to Vermont, only 20 percent of our forests are owned by business or government, leaving 80 percent of Vermont’s forested landscape--more than 4.5 million acres-- in the hands of private landowners.

Vermont Business Magazine The National Life Group Foundation granted a record total of $1.8 million this spring to nearly 200 charitable organizations primarily in Vermont and Texas, where National Life Group’s roughly 1,000 employees work. Some of the money will be spent launching a dedicated focus on tackling childhood hunger in Vermont, an initiative that will continue to be a cause of the Foundation well into the future. Among the larger recipients were the Champlain Housing Trust and the Vermont Foodbank. The vast majority of the funding is centered on central and northern Vermont and the Dallas, Texas, area where most of Vermont Life employees live and work.

Vermont Business Magazine Hudson Group (NYSE:HUD), a leader in North American travel retail, today announced the City of Burlington, Vermont has approved a 10-year concessions contract extension at Burlington International Airport (BTV). As the incumbent retail concessionaire at BTV since 2003, the joint-venture agreement includes 3,182 square feet of retail space. Retail concepts represented in the extension include three Vermont eccentric travel essentials and convenience stores: Discover Vermont/Hudson, Lake Champlain News, and Mount Mansfield News.

Discover Vermont/Hudson, located pre-security, is a combination store offering passengers an excellent assortment of traditional travel essentials and convenience items, as well as a unique selection of locally made Vermont gifts and souvenirs. Between the iconic Hudson retail offerings and the localized approach of Discover Vermont, customers will find items and products to meet their every need.

Vermont Business Magazine The American Homebrewers Association (AHA) magazine, Zymurgy, last week released its 16th annual “Best Beers in America.” The trio of lists details the top-ranked beers, breweries and brewery portfolios in the US, according to AHA members and homebrewers. The Alchemist in Stowe and Hill Farmstead in Greensboro were among those honored.