Current News

by Rob Roper Chris Miller, who works on the Social Missions Committee at Ben & Jerry’s, testified to the House Energy & Technology Committee that his company is firmly in favor of the carbon tax bills (H791/S284) based on the ESSEX Carbon Tax plan. Why? Because under the legislation, Ben & Jerry’s, which is owned by the British/Dutch company Unilever, will pocket an estimated $832,000 in electricity subsidies while avoiding the tax almost completely.

Vermont Business Magazine Recent energy upgrades to a 1950's cape-style home in Burlington have not only greatly improved the home's comfort and reduced its energy costs but have also earned the Energy Co-op of Vermont a 2018 "Best of the Best" Award from Efficiency Vermont. The Moore's home in Burlington's New North End was cold and drafty, particularly in the upstairs areas due to lack of insulation. Following an energy audit, working with a limited budget, Energy Co-op recommended installing improved ventilation in the bathroom plus some strategically placed foam insulation in the attic and knee walls.

"We're really proud of Paul Fleckenstein and our Efficiency Services team," says Brian Gray, general manager of the Energy Co-op, "This project demonstrates that even simple, affordable upgrades can make a big difference."

Vermont Business Magazine Isabel Wilkerson, author of the bestselling The Warmth of Other Suns and a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, will deliver the 2018 Middlebury College Commencement address on Sunday, May 27. A National Humanities medalist, Wilkerson spent 15 years working on her book, interviewing more than 1,200 people to tell one of the greatest underreported stories of the 20th century, that of the Great Migration. From 1915 to 1970, six million African-Americans fled the Jim Crow South in what became one of the largest internal migrations in United States history and one that permanently changed the social landscape of the country.

Vermont Business Magazine The Federal Emergency Management Agency within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is giving public notice of its intent to provide financial assistance to the State of Vermont, local governments, and private nonprofit organizations under major disaster declaration FEMA-4356-DR-VT. FEMA is also giving public notice that, in some cases, it may provide financial assistance for activities that may affect historic properties, may be located in or affect wetland areas or the 100-year floodplain, and/or may involve critical actions within the 500-year floodplain.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont middle and high school students from across the state will gather at the Vermont State House on Thursday morning to urge Governor Scott and the Vermont Legislature to pass common sense gun legislation to help protect their lives and ensure that Vermont doesn’t become another tragic statistic. Students will be urging the Governor and Legislature to pass all three gun violence prevention bills currently before the House and Senate. These include S.6 (An act relating to requiring background checks for the transfer of firearms), S.221 (An act relating to extreme risk protection orders) and H.422 (An act relating to confiscation of dangerous weapons from a person arrested for cited for domestic assault.).

Construct and Rehabilitate Housing in Brattleboro, South Burlington, Randolph, and Hartford, and to Conserve Land in Orange and Chittenden Counties

Vermont Business Magazine In January, the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board committed $9,359,800 for the construction and rehabilitation of 133 homes and for the conservation of 152 acres of land. The Board awarded $6,795,000 in Housing Revenue Bond funds, $1.45 million in federal HOME Program funding, $478,000 in federal farmland protection funds, and $636,500 in state funding to nine applicants.

Vermont Business Magazine In a bipartisan letter sponsored by Vermont Attorney General TJ Donovan and Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes, and signed by the attorneys general of 34 other States, the National Association of Attorneys General today urged Congress to pass the Clarify Lawful Overseas Use of Data (“CLOUD”) Act. The CLOUD Act would update and amend several provisions of the Stored Communications Act (“SCA”).

Vermont Business Magazine Forbes magazine recently ranked Community Bank NA sixth in the nation for financial performance in a study analyzing 10 key metrics related to growth, asset quality, capital adequacy and profitability for the nation’s 100 largest banks and thrifts. This is the seventh year running that Community Bank N.A. has ranked among the top 15 banks on the list. Community Bank N.A. is the only bank in Vermont to make the list’s top 10. The upstate New York bank acquired Vermont's Merchants Bank in 2017.

Vermont Business Magazine Quimby Country, Inc, announced Tuesday that a Vermont couple has purchased a majority stake in the 125-year-old family resort and sporting camp in Averill. Lilly and Gene Devlin of Cornwall, Vermont, will hold a 51 percent stake in the company that will operate Quimby Country and they will become general managers for the 2018 season. Quimby Country, Inc will retain a 49 percent interest on behalf of its shareholders, most of whom are long-time guests. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.

by Timothy McQuiston Vermont Business Magazine A leading fiber optic firm that has been aggressively acquiring other telecoms in the Northeast, including Sovernet in Vermont, itself is being acquired. FirstLight announced today that Antin Infrastructure Partners has entered into a definitive agreement under which it will acquire FirstLight from Oak Hill Capital Partners IV. Basically it's one private equity firm buying FirstLight from another one. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Antin is based in Paris. Oak Hill is based in Menlo Park, CA. FirstLight is based in Albany. And Sovernet is based in Bellows Falls. Sovernet was re-branded FirstLight last year. Oak Hill had acquired Sovernet in 2016 before merging the two into FirstLight.

Vermont Business Magazine Expertise.com released their list of “Best PR Firms” in Boston for 2018, which includes Vermont headquartered People Making Good PR. Expertise considered 165 firms and chose 19 as best of breed. Firms are evaluated on reputation, credibility, experience, availability, and professionalism. This is the second year that People Making Good PR is listed in the top 20 by Expertise.

“We’re honored to have made this list,” said Nicole Junas Ravlin, partner and co-founder at People Making Good PR. “While our team is split between Boston and Vermont, we work as one serving our clients in the US, Canada, and Europe. This nod from Expertise is a real testament to our team and their commitment to our client partners.”

Vermont Business Magazine The second annual Norwich University Cyber Security Summit will take place on the Norwich University campus June 18-20, 2018. This event will bring together an international cadre of experts in the fields of information security and assurance, business, public administration and more to discuss the latest in federal cyber security policy, and the practical applications of cyber defense on state and local levels.