Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Few things in life are certain, but in Vermont, one can always count on a delicious pint of freshly brewed beer. Vermont’s breweries lead the nation in quality and quantity. With more breweries per capita than any other state, Vermont’s craft beer industry generates more than $300 million in revenue each year. Celebrating the industry and supporting the growth of sustainable brewery operations, the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will host Brewery Day on February 6th in Montpelier. The event will bring industry professionals together to learn about cost-effective, environmental practices their breweries can adopt. The event is also relevant for meaderies, cideries and distilleries.

Vermont Business Magazine Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc. (NYSE: BHLB) reported that fourth quarter pre-tax income grew by 82% to $19.5 million in 2017 compared to $10.7 million in the prior year. This improvement was due to business development and the benefit of mergers, including Worcester-based Commerce Bancshares Corp which was acquired on October 13, 2017. Net income after-tax was impacted by an $18 million non-core charge to income tax expense resulting from federal tax reform enacted near year-end. This reform is expected to benefit future earnings due to a lower statutory federal tax rate beginning in 2018.

Vermont Business Magazine In response to the national movement inspiring survivors of sexual harassment to break their silence, Vermont lawmakers are introducing a bill that would encourage people experiencing harassment to come forward by offering them assistance and specific protections. “The #MeToo movement has sparked an important conversation around sexual harassment in the workplace,” said Representative Sarah Copeland Hanzas, (D-Bradford), the bill’s lead sponsor. “But the truth is, a few high profile firings or forced resignations do not amount to a single improved protection for the average factory worker, office worker, server or store clerk. This bill will offer a way to make real change for every worker in Vermont. This bill will remove the curtain behind which harassers have hidden their crimes and will offer a place workers can go to find the help they need to say to their harasser, ‘no'."

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the House preliminarily approved H.691, the Highway Safety Bill. Among other provisions, this bill authorizes primary enforcement of existing seat belt laws. The bill passed out of the Transportation Committee on a 10-0-1 vote.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont Health Network’s bond ratings have been upgraded by two of the nation’s leading bond agencies, an affirmation of the health network’s financial stability. S&P Global Ratings again upgraded the network’s bond rating, this time to ‘A’ status. Moody’s Investor’s Service also boosted the network’s rating to ‘A2,’ which is the equivalent of the S&P high mark. This will result in the UVM Medical Center's interest rate dropping about .5% and Network affiliates dropping about 1%.

In announcing the upgrades, both firms pointed to the health network’s steady fiscal management as key to their decisions. The UVM Health Network, comprising six hospitals and one home health care affiliate in Vermont and Northern New York, also holds an ‘A-’ rating from a third major agency, Fitch Ratings.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont House and Senate Committees on Appropriations are seeking public input on the Governor’s Recommended FY2019 State Budget and will hold community-based public hearings on Monday, February 12, 2018, 6-7 pm at the following 5 locations.

Rights & Democracy Vermonters from throughout the state will converge on Montpelier tonight to talk about why raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour will improve their lives, and the lives of their neighbors, families, and communities. The Senate Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs Committee will host a public hearing on legislation that would boost the state's minimum wage to $15 an hour over several years.

Rights & Democracy believes it is long overdue that we do something direct and meaningful to improve the lives of more than 80,000 Vermonters who have seen basic wages and their buying power decline over the past decades, while those at the top saw real gains in wage growth and buying power.

Vermont Business Magazine Alexander Nemerov, chair of the Art and Art History Department at Stanford University, who writes frequently on the importance of the humanities in contemporary life, will give the commencement address at the University of Vermont on May 20. Nemerov is a UVM alumnus who graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1985 with degrees in Art History and English. He received an honorary doctorate degree from the university at UVM's May 2017 commencement.

Vermont Business Magazine The Society of Outdoor Recreation Professionals (SORP) will present the 2018 National Outdoor Recreation Conference on April 23-26, 2018, in Burlington, Vermont. The National Outdoor Recreation Conference showcases innovative approaches to outdoor recreation research, planning, and management, and organizers believe that Vermont provides an ideal location to see how investments in local conservation and outdoor recreation have contributed to a thriving economy and vibrant community. The theme of this year’s conference is “Building Resilient Communities, Environments and Economies.”

by Rick Davis Policymakers and Vermonters of all political persuasions are worried about the economic impacts of Vermont’s aging population and shrinking workforce. Our working-age population—the vital group that acts as our economic engine—keeps declining. Meanwhile, baby boomers will soon be aging out of the workforce. In order for Vermont to attract and retain the skilled workforce our economy needs to thrive, we need to make sure all Vermonters have an equal opportunity to contribute to our economy. Yet, Vermont women are continually forced to leave careers and drop out of the workforce because they cannot afford or find high-quality child care.

Vermont Business Magazine In 2018, Vermont Electric Co-op (VEC) is offering an expanded menu of financial incentives to VEC members for energy transformation technologies that help members move away from fossil fuels to electricity and advanced wood heating. This program includes bill credits for electric and plug-in hybrid cars as well as lower-carbon heating and cooling systems.

Vermont Business Magazine On January 1, 2018, Open Approach, a Burlington-based full-service IT company, acquired Rail City Information Systems (RCIS), an IT company based in St Albans, Vermont. RCIS founder and president Scott Burleson, vice president Dale Burleson, and the current RCIS technology team has transferred all existing accounts and services to Open Approach’s offices at 1 Mill Street, Burlington.

“We are beyond pleased to join forces with RCIS in 2018. We welcome Scott, Dale, and Joe to the Open Approach team, and look forward to having the ability to offer an even more comprehensive set of IT services to RCIS’s former clients and our own,” says Scott Bernoudy, CEO and principle engineer at Open Approach. “Together, we can leverage the skills and experience gained from a collective 34 years in the IT-management field to offer an even more robust set of services to businesses in Vermont and beyond.”