Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Interfaith Power and Light (VTIPL), through the Katy Gerke Memorial Program (KGMP), has recently awarded matching grants for energy efficiency projects to three churches. The Katy Gerke Memorial Program (KGMP) is administered by VTIPL and was established by Dr Paul Gerke in memory of his wife, the late Dr Katy Gerke of Thetford. The purpose of the program is to improve the energy efficiency of Christian churches in Vermont and twelve (12) Upper Connecticut River Valley Towns in New Hampshire: Bath, Charleston, Claremont, Cornish, Hanover, Haverhill, Lebanon, Lyme, New London, Oxford, Piermont and Plainfield.

KGMP matching grant funds are available for professional energy audits and the installation of efficiency measures identified through an energy audit. In the near future, VTIPL will announce the availability of KGMP matching funds for renewable energy projects.

Vermont Business MagazineGreen Mountain Power is excited to launch its second Inspire Space contest to attract the next round of energy entrepreneurs to Vermont after a wildly successful first year. Winners receive a year of working space at GMP’s state-of-the-art open concept space in Colchester, VT, as well as access to mentoring and other support services from the team at GMP and its partners. GMP is also announcing that its Inspire Space co-working space is available to people looking for a cool and motivating space to work.

Vermont Business MagazineSkiers should be generally happier in key states assome chilly winter weather is in store for the Northeast and mid-Atlantic, with January threatening to bring the coldest air of the season, according toAccuWeather. Although however cold, low temperatures will pale in comparison to those in the northern Plains where the mercury is set to dip to minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit at times.Meanwhile, the southern Plains, Southwest and California can expect a milder and drier winter than last season. Meanwhile, aLa Niña is expected to bring more snow to the Rockies.

Vermont Business Magazine Carrying the momentum of a two-year commitment to host the Audi FIS Ski World Cup in 2017 and 2018, Vermont’s Killington Resort, the largest ski and snowboard resort in Eastern North America and part of the POWDR adventure lifestyle company, will offer a number of guest experience upgrades this coming season. POWDR has invested $5.7 million in capital improvements at Killington and Pico across the properties year-round attractions. The investments in 2017/2018 will further enhance snowmaking equipment and infrastructure, upgrade and rebuild lifts, expand summer activities at the resort and improve the overall experience at both resorts.

Vermont Business Magazine Mayor Miro Weinberger released the following statement today regarding the City and Devonwood’s release of the draft Burlington City Place Development Agreement:

Vermont Business MagazineOn Monday, the Bennington Superior Court granted the State of Vermont’s motion to enter the Consent Order between the state and Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Corporation. The Consent Order memorializes the settlement agreement between the state and Saint-Gobain for PFOA contamination in western portions of Bennington and North Bennington. Under the settlement, Saint-Gobain will fund municipal water line extensions costing an estimated $20 million and conduct an expedited investigation in the eastern portion of the Bennington site.

Vermont Business MagazineAt a signing ceremonyWednesday, Governor Phil Scott proclaimed October as Employee Ownership Month in Vermont. The proclamation recognizes the value of employee ownership to Vermont’s economy and in creating opportunities for Vermont workers.

Vermont Business Magazine Norwich University’s Career and Internship Center has received $15,000 in grant funding from the Vermont Department of Labor to support student internships by providing partial reimbursements for gas mileage. The funding will support about 50 students with up to $800 in mileage reimbursement during the calendar year of 2018. Students qualify by applying to the Career and Internship Center. Eligible students are reimbursed at rate of $.535/mile.

by Paul Cillo, Public Assets Institute Since July, the Minimum Wage Study Committee has spent a lot of time discussing the possible effects of raising the minimum wage. Their time might be better spent discussing the effects of not raising it. In our 2016 State of Working Vermont report, Public Assets found that nearly 20,000 working families with children were not earning enough to meet their basic needs, including two-thirds of single parents. Even in families with two working adults more than a third were struggling to make ends meet.

VERMONTBIZ.COM Vermont Business Magazine is proud to announce the winners of its Rising Stars recognition award. The list is comprised of 40 winners under the age of 40. Award recipients were selected by a panel of judges for their commitment to business growth, professional excellence and involvement in their communities.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) has awarded nearly $6 million in federal and state grant funds to assist municipalities in their mitigation efforts through the Municipal Highway and Stormwater Mitigation Program. The program will fund 18 projects throughout the state and will help with a range of transportation issues that affect water quality, including scoping for phosphorous control plans, the purchase of high-efficiency sewer equipment, and the scoping, design, and/or construction of culverts, salt sheds, drainage systems, and other stormwater management practices. Combined with local funds, these projects are valued at over $7.3 million.

Vermont Business Magazine Michael S Pieciak, commissioner of the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation, was named president-elect of the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) last week at the NASAA annual conference in Seattle. Pieciak will serve as president-elect for one year and begin his term as president in September 2018. NASAA is the oldest international organization dedicated to investor protection. Organized in 1919, its membership includes all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Canada and Mexico. Pieciak will be the first Vermonter to serve as NASAA president since commissioner R.C. Clark in 1930.