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Vermont Business MagazineThe Vermont Community Foundation is proud to honor Sister Janice Ryan with a Lifetime Achievement Award for Community Service. The award will be presented at theCommunity Foundation's Annual Meetingon September 13, 2017 and is given to a person who has demonstrated a long-term and significant commitment toward creating healthy and vital Vermont communities.

Vermont Business MagazineUniversity of Vermont President Tom Sullivan is among more than 600 presidents of public and private colleges and universities across the country who have signed a statement in support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The statement urges the nation’s leaders to uphold, continue and expand the program as a matter of “moral imperative” and “national necessity.”

Vermont Business Magazine Five hundred creative entrepreneurs, investors, and thought leaders gathered at the University of Vermont for a three-day innovation summit hosted by the Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD) to focus on the opportunities presented by the Climate Economy this week. The Climate Economy Initiative is built on the premise that confronting climate change through innovative economic development can be a competitive strategy, one that will build national reputation, create jobs, and attract youth and entrepreneurism.

The summit, cc:econ, kicked off Wednesday evening with a keynote speech delivered by environmentalist, entrepreneur, journalist and author Paul Hawken, followed by a Kat Wright concert.

Vermont Business Magazine Mad River Distillers of Vermont is proud to announce the distillery’s new Burnt Rock Bourbon will be released in extremely limited quantities on Tuesday, September 19 at select Vermont and Massachusetts retailers and bars. “We were looking for a different bourbon experience, something spicier with a bit of smoke to it,” said Mimi Buttenheim, Mad River Distillers’ president. “The maple wood smoke allowed us to showcase our Vermont roots.”

Entirely different from the distillery’s flagship four-grain, wheated bourbon (corn, wheat, oats, and barley), Burnt Rock Bourbon is a 12- to 18-month old corn, rye, and maple wood-smoked barley named after a popular hiking trail up Burnt Rock Mountain in Mad River Valley, Vermont.

Vermont Business MagazineFood business incubator Mad River Food Hub has opened theMad River Taste Placein Waitsfield, a distinct venue showcasing Vermont food and drink businesses.Located in a contemporary building that once housed a bank, Mad River Taste Place offers a curated retail experience where residents and visitors can taste, learn and provision from the food and beverage makers of the Mad River Valley and other areas of Vermont.

Vermont Business MagazineThe Personal Income Tax should renewed strength last month and is now ahead of fiscal year expectations. The Personal Income tax is the most important General Fund revenue source and has struggled the last two years despite downward projections. General Fund revenues collected for the month totaled $102.82 million, $1.11 million above the consensus revenue target adopted by the Emergency Board on July 21, 2017 according to Secretary of Administration Susanne Young. Personal Income Tax experienced a +$3.26 million up while the Corporate Tax experienced a -$2.13 million shortfall. All other components of the General Fund were only slightly ahead, or behind, target.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Vermont Attorney General TJ Donovan, in partnership with the Department of Public Safety issued an alert through the Emergency Alert system – part of the Attorney General’s new Scam Alert initiative to directly contact over 15,000 Vermonters with information about how to protect their credit and other personal information. Donovan acted swiftly to reports of a massive data breach that could expose hundreds of thousands of Vermonters to identity theft or other criminal activity. The giant credit reporting agency, Equifax, suffered a major data security breach on July 29, 2017. Over 240,000 Vermonters may be affected and vulnerable to identity theft. Up to 143 million Americans may be affected.

Vermont Business Magazine Last evening, the House of Representatives approved a bipartisan amendment authored by Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) that restores $4.4 million in fiscal year 2018 federal funding for the Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP).The amendment, cosponsored by Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), rejects the recommendations of President Trump and the House Appropriations Committee to eliminate funding for the program.

“Lake Champlain is the environmental crown jewel of our region,” said Rep. Welch.“It is central to our cultural heritage and natural history, and an invaluable recreational and economic resource.My amendment will ensure that the Lake Champlain Basin Program continues its vital mission to protect and preserve this great lake for generations to come.”

Vermont Business Magazine Studies show that increasing a sense of students' well-being leads to improved learning and success in careers and life. To that end, Champlain College and the International Positive Education Network (IPEN) are teaming up to accelerate positive education in schools around the world from early childhood on up to higher education and beyond.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott on Thursday appointed Ed Read as representative for the Washington-7 district serving the towns of Fayston, Duxbury, Moretown, Waitsfield and Warren. Read, an Independent, will serve the two-seat district along with Representative Maxine Grad (D). Read, a resident of Fayston, was appointed to fill the seat vacated by former Representative Adam Greshin (I), who was recently appointed by the governor to serve as Commissioner of Finance and Management.

Ed and Trish Read Mad River Property Management and Garden Center.

Vermont Business MagazineUSCitizenship and Immigration Services Northeast Regional Director Lori Pietropaoli will present 67 citizenship candidates to the Honorable William K. Sessions III, U.S. District Court Judge District of Vermont this Monday at a Vermont State House ceremony being held in honor ofSept. 11. The Honorable Judge Sessions III will preside over this special venue ceremony and will deliver theOath of Allegianceto America’s newest citizens.

by Paul Cillo Public Assets Institute As students across Vermont start the 2017-18 school year it’s worth reflecting on what happened 20 years ago. In 1997 the Vermont Supreme Court’s Brigham decision forced policymakers to develop a more equitable funding system. That system, established by Act 60, created a statewide school tax and gave students from all over the state more equal access to resources and opportunity. Below, we address some basic questions about Act 60.