Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s Killington Resort, the largest ski and snowboard destination in Eastern North America, announced that tickets for the 2017 Audi FIS Ski World Cup will go on sale Thursday, September 7 at 9 am ET at www.killington.com. Taking place November 25-26, the World Cup will once again bring the women’s giant slalom and slalom races to Vermont and is expected to attract US Ski Team superstar Mikaela Shiffrin to compete against the best women’s technical alpine skiers in the world.

Vermont Business Magazine Under a bold Shop Local initiative, the Okemo Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce is bringing Vermont residents new reasons to shop local, and enabling Vermont businesses with new tools and resources to differentiate and grow. The chamber has launched OVRCCMall.com, where resident businesses can join instantly and make it easier for shoppers to find, locate, and transact locally and beyond, in this first of its kind one-stop-shop regional shopping marketplace deployed on SharedMall.com.

"SharedMall is one of the best avenues to expand your business. My experience with SharedMall and the associates has been a pleasure", says Anette Sarkissian, Owner of Ann N Eve Designer Western Wear Collection.

Businesses across any industry can readily launch independent storefront and simultaneously have their goods and services searchable in the marketplace, irrespective of current online capabilities.

Vermont Business Magazine US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) announced Thursday that 11 federally qualified community health centers in Vermont received $816,251 to help improve access to affordable health care throughout the state. The federal grants are part of $105 million in funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration awarded throughout the country.

More than 155,000 Vermonters – about one in four people in Vermont – obtain health care at federally funded community health centers. “Community health centers not only provide high-quality and affordable care where it’s needed and when it’s needed, they do it in a very cost-effective way,” said Sanders, the ranking member of the Senate subcommittee on primary health and a strong supporter of community health centers.

Vermont Business Magazine As the future of recreational and medical marijuana remains uncertain, the national hemp industry is growing and Vermont remains one of seventeen states where hemp cultivation is legal under state law. Forbes recently reported that the legal CBD hemp market is estimated to grow 700% by 2020 alone — to say nothing of hemp oil fuels, plastics, food products, paper, fabric, building materials and other markets that continue to develop as more states allow production of agricultural hemp.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced the major disaster declaration he requested for Addison, Bennington, Caledonia, Orange, Rutland, Washington, and Windsor Counties has been signed by the President. These seven counties suffered substantial damage by flooding between June 29 and July 1, 2017.A Preliminary Damage Assessment (PDA) by FEMA, which started onJuly 12, identified $4.7 million in public infrastructure damage, far exceeding the $1 million minimum Vermont must show to be considered for a disaster declaration. Addison, Bennington, Caledonia, Orange, Rutland, Washington, and Windsor Counties each exceeded the $3.61 per capita threshold needed to qualify cities and towns in those counties for assistance. The damages identified in the PDA are only a partial accounting of the total damages suffered from the storm and the final tally will likely be higher.

Vermont Business MagazineSeventh Generation, a Burlington-based leading household and personal care products company and pioneer in the environmentally conscious products space, today announced the launch of Seventh Generation Disinfectant Spray. Seventh Generation's new Disinfectant Spray kills 99.99% of bacteria and viruses using CleanWelltechnology, a disinfectant formula based on thyme oil.

Vermont Business Magazine After six months of implementation of Vermont’s Automatic Voter Registration (AVR) program, Secretary Condos announced voter registration updates and enrollment numbers today, crediting the success of Vermont’s AVR program to a strong partnership between the Secretary of State’s Office, the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and local town clerks.

“Automatic Voter Registration not only increases access to the ballot box by registering eligible voters to vote, it improves the quality of our voter rolls” said Secretary of State Jim Condos. “In just six months we’ve seen dramatic increases and have added or updated thousands of voters to our voter rolls.”

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott is issuing a proclamation to declare the week of August 20^th “Clean Water Week” for the State of Vermont. Vermont businesses, organizations, communities and individuals across the state are taking part in the celebration of Vermont’s waters, and joining the call for action to restore and protect this vital resource.

Emily Boedecker, Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, explains, “This proclamation gives Vermont the opportunity to take stock of the intrinsic value of our rivers, streams, lakes, ponds and wetlands to our economy, our communities and our way of life. While we face difficult challenges to restore clean water in some parts of the state, we are also celebrating this declaration, which demonstrates our resolve to work together for clean water.”

Vermont Business Magazine With all the new buildings sprouting up on The University of Vermont’s central campus, it’s easy to overlook the university’s new chiller plant, which opened in July. The chiller – a 7,500 ft. addition that juts out from the old Central Heating and Cooling Plant behind Royall Tyler Theatre – is certainly less glamorous than, say, the Discovery Building in the STEM complex, which opened in June, or the first-year residence hall that opens later this month.

But without it, those buildings would be considerably less suave between May and October.

Vermont Fish & Wildlife Dept Vermont's bear hunting season startsSeptember 1, and hunters can improve their chances if they scout ahead of time to find fall foods such as wild apples, beechnuts, acorns, and berries -- where bears will be feeding.Bear hunters now are required to submit a bear tooth so wildlife managers can collect important information on Vermont's bear population.

Vermont Business MagazineVermont is the 15th-worst state to grow old, according to a new Caring.com report which examined a variety of financial, healthcare and quality of life categories. Utah is the best state to grow old. The study ranked all 50 states in 13 financial, healthcare and quality of life categories focused on senior care. Iowa, South Carolina, Washington, Nebraska, Arizona and California follow the Beehive State at the top of the list.

Vermont Business Magazine This past week, expanded cell service arrived in Northfield and Roxbury. Thanks to new microcell technology being piloted in Vermont by CoverageCo, a three mile stretch between the two towns on VT Route 12A now has access to talk, text, and 911 services. CoverageCo founder Vanu Bose said, “When we set out to prove that innovative partnerships and new technology could solve the challenge of rural cell coverage, we knew we needed a state willing to try something different. Vermont has proven to be a great state for our microcell pilot project, and I’m happy that from Northfield to Canaan, we’re seeing real success.”

CoverageCo installs and maintains microcell devices, called “radios,” on poles or buildings that use very little energy and provide cell service in a half mile radius. The radios work with Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint customers, though AT&T has decided not to participate.