Current News

Vermont Business Magazine- Vermont Catholic Charities Inc. has awarded 27 grants through The Bishop deGoesbriand Appeal for Human Advancement.

The non-profit organizations that received the grants make meaningful differences in the daily lives of Vermont individuals and families.

Each November, Vermont parishes take a second collection to support this grant program. One hundred percent of the money collected is distributed throughout the statewide Diocese of Burlington in the form of grants to local non-profit organizations who seek to create a higher quality of life in their communities at, for example, homeless shelters, right-to-life programs and food programs for children and families.

Vermont Business Magazine Howard Center will host a statewide Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) training starting July 24 for Vermont mental health providers. PCIT is an evidence-based method to support families with young children. Thirteen clinicians from five mental health agencies in Vermont will begin the year-long training in July 2017. Dr Rhea Chase and Dr Joshua Masse, clinical psychologists and PCIT Master Trainers, will conduct the trainings. Dr Chase is the Director of Early Childhood Programs at Judge Baker Children’s Center in Boston, and Dr. Masse is an assistant professor of Psychology at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth and the Director of Young Child Services at the Boston Child Study Center.

Vermont Business Magazine Franklin County's Dubie Family Maple LLC is representing Vermont in President Donald J Trump’s “Made in America Showcase” today at the White House. The President will recognize one company from each state that manufactures and produces its products in America. Dubie Family Maple will be showcasing pure, organic maple syrup and maple products in the White House’s Blue Room. Mark Dubie of Fairfield, owner and lead sugar maker; his wife Marianne Dubie, co-owner and customer service representative; along with Brian Dubie, brother to Mark and former Lieutenant Governor of Vermont, will represent Dubie Family Maple.

President Trump along with Vice President Mike Pence, Cabinet secretaries and members of Congress are expected to attend today's event.

Vermont Business Magazine The State of Vermont has settled a major forestry case with Plum Creek Maine Timberlands, LLC (Plum Creek) for $375,000. This settlement resolves claims that Plum Creek overharvested trees in violation of its forest management plan. The settlement resolves a case that began in 2010 when Plum Creek was found to have overharvested trees from their property. Due to this violation, the State removed a parcel of Plum Creek’s forest land from Vermont’s Current Use Program. The Current Use Program allows lands producing timber or agricultural products to be appraised based on those uses rather than the commercial value of the property. Last fall, the Vermont Supreme Court upheld the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreations’ finding that Plum Creek had violated its forest management plan by overharvesting trees. The matter was remanded back to the Superior Court to determine the tax consequences of the violation.

Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Power President and CEO Mary Powell was again named among the top 25 Most Influential Women of the Mid-Market by CEO Connection in 2017. This list recognizes the top 25 women in the US based on their ability to influence change, innovation, and standards for excellence in mid-market companies with annual sales between$100 million and $3 billion. Other winners include the CEO of Buffalo Wild Wings and Charlotte Russe.

Vermont Business Magazine Twin Farms of Barnard and Rabbit Hill Inn of Waterford were named to Travel + Leisure’s prestigious ‘Top 100 Hotels in the World.’ The rankings were based onresults fromTravel + Leisure's "World's Best Awards" survey that it puts out annually to its readers. Twin Farms, an all-inclusive five-star experience for adults only, is ranked Number 15 in the world by the luxury travel magazine. Rabbit Hill Inn, a romantic and luxurious 19-room bed and breakfast that caters to adults, came in at Number 30 in the rankings. The Vermont lodging properties were ranked Number 1 and Number 2, respectively, for the Northeast United States. Only 27properties from the United States made the Travel + Leisure rankings. Twin Farms is rated as the Number 5 property in the United States, and Rabbit Hill Inn rates as Number 6 in the country.

Vermont Business Magazine After three years and donations from more than 2,000 supporters, Vermont Public Radio surpassed the $10 million goal for its VPR Next Capital Campaign on June 29. The successful completion of the campaign positions VPR to embrace the opportunities of a dynamic and changing media landscape, while solidifying its strong foundation built on 40 years of public service.

The campaign focused on two important initiatives: $8 million for an expansion and renovation of VPR’s headquarters in Colchester and $2 million to create an Innovation Fund to help launch new programming and news projects.

Vermont Business Magazine Washington and Lamoille counties have been added to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Preliminary Damage Assessment (PDA) request after Vermont Officials identified additional damages last week. In conjunction with state personnel, the PDA is being conducted by FEMA beginning today. Rain storms and resulting floods washed out roads and damaged other public infrastructure in several Vermont towns from June 29 – July 1. The state has identified more than $6.5-million in public infrastructure damage, far exceeding the $1-million threshold Vermont must show to be considered for a major disaster declaration. Washington and Lamoille counties join Addison, Bennington, Caledonia, Orange, Rutland, and Windsor counties in undergoing an assessment to determine if damages reach the county minimum of $3.61 per capita to qualify for a declaration.

Vermont Business Magazine The Franklin County Regional Chamber of Commerce will present the 2017 Tim Bovat Civic Involvement Award to 14^th Star Brewing Founders Steve Gagner and Matt Kehaya, and CEO Andrea Gagner. The presentation will be made during the Tim’s House Annual Golf Classic on Friday, August 18^th at the Champlain Country Club, following lunch at approximately 2 pm. The Golf Classic is held annually to benefit Tim’s House, a transitional housing shelter built in Bovat’s memory.

Vermont Business Magazine Comcast announced thatXfinity Mobile,a new wireless service designed for the way people use their phones today,is beginning to roll out in Xfinity Stores in Vermont. Comcast is introducing the service in its retail stores market-by-market and it is now available at the Xfinity Store in South Burlington. “We’re excited to be one of the first areas of the country to unveil Xfinity Mobile at Xfinity Stores,” said Michael Parker, senior vice president for Comcast’s Western New England Region, which includes Vermont. “Xfinity Stores are the ultimate showcase for consumers to experience how Xfinity Mobile integrates with our other Xfinity products including X1, Xfinity Home,and xFi – and our goal is to ensure our customers leave knowing a lot more about our capabilities and the benefits of being a Comcast customer.”

Vermont FoodbankThough many students eagerly await summer, millions of children in America may be dreading summertime because it means long, hot days without enough food. Nationally, more than 22 million children receive free or reduced-price meals through the National School Lunch Program during the school year. But when school is out during the summer, less than 4 million receive meals through the USDA Summer Food Service Program.

Vermont Business MagazineLast December, staff from Healthy Living Market & Cafe and Otter Creek Brewing Company traveled to Vermont Farmstead Cheese Company to collaborate on an alehouse cheddar. The final product, Brown Bottle Cheddar, was created with milk sourced from Vermont Farmstead’s dairy cows, and Backseat Berner IPA from Otter Creek.