Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD), Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) will receive $67,845,000 from US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in Community Development Block Grant - Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds in response to Vermont's July 2023 flooding events (FEMA Disaster Declaration 4720). These funds will help communities with the necessary expenses related to disaster relief, long-term recovery, and the restoration of infrastructure and housing in the most impacted and distressed (MID) areas.

Vermont Auditor of Accounts Doug Hoffer At any moment in time, the Agency of Digital Service’s (ADS) Enterprise Project Management Office (EPMO) is overseeing dozens of large State IT projects. As of today, they are managing 49 projects ranging in expected cost from a few hundred thousand dollars to as much as $63.5 million. Our 2023 audit found that the IT projects we reviewed that are managed by EPMO were coming in late or over budget or both. We made a series of recommendations to ADS to help them keep their projects on time and on budget, and to be more transparent to policymakers and Vermonters about the status of the projects. ADS expressed their intent to implement some of those recommendations but, disappointingly, told us they would not implement others because the Legislature hadn’t explicitly required them to do so.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) is now accepting grant applications for the SFY 2026 Municipal Park and Ride Grant Program, which provides funding for improvements of small park and ride facilities in Vermont communities. These facilities will assist in the effort to reduce the number of single occupancy vehicles on the roadway, which in turn helps to reduce vehicle pollutants and traffic congestion. A total of $150,000 is available for this program for the 2026 state fiscal year. Applications are due via e-mail by August 26, 2025.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The auction of the Stoweflake Mountain Resort will not take place. Thomas Hirchak Company was scheduled to conduct a foreclosure auction on July 14 at 11 am for the Stoweflake Mountain Resort and Spa at 1746 Mountain Road in Stowe. Tyler Hirchak, CAI, told VermontBiz that, "It is currently cancelled at this point." The hotel is again taking reservations and the owners are planning renovations.

Vermont Business Magazine The Okemo Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce (OVRCC) proudly celebrated two milestone ribbon cuttings on a beautiful summer day, spotlighting the vibrant growth and community spirit in the region’s small business scene. The day kicked off in Ludlow with the grand re-opening of Aubuchon ACE Hardware on Main Street. Following major renovations and a new partnership with ACE Hardware, the store welcomed guests with a festive ribbon cutting officiated by Will Aubuchon, CEO of Aubuchon Hardware. Later in Proctorsville, the celebration continued with the official opening of Green Mountain Fireplace Specialties (GMFS) at their new retail location on Route 103, adjacent to the Grafton Village Cheese Store. 

Vermont Business Magazine Howard Center recently celebrated staff members reaching important years-of-service milestones with the agency. At a luncheon at the Doubletree by Hilton in Burlington, agency board members, leaders, and colleagues thanked staff members who have been with Howard Center for as many as 50 years. Speaking to the assembled staff who have reached at least ten years with the agency, CEO Sandy McGuire said, "People often talk about Howard Center as though it’s just a name or a structure, but in truth, it is you. It is each of us. It’s your dedication, your compassion, your work. You are the living legacy of this organization.” McGuire noted that the 81 staff being honored had a combined 1,340 years of service.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the Vermont Congressional Delegation, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont), and Representative Becca Balint (D-Vermont), announced a $5.8 million grant from the Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which will assist with expansion and modernization improvements to the Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport (BTV). The funds are made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The award will support the reconstruction of the airport’s second-floor corridor and the replacement of four jet bridges to increase accessibility and safety for passengers.  

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) once again is warning the public of ongoing scam messages that falsely claim the recipient has an unpaid traffic ticket and is at risk of driver’s license suspension. The DMV did not send these messages and does not send any text or email messages demanding immediate payment. 

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.16 per gallon, up 6 cents/g from last week, up 7 cents/g from last month and down 26 cents/g from last year. The lowest price in the state this week was $2.75/g while the highest was $3.30/g. Prices are lowest in Rutland ($3.12/g) and Bennington ($3.05/g) counties, as they were last week, and highest in Grand Isle ($3.25/g), Lamoille ($3.24/g) and Franklin ($3.26/g) counties, according to AAA. The national average price of gasoline has risen 2 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.22/g today.

Vermont Business Magazine Last night, at a Special City Council Meeting, the Burlington City Council unanimously approved the $107.1 million FY26 budget. Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak and CAO Katherine Schad presented a balanced budget with a continued commitment to affordability, shrinking the structural budget gap, responsible fiscal stewardship, and strategic investments in community safety and housing. There are various factors that contributed to this year’s $9.8M gap, such as the end of one-time, COVID-related federal funding, continued rise of personnel and operation costs due to a City government that has been growing steadily over the last ten years, cost of living adjustments, increased healthcare premiums, and inflation. The City has also experienced less-than-projected gross receipts revenues, tax revenue not increasing despite assed values increasing during reappraisals, and spending restrictions for revenue generated from 14 splinter taxes.   

Vermont Business Magazine Joan Goldstein and Cassie Polhemus were recognized by their peers at the Greater Burlington Industrial Corporation (GBIC) annual meeting for their exceptional work to improve the economic well-being of Vermonters and their communities. Goldstein, who served Vermont as Commissioner of Economic Development for over a decade and is the incoming CEO of the Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA), received the C. Harry Behney Lifetime Economic Development Achievement Award. Polhemus, who is stepping down as CEO of VEDA, was honored for a career dedicated to advancing educational and economic opportunity in Vermont, receiving the Robert A. Skiff Community Improvement Award.

Vermont Business Magazine ECFiber, the internet service provider (ISP) created in 2008 by a grass-roots effort to solve the problem of broadband availability in rural Vermont, has announced that its new operator, the Vermont ISP Operating Company (VISPO), has named Gopi Sundaram as Chief Executive Officer. Sundaram, a graduate of Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business, has had a long career in the ISP industry, notably as Managing Director with the Tetrad McCourt consortium, the investor group which led Ireland’s National Broadband Plan. He currently is a managing partner at Radius Capital Partners, a firm specializing in rural broadband investments.