Current News

Vermont Business MagazineAn abundance of snow and chilly temperatures could not keep Wounded Warrior Project(WWP) veterans away from the slopes of Pico Mountain recently. Participants skied, rode snowboards, and enjoyed the benefits of getting out of the house and connecting with fellow service members. Warriors and guests arrived at the mountain early, eager to obtain their equipment and conquer the snowy peaks. Many participants were beginners, so the bunny slope was busy throughout the day. Only an afternoon trip to the Slopeside Grill for lunch interrupted the action.

Vermont Business Magazine Girls on the Run Vermont (GOTRVT) is excited to welcome its 18th season by announcing that program registration for Central VT is open! From now until February 22, parents/guardians can register their girl for the Central VT spring program at their participating site or rec center via the GOTRVT website.

Vermont Business MagazineGovernor Phil Scott and members of his senior staff and cabinet traveled to Québec City this week for the first official meetings with their Québec counterparts, as well as meeting with businesses and industry groups in the Province.Scott and Premier Couillard discussed opportunities to expand the Vermont-Quebec partnership through continued collaboration, promoting trade integration, improving the Vermont-Quebec multi-sectorial cooperation agreement and exploring increased education exchange opportunities.

“Our partnership with Québec plays an important role in our work to grow Vermont’s economy, retain and attract businesses to Vermont, and help workers and businesses thrive,” Scott said. “This trip served to strengthen our longstanding relationship with the Province, and we will continue to work together to grow economic opportunity that benefits both regions.”

Vermont Business Magazine Special Olympics athletes, Program leaders, Unified Partners, and family members from 39 states and the District of Columbia converged on Capitol Hill on February 15 for Special Olympics’ 15th annual “Capitol Hill Day.”Special Olympics athletes from across the nation held more than 250 face-to-face meetings with Members of Congress in both the House and Senate, challenging and inviting their elected officials to partner with them to achieve the goals of expanding Special Olympics Unified Sports and Unified Champion Schools programming throughout the US, and to end health care disparities and discrimination against persons with intellectual disabilities.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD) joined with Governor Phil Scott and partners including Green Mountain Power, Efficiency Vermont, Vermont Electric Coop and Washington Electric Coop today to launch the Climate Economy Model Communities Program. VCRD will join with the utilities and other partners to facilitate a process in two communities annually to help them build and implement locally developed plans modeling state-of-the-art rural development in an age of climate change. The ultimate goal is to create more economically sustainable and “climate smart” communities throughout Vermont. This coordinated rapid approach will include implementing comprehensive efficiencies efforts, transportation system improvements, energy generation, entrepreneurship and business incubation to spur economic progress.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont PBS announced today that it accepted a bid of $56 million for one of its four broadcast licenses, WVTA, in the Federal Communications Commission’s spectrum auction. Vermonters will not see any reduction in over the air coverage. Vermont PBS will reengineer its network and upgrade its remaining signals to replicate coverage transmitted from Mt Ascutney.

“We will continue free over the air broadcast service,” said Vermont PBS President Holly Groschner. “Vermont viewers who currently receive our signal with rabbit ears and other kinds of TV antennas will still be able to do so and of course, our online, cable, and satellite services will remain as they are.”

According to Vermont Business Magazine, Vermont PBS' revenues have been between $5.7 million and $6.8 million per year over the last 10 years.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) introduced legislation Thursday to expand Social Security benefits and strengthen the retirement program for generations to come. Representative Peter DeFazio (D-OR) introduced a companion bill in the House.The legislation would ensure that Social Security could pay every benefit owed to every eligible American for the next 61 years, according to a new analysis Thursday by the retirement system’s chief actuary.

Vermont Business Magazine Weekly unemployment claims remained relatively flat again last week. By industry, Services were slightly higher than Construction, which had reported the most claims over the last few weeks. Most times of the year, Services record the most claims. The spikes in the graph below reveal the volatility in hiring and firing around the holidays.

For the week of February 11, 2017, there were 554 claims, down 8 from the previous week's total and 23 more than than they were a year ago. Year-to-year claims have been lower the last several weeks.

Altogether 6,781 new and continuing claims were filed, an decrease of 35 from a week ago, and 504 fewer than a year ago.

Vermont Business Magazine Merchants Bank partnered with WARMTH again this year to help prevent low-income Vermonters across the state from going without heat this winter. Merchants Bank matched dollar-for-dollar donations raised for WARMTH throughout the month of December. Coupled with the Merchants Bank match of $35,000, the Vermont community raised $154,037.

“The minimum wage may have increased, but the projections for a stronger economy haven’t reached these Vermonters. The donations we receive through the WARMTH Program go directly to keeping families warm.These gifts bridge the gap.When all other funds are exhausted, it is our Vermont community that keeps the heat on.We are so grateful,” says Jan Demers, Executive Director.

Vermont Business Magazine One of Vermont’s Rising Stars is about to start marketing one of Vermont’s rising regions. Mondo Mediaworks, headed by Luke Stafford, a 2016 Vermont Business Magazine Rising Star, has been selected from a field of nearly two dozen bidders to create regional marketing campaigns aimed at rebranding the greater-Rutland region, putting to bed myths about a lack of local jobs, and reversing downward population trends.

Luke Stafford, Mondo Mediaworks.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont now ranks among the top 25 institutions nationally for its pass rate on the Certified Public Accountants (CPA) exam, based on the latest rankings from the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy. The university’s 78.6 percent first-time pass rate is based on the scores of 49 students, primarily graduates of UVM’s Master of Accountancy (MAcc) program in the Grossman School of Business, and ranks among the top three percent nationally, well above the U.S. and international pass rate of 54.4 percent. Overall, UVM improved from No. 40 to No. 23 (out of 858 institutions), and moved up five spots to No. 4 among the 283 medium-sized programs with 21-60 CPA exam candidates.

by Bill Schubart If current political events have taught us anything, it’s how vulnerable we all are to misinformation and innuendo. And if 80% of us don’t trust our own government, we must then ask how many Americans even understand how their government works or their own role in a vibrant democracy. Three quarters of Americans can’t name the three branches of government and one third can’t name even one branch. An electorate that condemns its own government without understanding its functions and purpose can hardly be counted on to participate with informed voting and advocacy.