Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) is celebrating the American Cancer Society’s 41^st annual Great American Smokeout Thursday, November 17, a day when smokers are encouraged to put down all tobacco products and formulate a plan to quit tobacco for good, by calling on the legislature to protect the health of Vermont residents by increasing the sale age of tobacco to 21. 

Vermont Business Magazine Mt Ascutney Hospital and Health Center (MAHHC) recently recognized 38 employees who have collectively served the Hospital for more than 550 years. Staff members were honored at a special Employee Service Awards dinner in the Hospital’s café, where MAHHC Interim President Gay Landstrom personally thanked them for their contributions and commitment to the Hospital, its patients and the community.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s Building Communities Program Bristol, Vermont – November 7, 2016 – Living Well Group has received a grant of $20,000 from the State of Vermont’s Building Communities Program. The grant criteria consists of five grant programs established and funded by the Vermont Legislature to help communities preserve important historic buildings and enhance community facilities. The grant requires that the applicant be a non-profit organization, regional economic development organization, or municipality.  Selections are made by individual boards through an established selection process and must have matching funds supplied by the nonprofit’s fundraising efforts. The money will help support Living Well Group’s renovations at their Living Well Residence in Bristol. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Public Service Department today issued its request for proposals under the second round of the 2016 Connectivity Initiative. The RFP invites internet service providers to submit proposals to serve eligible locations identified by the Department as needing improved access to broadband Internet service. The Department will award grants to organizations willing to serve these areas. In the second grant round of 2016, the Department will utilize $550,550 in available funding to support the extension of broadband facilities in underserved communities.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR) today launched the Local First Vermont Mobile App today. Free to download onto mobile devices through the App Store and Google Play, the app will serve as a mobile version of the well-known The Buy Local Resource Guide and Coupon Book which is published annually by the group.

“We’ve been publishing the Buy Local Book for 7 years now,” said Wendy Wilson, manager of Local First Vermont. “People love using the book to support local businesses and save money, but at 250 pages, it’s not exactly convenient to carry around. This app gives people access the book’s 230+ coupons on their phone. We are thrilled finally give Vermonters an even more convenient way support local business owners and bolster Vermont’s economy.”

by Chris Graff Vermont Business Magazine Time for a change is the most powerful campaign theme. It helped to elect both Donald Trump and Phil Scott. Yet there is no comparison between the two winners. One was elected to blow things up while the other was elected to slow things down. Scott’s election fit a pattern now a deep part of Vermont’s history. For the past 54 years, without fail, when changing governors, Vermonters have replaced the governor of one party with one from the other.

Phil Scott on the campaign trail October 2016. VBM photo.

Periods of expansion follow periods of retrenchment. Republicans follow Democrats. Like clockwork. Since 1962.

Vermont Business Magazine School Hack Solutions, a Bristol-based education technology firm, has been awarded a $350,000 loan from the State of Vermont to add new jobs and help more schools – in Vermont and across the US – implement personalized learning for students. The funding was awarded by the Vermont Economic Development Agency as part of a competitive loan review through the Windham County Economic Development Program. 

Vermont Business Magazine For the sixth year, Norwich has been named one of the most military-friendly schools in the US. The Military Friendly Schools designation is awarded to the top colleges, universities, community colleges, and trade schools in the country that are doing the most to embrace military students and dedicate resources to ensure their success both in the classroom and after graduation.

Vermont Business Magazine A new working group has formed to advance Vermont’s Climate Economy. Founded by the Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD), the Vermont Climate Economy Action Team unites business and non-profit leaders in promoting economic growth in Vermont by leveraging the economic and business development opportunities that will flow from solving climate change challenges while creating jobs and boosting the prosperity of communities throughout the state. The group works on the premise that Vermont should be a uniquely attractive place to start, run, and invest in businesses that address climate change, and prosper doing so.

The Vermont Climate Economy Action Team is dedicated to advancing initiatives to expand distributed energy generation and efficiency in Vermont and cultivate climate economy entrepreneurs and startup businesses, and attracting youth and creative entrepreneurs to the state.

by Sena Meilleur You’ve probably seen a commercial on TV for Sovaldi, a breakthrough drug that can cure Hepatitis C. Without a doubt, this drug has and will change people’s lives for the better. But there’s a catch: it costs about $1,000 per pill, and a full course of treatment is three months. Yes, you did the math correctly: at one dose per day, that is close to $90,000. This is only one example of an explosion of exciting – and expensive – new drugs to come on the market in recent years. Cutting edge treatments for cancer, MS, and Hep C – among others – have propelled a new generation of pharmaceutical superstars into the headlines – and into your checkbook.

Vermont Business Magazine Through a grant provided by the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), the Rutland Regional Planning Commission (RRPC) is continuing its multi-pronged outreach work focused on improving water quality in this region to comply with the Vermont Clean Water Act (VCWA) or Act 64 which became law in 2015. The goal of the outreach is to address sources of water pollution in the Rutland Region which include local roads, developed lands and farms.  

Vermont Business Magazine Black Friday is right around the corner and Americans will be rushing to the registers with their credit cards. To help show where people have been most responsible with their cards, financial technology company SmartAsset has released their second annual study on places with the least credit card debt. According to the research, Chittenden County residents are among the most responsible with their plastic, sporting one of the lowest per capita credit card debts (compared to income and net wealth) in Vermont. In Vermont, credit card debt is higher in total than the national average. But because Vermont has higher than average wealth, the credit card debt is lower as a percentage of wealth and even than income in some counties.