Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The first annual Vermont Road Pitch “Pitch-Off” was held at Champlain College on Tuesday, October 18. Augustine (Gus) Rietsema from MacroFuel Food won the statewide Pitch-Off, edging out 10 other talented entrepreneurs. Earlier this summer, 11 businesses won local and regional Road Pitch competitions to qualify for the Statewide Pitch-Off.  Fresh Tracks Road Pitch is a 5-day motorcycle tour that brings 45 riders with investment and business experience to towns throughout Vermont to hear business ideas from local entrepreneurs. Each entrepreneur presents a 7-minute pitch to the group of judges, followed by a question and answer session. The judges rate each pitch on a number of business variables and choose one winner.

Vermont Business Magazine More than 460 business, community, environmental, and government leaders gathered over 2-days at the 16^th Annual Renewable Energy Vermont Conference & Expo held October 13 & 14 in S. Burlington.  Recognizing legislative, citizen, and industry champions and innovators for their outstanding contributions toward securing our sustainable energy future, Renewable Energy Vermont (REV) presented the following 2016 Renewable Energy Awards.

“In today’s climate, it’s even more important to recognize our fellow Vermonters who quietly work every day to deliver renewable energy and efficiency value in their communities.  These awards show the breadth and scope of who makes energy work here in Vermont – from local companies, towns, large and small utilities, to legislators. Truly, our clean energy transformation needs and takes all of us collaborating together,, said Jeff Forward, Chair of the Renewable Energy Vermont board.

Vermont Business Magazine The Agency of Natural Resources is starting a rulemaking process to promote four special Vermont wetlands to Class I status, the highest level of state protection under the Vermont Wetland Rules. The four wetlands vary in size, region, and function, but all have been determined to be irreplaceable or exceptional in their contribution to Vermont’s natural heritage. These wetlands are the Black Gum Swamps in Vernon, Dennis Pond Wetlands in Brunswick, Chickering Fen bog in Calais, and the Sandbar Wetlands in Milton and Colchester.

by Timothy McQuiston Vermont Business Magazine The Burlington Education Association, which is the union representing the city's teachers, and the Burlington School Board reached a tentative agreement Wednesday evening that will avert a strike that could have happened as early as Thursday. The agreement between negotiators and mediator Ira Lobel will still need to be ratified by the Board and the BEA. The BEA will meet Monday. School will go ahead as usual for the rest of this week. Terms of the agreement were not available, but the BEA said on its Website that it is for a one-year contract.

Vermont Business Magazine sonnen celebrated a milestone Wednesday at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the McKnight Lane Affordable Housing Development in Waltham, Vermont, the first net-zero, low-income rental housing development in the country. The project is led by the Addison County Community Trust and Cathedral Square. It represents the efforts of a coalition of stakeholders from community development agencies, industry, Vermont government, philanthropy, and the nonprofit sector to transform a blighted mobile home community into an energy resilient community using solar plus the sonnenBatterie smart energy storage technology.

by Rob Roper Back in December of 2014 Representative Tony Klein (D-East Montpelier), chair of the House Natural Resources & Energy Committee, gave an interview about Carbon Tax legislation he planned to take up. Klein admitted he did not expect a bill to pass in 2015 or even 2016, stating, “It’s at least a three-year process,” and that “you don’t [pass a massive tax increase] in an election year.”

Well, after we get past this election year of 2016, we’ll be coming up on three years into the process of passing a Carbon Tax that would add 88¢ to every gallon of gasoline, $1.02 to every gallon of diesel and home heating oil, with similar increases for natural gas, propane, kerosene, butane and aviation fuel. Should Vermonters be worried? Absolutely.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Peter Shumlin and Health Commissioner Harry Chen, MD today in Burlington announced proposed changes to the Health Department's rule governing the prescribing of opioids for pain. When finalized in December 2016, the amended rule will, for the first time ever, give guidance to prescribers and set legal limits on the dosage and number of opioid painkillers that may be prescribed. For some minor procedures, the proposal calls for a limit of between nine and 12 pills. 

Vermont Business Magazine Continuing a long history of providing major support for key projects, the University of Vermont Medical Center Auxiliary announced today it is donating $1 million toward completion of the Robert E. and Holly D. Miller Building which will replace antiquated double-bed rooms with single-patient rooms. Patients in the Miller Building will experience enhanced quality of care due to the privacy, space for families and healing environment single-bed rooms provide. Currently, only about forty percent of rooms at the UVM Medical Center are private. 

“This tremendous gift from the Auxiliary reflects its steadfast and essential support of the hospital over many decades,” said John Brumsted, M.D., chief executive officer, UVM Medical Center and president and chief executive officer, UVM Health Network.

Vermont Business Magazine Near the top of Mount Mansfield, reconstruction of the historic Stone Hut is nearing completion. Barring any last minute construction issues, the Hut will be open to overnight guests again starting December 1, 2016. The hut was closed to visitors after a fire on Christmas Eve, 2015, destroyed most of the building.

Let’s Grow Kids About 200 people watched an early childhood gubernatorial candidates panel on Friday, October 14, which was held at the UVM Davis Center in Burlington and livestreamed on the Let’s Grow Kids website. Candidates Sue Minter and Phil Scott, who are neck-and-neck in the race to be Vermont’s next governor (according to a recent VPR poll), answered questions related to child and family policies; economic development and early childhood; and the state budget.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Housing Finance Agency's Executive Director Sarah Carpenter announced today that interested parties are invited to submit comments on how housing tax credits are allocated. Housing tax credits are Vermont's primary funding source for developing affordable rental housing. The comments will be considered during this year's upcoming revisions to Vermont's Qualified Allocation Plan (QAP).  As administrator of the housing tax credit program, Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA) allocates credits to specific projects in accordance with identified State needs and Federal requirements outlined in the Vermont QAP. Vermont's interagency Joint Committee on Tax Credits reviews allocation policies and process and makes recommendations on the QAP to VHFA's Board of Commissioners.

Vermont Business Magazine Judy Tartaglia, The UVM Health Network - Central Vermont Medical Center’s President and CEO, announced that she will retire on March 31, 2017. Tartaglia became CEO of Central Vermont Medical Center in 2007. Prior to joining the Berlin-based CVMC, she was the President and CEO of Miles Health Care in Maine. “Over the past nine years, I am proud that we have taken CVMC to the next level of outstanding quality medical care,” said Tartaglia. “We are the preferred provider in our region and have an excellent reputation in the community for high-quality care and superior customer service.”

In announcing her retirement, Judy T, as she is widely known, said, “while there is never a perfect time to retire, now seems the right time for my family and for our organization.”