Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia M Burwell announced $548,467 in funding for 10 health centers in Vermont for health information technology enhancements. In total, today’s announcement includes $87 million in funding for 1,310 health centers in every U.S. state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the Pacific Basin.

“Health centers across the country are instrumental in providing high-quality, comprehensive primary health care to millions of people,” said Secretary Burwell. “This investment will help unlock health care data and put it to work, improving health outcomes and building a better health care system for the American people.”

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Taxes and the home-hotel service Airbnb have worked out a deal in which Airbnb will collect meals and rooms tax on payment for lodging offered by its hosts. Vermont joins other states and the District of Columbia, as well as many other cities and counties, where Airbnb has agreed to collect their occupancy taxes on behalf of the hosts. Beginning October 1, Airbnb will collect and remit taxes to the state. This allows for a more streamlined booking process for the guests using Airbnb, and works to level the playing field with traditional hotels by ensuring hosts on Airbnb are collecting and remitting the taxes owed. Additionally, hosts on Airbnb will not be responsible for any back taxes they have failed to collect.

Vermont Business Magazine The Champlain Housing Trust announced today it had exceeded a benchmark set by Governor Shumlin to house more people who are without a home. In April, 2016 the Governor signed an Executive Order which “calls for owners of housing that receive state funds to make available at least 15 percent of their portfolio of housing units to Vermonters experiencing homelessness.” The Housing Trust identified 16 percent of the residents of its rental portfolio fitting the criteria under the Order.

“While we have made tremendous strides over the last few years resulting in a 28% decline in homelessness in Vermont, there still are over 1,100 Vermonters who are homeless,” said Michael Monte, COO/CFO of the Champlain Housing Trust and a member of the Governor’s Council on Pathways from Poverty. “We have met the target, but we know that there’s more to do.”

Vermont Business Magazine The Orton family, proprietors of The Vermont Country Store, announced today that the company’s Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer Jim Hall has been promoted to president of the 70-year-old business. “Our family has been very impressed with Jim’s skills and successes in his role as COO, and we are thrilled to offer him the opportunity to lead our company,” said Eliot Orton, chairman of the company’s board of directors. “We are confident that he is the right person with the right vision to take the success we’ve achieved in our first 70 years and grow it for future generations.” 

Jim Hall

by Mike Faher/The Commons, Brattleboro The town of Rockingham has notched a major victory in its years-long tax battle with energy giant TransCanada. The Vermont Supreme Court has ruled that TransCanada’s Bellows Falls hydroelectric station should be valued at $127.4 million, just under the $130 million appraisal advocated by the town and set by a lower-court judge. The justices’ ruling stands in stark contrast to TransCanada’s proposed $84 million valuation.

Vermont Business Magazine Northern Power Systems Corp (TSX: NPS), a Barre-based next generation renewable energy technology company, on Wednesday announced financial results and completed its quarterly filing requirements for its second quarter ended June 30, 2016. The company expects trading to resume within four to five business days after this filing. Northern Power was required to re-file its 2015 financial reports because of an error in when some foreign revenues could be accounted for. In so doing, the quarterly reports were delayed and trading was curtailed. The 2015 report was issued in July 2016. Northern Power is best-known for its remote generation systems, in particular its 100 kw wind turbines.

Vermont Business Magazine Phil Scott, candidate for Governor, released a comprehensive economic development plan at a press conference today, reinforcing his commitment to making the economy and affordability his top priorities. Joined at the event by 20 legislators and Vermont business leaders, Scott presented his economic plan, which contains more than fifty (50) specific proposals, initiatives, and ideas to strengthen the economy and make Vermont more affordable.

This comprehensive blueprint for Scott’s economic initiatives represents the most comprehensive plan presented by a candidate for Governor, giving voters a clear view of how Scott’s Administration will lead.

Debbie Winters, who owns Firetech Sprinkler in Colchester and hosted Thursday’s event, offered context for why economic development is the biggest issue for her in this election:

by Tom Pelham Vermont’s energy policies enacted and implemented over the past six years by the majority party parallel the same wasteful and undemocratic pattern as their healthcare and education policies. This 2015 report by the federal Energy Information Agency (EIA) provides baseline context for Vermont’s CO2 emissions. It reports that at 5.6 million metric tons, Vermont’s CO2 emissions are the lowest in the nation and on a per capita basis are second lowest among the 50 states.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) is among ten senators who this week introduced legislation to reform the appeals process for veterans benefits. Because of redundancies and inefficiencies in the current process, most veterans wait years for decisions on their appeals.  The new bill (the Department of Veterans Affairs Appeals Modernization Act) would replace the current appeals process – which today stands at more than 450,000 appeals awaiting decisions – with one that Leahy and the other senators said is simple, fair and transparent. The bill is sponsored by Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and cosponsored by Leahy and Sens. Jon Tester (D-MT), Angus King (I-ME), Tom Udall (D-NM), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Robert P. Casey, Jr. (D-PA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Patty Murray (D-WA).

Vermont Business Magazine Fundraising for the 11^th Annual Kelly Brush Ride powered by VBT Bicycling and Walking Vacations surpassed $400,000. The Saturday ride supported the Kelly Brush Foundation’s mission to empower those living with paralysis through sport and recreation and to improve ski racing safety. More than 700 cyclists and 30 handcyclists, along with more than 100 volunteers participated in the event that was held on September 10 in Middlebury. The total amount raised was $425,000.

Vermont Business Magazine On August 26, EcoSolutions, a Vermont-based engineering design/build firm specializing in the application of innovative ecological restoration technologies and use of low impact designs (LID) for stormwater and wastewater projects, deployed a two-part pilot project to explore the feasibility and performance of a new approach in mitigating the impact of excess phosphorus runoff to waterbodies such as Lake Champlain. Phosphorus is one of the primary causes of algae blooms. While many algae blooms are not toxic, some kinds of blue-green algae produce natural toxins that can be released when the algae die. This summer has seen numerous beach closures as a precaution to swimmers.

Vermont Business Magazine  If you were anywhere near the Winooski River in Montpelier or Middlesex this past Saturday, you probably saw dozens of people wading through the water carrying buckets and pushing canoes full of tires. There were kids as young as six, employees from local businesses, and even an entire AmeriCorps crew from the NCCC Atlantic Region out of Baltimore. It may have looked like an odd scene, but the facts of the matter—and the numbers—are common for Friends of the Winooski River volunteers. 

This year, 60 hardy citizens risked soggy boots and gloves to remove over 100 tires and several truck loads of junk metal and trash (the final weight is still pending) in a three hour period and, shockingly, from mostly the same stretches of river that are cleaned up every year. These numbers are up from last year when volunteers picked up trash from four sites and pulled 52 tires out of the river.