Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Burlington Electric Department (BED) and Vermont Gas Systems announced today that their popular Energy Champ Challenge efficiency program, aimed at increasing energy efficiency in some of Burlington’s biggest residential rental units, has reached its increased goal of scheduling 100 energy audits. BED and Vermont Gas partnered to roll out the Energy Champ Challenge last June with the ambitious, preliminary goal of scheduling 50 audits by the end of 2015, and with the ultimate goal of encouraging 50 rental landlords to improve the energy efficiency of their buildings by the end of 2016. Just a few months later, the companies announced that they had increased that goal to 100 scheduled energy audits, after easily surpassing the 50 scheduled audits goal.

Vermont Business Magazine ALTOUR, the largest independently owned travel management company in the United States and one of the largest travel management companies globally and Milne Travel, based in Barre, have announced that they have formed a partnership to provide enhanced worldwide travel management and superior systems and technology solutions. The partnership is majority-owned by ALTOUR and will continued to be managed by Scott Milne and operate under the name, Milne Travel American Express, an ALTOUR Company. Milne, a Republican, lost narrowly to Peter Shumlin in the race for governor in 2014. He is expected to announce soon that he will will challenge Democrat Senator Patrick Leahy for his US Senate seat in November. 

by Lisa Ventriss, President of Vermont Business Roundtable Art Woolf’s latest critique of K-12 education spending and outcomes, and Act 46 implementation in particular (“Is VT getting what it pays for in education?” Burlington Free Press 3/10/16) made me remember some important milestones along Vermont’s path to education reform. 

Vermont Business Magazine Seven Days, Vermont’s free, independent weekly newspaper, has announced the dates of the 7th Annual Vermont Restaurant Week, a celebration of the state’s vibrant local-food culture. For 10 days, from April 22 to May 1, 2016, restaurants throughout Vermont will offer special prix-fixe dinners at three price points — $20, $30 or $40 per person. Lunch and breakfast specials at select locations will also be available. Participating restaurants range from renowned eateries such as Burlington’s Hen of the Wood and Michael’s on the Hill in Waterbury Center to local faves the Farmhouse Tap & Grill in Burlington and Three Penny Taproom in Montpelier. Several southern Vermont restaurants have signed on this year, too, including duo Restaurant in Brattleboro and Popolo in Bellows Falls.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont will host the 14th Annual Climate Prediction Applications Science Workshop March 22 to 24 at the Hilton Hotel in Burlington. The international conference, launched in 2002 by the National Weather Service’s Climate Services Division, will bring together a diverse group of climate researchers, climate product developers, and climate information users to share developments in research and applications of climate predictions. The goal of the workshop is to put new information and tools in the hands of end-users with the goal of improving decision making at all policy levels. 

by Basil DN Waugh There is a growing buzz at the University of Vermont as scientists join the global effort to stop bee declines. In the past year, UVM researchers have released groundbreaking studies -- highlighting bees' importance to food, health and the environment -- which have attracted international headlines, from the New York Times to the BBC. This week, UVM scholars will discuss their findings with state officials, beekeepers, and farmers at the Vermont Pollinators Symposium on March 17, organized by the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources at Burlington's ECHO Center.

Vermont Business Magazine Yesterday, Swanton cheese manufacturer Swan Valley and the owner of the property agreed to pay $100,000 to settle penalty claims by the US Environmental Protection Agency that it violated clean air, Superfund and right-to-know laws between 2011 and 2015. After two EPA inspections and an August 2015 EPA Order, the company is now protecting worker and community safety by complying with chemical accident prevention measures outlined in the Clean Air Act. Swan Valley Cheese of Vermont cooperated with EPA, and removed the anhydrous ammonia from its aged refrigeration system and purchased a new refrigeration system that does not use ammonia.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont's tech industry is relatively larger than most states and pays a lot better than the average private sector job here, but it has lost ground in recent years until rebounding slightly in 2015. Vermont surprisingly has a relatively low number of women in the tech sector. According a CompTIA report released Tuesday, Vermont’s tech industry employment ranked 46th in the country and employed 13,863 workers in 2015. On top of this, Vermont added 304 jobs between 2014 and 2015 – a number that’s expected to continue to rise in 2016. These workers also had an annual average salary of $78,878, which was 86 percent more than the average private sector wage in the entire state. Perhaps more importantly, according to the report, Vermont's tech payroll of $1.1 billion in 2015 ranked 34th nationwide, accounting for 5.4 percent of all private sector payroll in Vermont and 6.5 percent of the state economy is from the tech industry.

Vermont Business Magazine President Barack Obama announced Wednesday that he will nominate Chief Judge Merrick Garland to be an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States. Garland, 63, has served for nearly 19 years as a Judge on the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, often referred to as the second highest court in the land, second only to the Supreme Court.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont ski areas and other snow sports have had historic seasons the last couple of years. This year, bad history is being made at many venues, including at Mad River Glen, and at many events, like the Stowe Derby. For skiing alone, the 2013-14 season was the second best on record, only to be pushed to third best on record because the 2014-15 season saw the most skiers and snowboarders ever visit Vermont. The 4.7 million visits broke the record from 2001. Vermont also had an epic amount of snow last year, as the season started early, remained late and stayed cold, with winter skiing conditions lingering into April and some resorts staying open on a limited basis until June. Such is not the case this year, of course, as warm weather and frequent rain has damped the snow conditions and the Vermont economy.

Public Assets Institute Revised figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) show fewer Vermonters were employed in 2015 than originally reported. Each March, the BLS reviews and revises data previously released. The earlier figures indicated on average 2,500 more people employed each month than the revised figures show. Vermont employment grew for a while after the recession, but has been dropping steadily over the last five years. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Butcher Shop, the leading proprietor of “honest” meats and victuals from the Green Mountain State and surrounding area, will soon provide the newest ingredient in Rutland’s ongoing revitalization. Nick DeLauri, co-owner as well as native son of Rutland, said The Vermont Butcher Shop closed on property on the northwest corner of Route 7 and Allen Street last Monday, and hopes to open the new store, the company’s third, by late June.  The high-profile site, a former Texaco station, has sat empty for years.