Current News

VermontBiz The Vermont Language Justice Project (VLJP) creates and disseminates public service videos in 21 languages to help people with language access needs make informed decisions and navigate daily life in Vermont and throughout the United States. 

VLJP is thrilled to announce that we have launched a multilingual app: iFY (Information for You), available for free for iPhone/iOS (https://tinyurl.com/iFYiphone) and Android (https://tinyurl.com/iFYandroid). iFY allows refugees, im/migrants, and people who speak languages other than English to easily access public service videos in their languages.

Vermont Agency of Transportation Beginning Wednesday, May 28, 2025, at 5:00 AM, US Route 4 eastbound from the Interstate 89 Exit 1 southbound off-ramp to the Interstate 89 Exit 1 northbound off-ramp will be closed to all traffic. Westbound US Route 4 travel will be open; however, WB travel will be unable to turn left onto the Interstate 89 Northbound on-ramp. Starting at the same time, the Interstate 89 northbound Exit 1 off-ramp will be closed to all traffic. These closures are to allow VTrans to make repairs to the pavement on US Route 4.  

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health is recognizing and thanking the dedicated Emergency Medical Services professionals who protect and serve Vermont’s communities. National EMS Week (May 18-24) honors the paramedics, emergency medical technicians, dispatchers, and all clinicians who are the front lines of emergency healthcare. This year’s EMS Week theme, “We Care For Everyone,” recognizes EMS workers for their invaluable contribution to Vermonters’ safety and honors the long-standing commitment of EMS professionals to public health and safety. 

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phill Scott recently proclaimed the month of May 2025 as Foster Care Month and noted that “Vermont renews our commitment to ensure bright futures for the more than 800 children and youth in foster care.” The Vermont Department for Children and Families (DCF) is taking time to acknowledge the critical importance of foster caregivers statewide and thank them for their contributions to the well-being of Vermont’s children and families. “By celebrating National Foster Care Month, we are able to highlight the unique role of kin caregivers and express our gratitude to all foster caregivers who devote themselves to the service of our most vulnerable Vermonters” said DCF Family Services Division Deputy Commissioner, Aryka Radke.

VermontBiz has presented the 2025 winners of the annual Best of Business Awards. The BOB Awards provides an opportunity to tell us, other readers and the rest of the state which companies in Vermont have the best products and services for businesses. This is the ninth year that VermontBiz has surveyed its readers to find the Best of the Best companies in Vermont. With over 53 years of forging strong relationships with Vermont’s business community, we know the great companies we have in Vermont; we have highlighted them in our magazine, website and e-communications month after month. As always, VermontBiz readers chose the winners! Between Jan. 1 and March 1, VermontBiz surveyed its print and digital subscribers. We asked readers — the business leaders of Vermont – whom they trust to provide their services in 120 different categories. After more than 66,000 votes, we compiled the go-to list in categories ranging from Best Landscaping Company and Best Digital Media Agency. 

Vermont Business Magazine The SBA and VermontBiz will recognize Christopher Swasey and Natalie Beckwith of Lewis Creek Builders for their impact and economic contributions in Vermont. Lewis Creek Builders is a full-service residential design-build company in Williston. Since purchasing the business in 2017, Chris and Natalie have grown their team from six to thirty-six and significantly increased profitability, reporting 5-year growth of 217%. The SBA and VermontBiz will honor Lewis Creek as the Vermont Small Business Persons of the Year, along with eight additional honorees, at an event June 10 at the Essex Resort & Spa from 11 am to 2 pm.

Vermont Business Magazine On Wednesday, May 28th, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) will convene Vermont businesses and manufacturers in Manchester. The event will be held at the Orvis Rod Shop & Factory.  This event follows Senator Welch’s recent trip to Ottawa, where he met with Prime Minister Mark Carney and other Canadian leaders to discuss President Trump’s tariffs and trade war. On Wednesday, May 28th, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) will host a community conversation in Rutland to discuss the challenges facing Vermont, and what more needs to be done to make our communities more affordable, our businesses more successful, and our families healthier and safer.

Vermont Business Magazine The Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center (NE-DBIC) is unveiling a new grant made possible through funding from the USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation. The Organic Dairy Product Promotion (ODPP) Grant is designed to increase organic dairy in schools, child-care centers, and other youth-based programs. This unique opportunity is part of a national initiative to increase the consumption of organic dairy among children and young adults while supporting small and mid-sized organic dairy producers.

Vermont Business Magazine This weekly report is a list of planned construction activities that will affect traffic on state highways and interstates throughout Vermont for the week of May 26, 2925. Please remember to drive safely in all work zones. Lives depend on it.   

by Maggie Lenz and Nick Charyk The Scott Administration's message to lawmakers last week was clear: if they do not pass an education bill the Governor is willing to sign, they will not be allowed to go home. And while that threat has been hanging over the State House all year, last week it became a fixed point. The Legislature is being told to stay until the education bill is resolved in a way the administration deems workable. The Governor is playing his energized hand in a building that is overcome with exhaustion.

by Amanda Kuhnert As an entrepreneur, it’s easy to lose sight of your business plan after the early stages of ownership, when daily operations start to overshadow long-term goals. But this is a missed opportunity, explained Dr. Stephen Brandon, who co-owns Health in Focus, a chiropractic care center  in Shelburne, with his wife, Dr. Shelley Crombach. The couple have been working consistently with Steve Densham, an adviser at the Vermont Small Business Development Center, since 2012, when they first purchased their business. “Steve taught us that the magic is when you consistently use your plan,” Brandon said. “As you get into it and realize that some of the things you had planned for were not 100% accurate, you can go back to VtSBDC and meet with them and work with what’s real.”

by Noah Diedrich, Community News Service Those large yellow buoys floating atop Lake Champlain aren’t for monitoring the weather, nor are they for decoration. Instead, they mark the final resting places of centuries-old ships that wrecked on the lakebed. The floats are part of the Underwater Preservation Program, a 40-year-old initiative run by the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum that aims to uphold the federal Abandoned Shipwreck Act of 1987. The act looks to prevent historic wrecks from being disturbed by treasure hunters and salvagers. The museum oversees shipwrecks on Vermont’s side of the lake.