Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Ocean State Job Lot (OSJL), the region’s premier discount retail chain with 159 stores across the Northeast, is pleased to announce that it is in the process of acquiring 15 Big Lots locations in eight states. Legal documentation is being finalized. OSJL plans to open up to 22 new stores this year, including the 15 former Big Lots locations and five to seven additional locations. The company’s growth in 2025 will add two new states, Maryland and Delaware, to OSJL’s geographic footprint. The Big Lots locations, each slated to open by mid-summer 2025, are in Somers Point, Barnegat, and Cape May, NJ; Chester, Easton, and Elkton, MD; Dover and Seaford, DE; Harrisburg and Trexlertown, PA; Dansville and Liverpool, NY; Webster, MA; Morrisville, VT; and Auburn, ME.

Vermont Business Magazine The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on March 13, 2025, Christopher Morgan, 21, of Chicopee, Massachusetts, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss to a term of 78 months’ imprisonment to be followed by a 5-year term of supervised release. Morgan previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and cocaine, and to using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. According to court records, Christopher Morgan and co-defendant Javon Calderon spent substantial time in Bennington, Vermont, in 2022 distributing fentanyl and cocaine. During a portion of that time, Morgan and Calderon were hosted by co-defendants and Bennington residents Shavonne Doucette and Kyle Winnie. Morgan and Calderon employed locals to sell drugs for them. Doucette and Winnie also occasionally sold drugs for Morgan and Calderon.

Vermont Business Magazine The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont announced that Jennifer LaBonte, 45, of Essex Junction, was sentenced on Monday in United States District Court in Rutland to four months of imprisonment following her guilty plea to a charge of wire fraud. U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Lanthier also ordered that LaBonte serve a one-year period of supervised release following completion of her prison sentence. She also ordered LaBonte to pay $192,675 in restitution and a $7500 fine. The court noted that, prior to sentencing, LaBonte had paid in full her restitution obligation. LaBonte must surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on May 6 to begin serving her sentence. 

Vermont Business Magazine Commerce Secretary Lindsay Kurrle announced the 2025 Historic Preservation and Barn Preservation Grant awardees at the State House on Tuesday. The program is awarding $373,026 in matching grants to 23 preservation projects across eleven Vermont counties. The program is awarding $373,026 in matching grants to 23 preservation projects across eleven Vermont counties and 22 preservation grants. 

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont House Democrats held a press conference at the Statehouse on Tuesday afternoon to respond to Governor Phil Scott’s veto of the Budget Adjustment Act (BAA) and highlight the urgent need to protect the state’s most vulnerable residents. The House-passed BAA incorporated 99% of the Governor’s proposed changes, demonstrating a strong commitment to compromise. However, House Democrats insisted on modest but critical provisions to support affordable housing initiatives and extend emergency shelter assistance through June 30. They said that Governor Scott’s veto, on the other hand, disregards the immediate needs of hundreds of Vermonters, including children, veterans, and individuals with disabilities.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Works for Women (VWW) and the Vermont Adult Career and Technical Education Association (VACTEA) are excited to announce Women in Welding, a collaborative effort to create accessible pathways for welding training and careers. Research shows that exploration and training in female-only cohorts breaks down barriers and removes bias that typically exists for women in historically male-dominated fields. 

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine In a surprise move late Tuesday afternoon, Democratic leadership sent a letter to Governor Scott conceding key elements of the Budget Adjustment Act that the governor vetoed on Friday. While the Democrats have a majority in both the Senate and House, they do not have enough votes to override a veto. In their letter, Senate President Pro Tempore Philip Baruth and Speaker of the House Jill Krowinski wrote that they "will acquiesce to his requirements" to remove relatively small but politically significant portions of the BAA. In particular Scott opposed inclusion of $1.8 million to continue the hotel/motel homeless appropriation. This was one of three housing items cut from the $163 million BAA (of a total FY25 budget of $8.7 billion), which included $2.8 million for disabled housing and $8.6 million to Vermont Housing and Conservation Board (VHCB) for home building.

Vermont Business Magazine Every year, over 200,000 families across the United States face the challenge of having their children hospitalized for long-term stays. ​ In these situations, caregivers often need flexible work arrangements to provide the support their child requires. ​The Unbuckled Foundation, founded in 2023 by Becca and Blain Newton after Becca’s employer terminated her following their three-year-old son's leukemia diagnosis, empowers caregivers of children with long-term illnesses by connecting them with essential legal resources. ​ These services, now being piloted at the University of Vermont Children’s Hospital, reach families who need support while managing their children’s health.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, convened Vermont and Canadian business leaders for a roundtable in Newport, Vermont —near the U.S.-Canada border—to discuss President Trump’s Trade War and how the Trump Administration’s reckless tariffs are hurting workers, families, and farmers.

Vermont Business Magazine Today the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Vermont District Office is celebrating the Vermont Small Business Persons of the Year and 8 additional honorees as it prepares for National Small Business Week, which will take place May 4-10, 2025. The SBA 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%.  

Vermont Business Magazine The New England Ski Museum has announced the recipient of this year's Spirit of Skiing Award: Ralph DesLauriers and the DesLauriers Family of Bolton Valley, Vermont. The public is invited to an après-ski celebration on Saturday, April 5 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Timberline Lodge in Bolton Valley where delicious hors d-oeuvres will be served. Each year, the New England Ski Museum honors an individual who truly embodies the memorable adage of Otto Schniebs, the 1930s Dartmouth ski coach: "Skiing is not just a sport — it is a way of life." Winners of the Spirit of Skiing Award in the past have included Tom Corcoran, Stein Eriksen, Herbert Schneider, SE Group, Penny Pitou, and Georg Capaul.

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office announced that Robert Lavallee, 31, of Bristol, Vermont, was sentenced Monday in Vermont Superior Court, Addison Criminal Division, after pleading guilty to one felony count of Luring a Child. The Court, Judge Robert Katims presiding, sentenced Mr. Lavallee by agreement of the parties to 18 months to five years in prison, all suspended under a 10-year term of probation with conditions that mandate completion of sex offender programming, limit his contact with children, and restrict his access to the Internet. If Mr. Lavallee violates the terms of his probation, he may face up to five years in jail. Mr. Lavallee is also required to register as a sex offender until 10 years have elapsed since completion of his sentence.