Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Developmental Disabilities Housing Initiative (DDHI) was honored at the Champlain Housing Trust annual membership dinner Thursday night. DDHI is a group of over 120 parents of individuals with Developmental Disabilities, who are working to create new peer residence housing for their family members in Vermont. DDHI was awarded the Carole Pack Volunteer Award, by the Board of Governance of Champlain Housing Trust. The award acknowledges overall advocacy for the 322 St Paul St housing project in Burlington. The project is part of a planning grant from Developmental Disabilities Service Division to create models for stable Service Supported Housing for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.  

Vermont Business Magazine Mercy Connections is recruiting women to join its Vermont Women’s Mentoring program aimed at supporting incarcerated women to successfully reenter the community. The mentorship program seeks women in Vermont who wish to make a lasting impact on the lives of other women. The population of Vermont has grown almost 26% since 1980, according to the United States Census Bureau’s most recent historical population change data, meanwhile, the Prison Policy Initiative points to the more than 500% increase in the rate of incarcerated women in that same period. This alarming trend speaks to the urgent need for successful interventions to assist women in completing programs that are alternatives to incarceration. The programs also aim to not only support women with reentering the community, but to also not re-offend.

Vermont Business Magazine ZymoChem, the biotech company creating sustainable materials for everyday products, has announced the successful commercial-scale production of the key biopolymer ingredient used in its groundbreaking first product. This follows ZymoChem’s recent announcement of the launch of BAYSE, the world's first scalable, bio-based, microplastic-free, and biodegradable Super Absorbent Polymer (SAP) as a drop-in replacement for traditional, fossil-based SAPs, a key component in disposable, absorbent hygiene products. 

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Weekly unemployment claims increased for the week ending February 8, 2025, but remain under 400 as activity has leveled off. New claims were 370, up 22 claims from the week before and are 21 fewer from last year. The holiday season brings wild swings in claims as temporary workers are hired and then laid off. The stability of the last few weeks should last until the end of the ski season. Claims, which tend to be lowest in the summer, were 181 at the end of September 2024.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark today led a coalition of 20 state attorneys general in filing a “friend of the court,” or amicus, brief to support a lawsuit aiming to block the implementation of President Trump’s executive order banning transgender people from serving in the military. The brief argues that the executive order is unconstitutional, harms national security, and discriminates against transgender people honorably serving in our nation’s military, including the National Guard in every state. The amicus brief filed by Attorney General Clark and the coalition of states supports a request for a preliminary injunction filed by a group of current and prospective transgender service members. The plaintiffs filed suit in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. The Court set the date for a hearing on February 18, 2025.

Vermont Business Magazine Bennington College has announced a record number of early admissions for the Class of 2029. A total of 1,301 applications were received in the Early Action and Early Decision I and II rounds. This is the largest pool of early applications received in the institution’s history. Of those, 477 students were admitted, which relates to a 37 percent acceptance rate. When ranked, nearly half of students accepted are in the top 10 percent of their high school classes. For those submitting standardized testing, the average ACT score was 32 and the average SAT was 721 on the evidence-based reading and writing portion and 657 on the math portion. 

Vermont Business Magazine Applications for the 2025 Eric Rozendaal Memorial Award will close on 28 February, the Vermont Land Trust (VLT) has announced. The $5,000 award recognizes land stewardship, innovation and service to community. Farmers who are actively working on or managing a commercial farm operation in the state, are residents of Vermont, and have not received this award in the past are encouraged to apply. Applicants do not have to own a farm. A selection committee consisting of leaders in the Vermont agricultural community will review and score the applications and select a winner. The award will be announced at the Vermont Land Trust’s annual meeting in the fall. 

Vermont Business Magazine Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CWST), a regional solid waste, recycling and resource management services company, has reported its financial results for the three and twelve-month periods ended December 31, 2024. The Company also provided guidance for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2025. Highlights include: Revenues were $427.5 million for the quarter, up $67.9 million, or up 18.9%, from the same period in 2023. Revenues were $1.557 billion for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, up $292.7 million, or up 23.1%, from the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023. Solid waste pricing for fiscal year 2024 was up 5.7% from fiscal year 2023, driven by 6.5% collection price growth and 3.9% disposal price growth. Net income (loss) was $4.9 million for the quarter, up $6.7 million, as compared to $(1.8) million for the same period in 2023. Net income was $13.5 million for fiscal year 2024, down $(11.9) million, or down (46.7)%, as compared to $25.4 million in fiscal year 2023. 

Vermont Business Magazine A major winter storm is forecasted to impact Vermont over Presidents’ Day weekend and VGS (Vermont Gas) wants to make sure safety is top of mind.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Treasurer Mike Pieciak joined Rutland Mayor Mike Doenges on Thursday to return over $100,000 of unclaimed property to Rutland County employers. The event was held in connection with the Treasurer’s ‘Claim Your Money’ campaign, an effort to return at least $1 million of unclaimed property to Vermonters in the month of February. “Vermonters have over $130 million waiting to be claimed, and as employers face rising costs and workforce shortages, our office is working hard to return these dollars to communities like Rutland that need it most.”

Vermont Business Magazine The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that Mura Kvec, 39, Manix Razmias, 38, and Geto Kvec, 19, all citizens of Romania, pleaded guilty to a criminal complaint charging each of them with illegally entering the United States at a time or place other than designated for entering the country by immigration authorities.

Vermont Business Magazine Advocates working to expand the existing scope of optometrists in Vermont have again taken the conversation to the state's capital. Bill S.64, introduced in the Vermont Senate on Feb. 11 by Sen. Rebecca White and 18 others, urges lawmakers to statutorily empower optometrists to perform additional procedures in their offices. A House bill is expected to follow shortly. With an expanded scope, optometrists would be able to offer laser surgery for post-cataract haze, prevention of glaucoma and early glaucoma treatment.