Current News

Northeastern Vermont Development Association Vermont Climate Council's subcommittees are hosting virtual input sessions on the Climate Action Plan (CAP) update. Learn about each subcommittee's proposed direction for their portion of the update. Join in to share your perspective on these important issues. The Vermont Climate Council is updating the state’s Climate Action Plan (CAP). Subcommittees of the Council are holding a series of virtual public meetings to get input on their initial ideas for the update. This meeting will touch on a diverse array of proposals for the Climate Action Plan – from cutting climate pollution to land use to adaptation and resilience. The 11/19 meeting will be specifically focused on actions that are implemented at the town level. 

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Stowe Mountain Resort announced Mike Giorgio as General Manager, effective Monday, November 18. Most recently, Giorgio led six Midwest resorts in the Vail Resorts portfolio as Regional General Manger based out of Mt. Brighton Resort in Michigan. Giorgio began his career with Vail Resorts nearly 11 years ago as the Executive Chef of Mount Snow, where he then spent the next 11 years running Food and Beverage. In 2021, he was appointed General Manager at Mt. Brighton, and earlier this year was promoted to Regional General Manager overseeing six Midwest resorts: Mt Brighton, Mad River, Paoli Peaks, and Boston Mills/Brandywine/Alpine Valley. Mike brings a wealth of experience and passion for enhancing the employee and guest experience. 

Vermont Business Magazine Representatives from National Life Group presented Howard Center with a check for $55,000 representing proceeds from Do Good Fest held on July 13 in Montpelier. Benefiting Howard Center and Branches of Hope, the 10th annual Do Good Fest hosted 6,500 people and raised $110,000. Festival goers enjoyed performances from Fitz and the Tantrums, Rachel Platten, Dishwalla, Couch, and Beats for Good high school musician contest winner The Radiance. The contribution will support Howard Center’s youth mental health programs and services including three therapeutic schools offering educational programs for children and youth who have social, emotional, or behavioral challenges that may interfere with their learning. Howard Center clinicians also work with students in all Chittenden County schools.

Vermont Business Magazine A Saint Michael’s College student is shining light on the lived experiences of people with disabilities – including her own – through her original play, “A Taste of Freedom,” and an accompanying panel discussion. Sadie Chamberlain ’25, a double major in Theatre and Psychology from Lyndonville, Vermont, wrote and will star in her play, the College’s fall Mainstage production. The play doubles as her senior capstone project. The play will run from Nov. 6 until Nov. 9 and will begin at 7 p.m. each night in the McCarthy Arts Center Theatre. The performances are free and open to the public.   

Vermont Business Magazine On Wednesday, October 23, 2024, Common Good Vermont convened the first annual Vermont Nonprofit Summit in Montpelier. The Summit brought together over 200 nonprofit leaders from across the state to share innovative ideas and best practices. The event offered valuable insights into topics including fundraising, organizational development, and communication, equipping participants with tools to enhance their impact. Recently released data from the federal government reports that 20 percent of Vermont’s workforce is employed at a nonprofit organization, the second highest percent of workforce in the country. 

Vermont Business Magazine National Small Business Week 2025 will take place May 4-10, 2025. SBA will officially recognize these small businesses for their hard work, ingenuity, dedication, and their contributions to the economy. Vermont Business Magazine and the Small Business Administration recognize the Small Business Person of the Year and also award other business owners in various other categories.

Vermont Business Magazine Representatives from Comcast and the Vermont nonprofit Technology for Tomorrow (T4T) recently spent the afternoon on Church Street Marketplace teaching people how to be safe on the internet and helping them with technical and online privacy questions. The informational session was to commemorate National Digital Inclusion Week, which brings awareness, recognition and celebration of digital equity efforts. T4T, based in Williston, works to bridge the digital divide by empowering individuals and organizations through affordable technology, supporting skills training, and enabling virtual opportunities through various local, state, and national collaboration efforts to help individuals and organizations reach their goals. They work with older adults, recent immigrants (particularly those with a refugee background), and people in workforce development programs.

Vermont Business Magazine The SBA has announced a single-year record for federal contracting certifications for FY24, in which the SBA certified more than 17,000 small businesses—a nearly 40 percent increase over FY23, across its certification programs for women, veterans, socially and economically disadvantaged businesses, and HUBZones. Further, the SBA also announced that its new MySBA Certifications online platform is live and accepting applications. The announcement comes as the Administrator proposes a new procurement rule to further supercharge small business participation in government contracting by expanding the number of small business set aside opportunities. The proposed rule, "Small Business Contracting: Increasing Small Business Participation on Multiple Awards," expands the ‘Rule of Two’ to multiple-award contracts.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Education announced today three additional public engagement sessions in Chittenden and Windham Counties. Visit the Agency's website to learn more about this opportunity to share your thoughts and help the Agency craft a strategic plan which reflects the priorities and needs of Vermont communities. Each public engagement session will take place from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Every session will begin with introductory information and data to support more in-depth conversations, followed by breakout sessions on topics related to student achievement and support, career and college readiness, and school budgets, among other emerging priorities. 

Community News Service reporters were out and about across Vermont on Election Day to capture scenes from polling places. Many were paired up with partner news outlets and putting together stories for them, and another cohort was headed out to places in Chittenden County to provide live updates from the polls during the day. Here you can find those dispatches.

by Cheryl Casey and Lucia McCallum As the country prepares to elect its 47th president, the biggest choice on the Election Day ballot happens to be depicted along a quiet street in Duxbury. Next-door neighbors on both sides of the presidential race decided to put some time and creativity into supporting their candidates this campaign season. The result is juxtaposed displays that boldly present the choice at hand by neighbors who have remained friendly despite their competing views. It began with a single Trump 2024 sign at Tonya and Brian Boudreau’s house. Next door while mowing the lawn in September, Sara Whitehair contemplated campaign lawn signs and whether she wanted to display one ahead of the election, too. Given her home’s spot in her neighborhood, the Whitehairs’ yard is in a good location for signs and her family has placed various signs near the road over the years. In the past, though, Whitehair said they have struggled with signs going missing. 

Vermont Business Magazine Norfolk & Dedham (N&D) and Union Mutual announced today that they have received approval from the Massachusetts and Vermont Departments of Insurance to affiliate the Companies, which are each rated A (Excellent) with a Stable outlook by AM Best. Existing leadership at the respective companies will remain in place with Joel Murray remaining in the position of President & CEO of The Norfolk & Dedham Group companies and Lisa Keysar, as President & CEO of Union Mutual. Murray will also serve as Board Chair of the newly created Group. The companies stated that they will engage in a collaborative process to assess opportunities for integration and profitable growth. Although it will take time to fully realize all the advantages of the affiliation, immediate benefits will occur through the Group’s increased scale and geographic diversification.