Current News

Vermont Business Magazine ECFiber customers on the Basic Plan will see their service speed increase at no additional charge starting October 1^st. This is the sixth time ECFiber has increased the Basic Plan speed without a price increase. Originally a $75/month charge for 5 megabits per second in 2011, the speed is now 20x faster and the monthly charge has decreased to $72. Moving the Basic Plan to 100 megabits per second for both download and upload – symmetrical service – makes ECFiber’s entry-level offering equal to the federal government’s target of 100/100 for new network construction funded through state offices like Vermont’s Community Broadband Board, which has awarded some $17 million in construction grants to ECFiber to build the Fairlees, Bradford, Newbury, Topsham, Corinth, and parts of Washington and Windsor.

Vermont Business Magazine Dartmouth Health Children’s, a world-class pediatric healthcare system with 12 locations across New Hampshire and Vermont, unveiled the DH Children’s Connector, a pioneering knowledge management platform designed to unify and streamline care delivery across its extensive network of pediatric services. Developed in partnership with clinical resource management leader C8 Health, the DH Children’s Connector gives healthcare professionals instant access to up-to-date clinical information, evidence-based best practices, and trusted educational resources to ensure consistent, high-quality care for patients.

Vermont Business Magazine More than 100 Vermont employers will receive awards next month for their efforts to improve the health and wellbeing of their employees, both on and off the job. One special recipient, University of Vermont’s Employee Wellness Manager Cara Hancy, will be recognized as the state’s outstanding contributor to worksite wellness. The awards will be given by the Vermont Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports during a ceremony on October 10 at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Burlington. The Vermont Worksite Wellness Outstanding Contributor Award recognizes an individual who has substantially increased access to wellness resources within their organization and instills a culture of wellness. The recipient must foster wellness in multiple arenas, including physical activity, nutrition, work-life balance, mindfulness, and social connectivity.

Vermont Business Magazine Great Gulf, the developer of the upcoming one-of-a-kind master-planned village at Killington, announces a minority investment in the new ownership group purchasing the Killington Resort and Pico Mountain. The new group's existing connections to Killington align perfectly with Great Gulf's goal of creating a community that is deeply rooted in the Vermont ethos. Great Gulf's plans for a new four-season resort-style residential community and village, offering innovative modern architecture, transformative amenities, and stunning landscape design, continue to progress.

Vermont Business Magazine The Windham Foundation (the Foundation), based in Grafton, Vermont, announced today that it is seeking a partner or buyer for its iconic Grafton Village Cheese Company (GVCC.) A program of the Foundation for decades, the Cheese Company is the award-winning producer of hand-crafted aged cheddar and cave-aged sheep milk cheeses. Part of the mission of the Windham Foundation is supporting Vermont rural towns economically and culturally, the Cheese Company being an example of a local food company that benefits both agriculture and employment. Last year, the Foundation brought in CEO Curt Alpeter, a seasoned business leader, to position the company for long-term success. Curt said he sees great opportunity for the GVCC brand with adequate financial support. Curt and a committee of the Windham Foundation Board that oversees GVCC have determined that taking advantage of this opportunity will require either new investment to grow the company or a sale to a better positioned partner with access to larger markets.

Vermont Business Magazine The Department of Health continues to urge residents to take steps to prevent mosquito bites after an Addison County horse tested positive for eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) last week. The horse, which was tested on Sept. 23, was unvaccinated and is now deceased. EEE, which spreads through the bite of an infected mosquito, is rare but can cause serious and life-threatening illness in people and some animals. Although the risk is lower as temperatures cool and mosquitoes are less active, prevention is still important. The town of Salisbury has been added to the list of high-risk towns where health officials strongly recommend limiting evening outdoor activities until the first hard frost in their area. High-risk towns now include Alburgh, Burlington, Colchester, Salisbury, Sudbury, Swanton and Whiting.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Education announced today that Caitlin MacLeod-Bluver, of Winooski High School, is the 2025 Vermont Teacher of the Year. Caitlin will officially start her role as Teacher of the Year on January 1, 2025. Also recognized are the 2025 Distinguished Finalists for Vermont Teacher of the Year: Jeremy DeMink of Edmunds Middle School and Sonya Shedd of Wolcott Elementary School. Caitlin has been teaching at Winooski High School for six years, and 14 years in total. As a history teacher, English teacher, and reading specialist, she creates powerful, culturally responsive learning environments where students feel respected, valued, and encouraged to embrace their full identities.

by Sharon Harper, UVM The University of Vermont (UVM) Grossman School of Business (Grossman School) honored four businesses on Friday, September 27, 2024, at the 13th edition of the Vermont Legacy & Family Enterprise Awards. The ceremony celebrated enterprises that excel in their innovative practices, corporate governance, and contributions to their communities and industries. Each year, an open call for nominations is made and selected companies are invited to apply. Submitted applications were reviewed by a judging committee composed of past winners of these awards, including Archana Chaudhary, Molly Heaney, Jen Fleckenstein, Paul Ligon, and Steve Schlesinger. Dr. Pramodita “Dita” Sharma, University Distinguished Professor and Schlesinger-Grossman Chair of Family Business, at the Grossman School of Business, served as the non-voting Chair.

Vermont Business Magazine The Legislature allocated $50,580,000 of this funding across two new grant programs — the Capital Investment Program (CIP) and the Community Recovery and Revitalization Program (CRRP) — and authorized the Department of Economic Development (DED) to design them. Under CIP, grant awards were limited to the lesser of $1.5 million or the estimated net State fiscal impact (NFI) of the project which was to be calculated by the Legislature’s and Administration’s economists. The office of the Vermont State Auditor Accounts released an audit of the programs today, of which it took several issues. Included here are the associated maps and tables documenting the entities that received the CIP and CRRP awards and dollar amounts that go with the accompanying story.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine State Auditor Doug Hoffer released an audit today of the Department of Economic Development’s implementation of two programs funded with $50 million of federal COVID money – the Capital Investment Program and the Community Recovery and Revitalization Program. The two programs were created to address the negative economic impacts of the pandemic while leveraging opportunities to grow Vermont’s economy. The programs were chosen for audit because the Department’s administration of an earlier COVID business grant program had internal control problems, raising the risk that taxpayer funds would be misspent. DED Commissioner Joan Goldstein took issue with many of the findings in audit, including that the rules the department had to follow were federal because it was federal funds that were being dispersed.

Vermont Business Magazine Traffic delays are expected near the Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) located at Waterbury Armory (294 Armory Drive, Waterbury, VT. 05676) due to road construction along Union Street from September 30 to October 1. The DRC remains open today to support survivors from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Conditions are expected to improve by Wednesday, October 2.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.18 per gallon, down 3.8 cents per gallon from last week's $3.22/g. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $2.69/g while the highest was $3.44/g, a difference of 75.0 cents per gallon. The national average price of gasoline has risen 1.4 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.17/g today.