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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. 

Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets The Capital Equipment Assistance Program (CEAP), administered by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets, provides financial assistance for farms to purchase equipment that will provide improvements to water quality on their farm. Successful applicants will show how their requested equipment will increase or improve their utilization of conservation practices or otherwise reduce runoff on their farm. The maximum award amount for this competitive grant is between $25,000 - $100,000, depending on the type of equipment and applicant. There is a 10% match requirement. 

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Building projects may not be as visible as they were a few years ago, with prominent projects at Jay Peak, the University of Vermont and the University of Vermont Medical Center going up. The most obvious construction projects today are those involving infrastructure for two reasons. One, the need to upgrade culverts, bridges, highways and other projects that have been undermined by the floods of July 2023 and August of 2023, as well as the more recent floods in July of 2024. Two, many infrastructure projects were in response to the COVID-related recession and recovery, with much of that money coming from the federal government, especially the Biden administration’s infrastructure grants. The state still has nearly $2 billion in the bank earning significant interest, but that money is earmarked for many of these projects.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Commercial real estate in Vermont is at an inflection point, as anyone can see driving around the state, especially in the more developed areas. There is a glut of office space. This will take many years to fill up. If it ever does. In the post COVID environment there are many more people, of course, working remotely. And no one believes that all of those people will come back into the office and certainly not into the office at the same levels as pre COVID. So one of the questions is what are we going to do with all that office space? It is not easily converted into housing. Especially in the office buildings we're looking at now. The major problem is the plumbing. In a typical office building, the plumbing is centrally located, which is not conducive to apartment conversion.

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 September 30. Please remember to drive safely in all work zones. Lives depend on it.