Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Launched in 2012 as a pilot program and now held annually on the first Friday in October with events that continue throughout the month and beyond, MFG Day - Manufacturing Day - is a national grassroots movement that demonstrates the reality and future of modern manufacturing careers. Thousands of companies and educational institutions nationwide are invited to open their doors to students, parents, educators and community leaders.  MFG Day empowers manufacturers to come together to address their collective challenges so they can help their communities and future generations thrive. To celebrate the importance of Vermont manufacturing careers, VMEC and Burlington’s Generator Makerspace are teaming up to co-host “Advanced Manufacturing Day - Can We Make It?” The complimentary event will be held on Thursday, October 10, 2024 from 3 - 6 pm at Generator's facility on Sears Lane in Burlington. 

Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies In this episode, we sit down with Erin Fagnant, a powerhouse in marketing and leadership. From her days working with the Red Sox to becoming a partner at KSV, Erin’s journey is packed with insight. She shares the unfiltered truth about what it takes to run and sustain a thriving agency through both the highs and the lows. Erin’s story of resilience and grit will leave you inspired. Whether you’re passionate about marketing, focused on keeping your business strong, or curious about the inner workings of a nearly 50-year-old company, this conversation is for you. 

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont author Ethan Tapper’s first book – How to Love a Forest: The Bittersweet Work of Tending a Changing World – will be published on September 10 by Broadleaf Books. The launch of How to Love a Forest will be celebrated with an event at Burlington City Hall’s Contois Auditorium at 7 PM on Tuesday, September 10. How to Love a Forest, which has received the endorsements of prominent environmental authors such as Bill McKibben, Doug Tallamy, Ben Goldfarb and others, is – in the author’s words – a reimagining of forests and other ecosystems and what it means to care for them. It asks: what does it mean to love a forest? How do we respond to the harmful legacies of the past? How do we use our species' incredible power to heal rather than to harm? How do we reach toward a better future?

by Sunny Eappen, MD, MBA, president and chief executive officer at UVM Health Network Health care is expensive, whether you’re receiving it or providing it. While most of us already know this hard truth, it’s at the center of attention as Vermont’s 2025 hospital budgets are being reviewed by our regulator, the Green Mountain Care Board (GMCB). For us at University of Vermont Health Network, this isn’t a problem we think about once a year when we submit our budgets. Every day we hear directly from patients, many of whom are our friends, family and neighbors, who are looking at their hospital bill or insurance premiums and wondering how they’re going to make ends meet. That’s why everything we do, including the budgets we recently presented, is guided by the principle of: how do our patients access the high-quality care they need, deserve, and can afford?

by Holly Sullivan, Community News Service Textile artists and farmers shared woven wares Sunday as dozens turned out for Fiber Fair in Winooski. The event, held at the Winooski Farmers Market, celebrated Winooski’s mill town history, providing a space for community members to learn about and purchase handmade goods that were once a city staple. The Heritage Winooski Mill Museum next door, which organized the fair, brimmed with posters, story quilts, blankets and more as exhibits traced the threads between modern Winooski and its history as a wool manufacturing hub. 

Vermont Business Magazine Casella Waste Systems, Inc (Nasdaq: CWST), a regional solid waste, recycling, and resource management services company, recently honored three organizations for their leadership in sustainability as part of Casella’s annual Sustainability Leadership Awards. The Casella Sustainability Leadership Awards recognize partners and customers who best exemplify what we can achieve when we work together to reduce waste, increase recycling, and advance the circular economy. Each year, winners are selected from an inspiring slate of nominees, including municipalities, businesses, manufacturers, and higher education and healthcare institutions.

Vermont Business Magazine The former Price Chopper supermarket located at 168 Ames Dr. in Barre, VT has completed its conversion into Vermont’s newest Market 32. The over 59,000 square foot store becomes the 50th Market 32-branded location in the chain. The Price Chopper store closed at 7 p.m. on Thursday, September 5 for the finishing touches to be applied. The newly renovated Market 32 reopened at 6:00 a.m. on Friday, September 6, to a distinctively modern look and feel marked by open spaces, soft earth tone décor, product-focused displays and murals, and improved lighting. The brand emphasizes convenient, ready-to-eat foods; fresh, handcrafted, and locally grown, produced, and manufactured products; and intuitive product adjacencies (e.g., greeting cards next to the floral department; craft beer next to salty snacks). 

Vermont Business Magazine Barr Hill Gin, America's most awarded gin and creator of Landcrafted spirits, announces its 7th Annual Bee's Knees Week, set for September 20-29, 2024. This initiative combines cocktail culture with conservation, aiming to protect vital pollinator habitats across the United States. As a 1% for the Planet partner, Barr Hill will provide funds to 1% for the Planet-approved partners on outcomes that benefit pollinators and communities. Since its inception, Bee's Knees Week has helped create more than 700,000 square feet of pollinator habitat. This year, Barr Hill sets an ambitious goal: to reach 1 million square feet pledged and planted by the end of the event.  

Vermont Business Magazine Price Chopper/Market 32 customers and teammates raised $113,855.80 during May and June for its annual “Fill A Glass with Hope/Fill A Plate with Promise” campaign in partnership with the Northeast American Dairy Association, Garelick Farms, and local food banks. During this campaign, customers were encouraged to round up their change at the register. Combined with a $10,000 corporate match, the total gift of $123,855.80 helps provide local food banks with the means to purchase milk and other nutritious foods for the families they serve.  Based on contributions throughout the state, Vermont Food Bank will receive $7,442.19.

Vermont Business Magazine Elli Parr LLC, the celebrated Vermont-based jewelry brand, is thrilled to announce the grand opening of its new flagship store & headquarters in South Burlington, VT this October. This flagship location represents an expansion for the brand and promises to be a vibrant addition to the local community. The new store, located at 41 IDX Dr. South Burlington VT [formerly the space occupied by Ideal Weight Solutions] will be a one-stop destination for jewelry lovers, offering an extensive range of handcrafted jewelry pieces from Elli Parr alongside a curated selection of complimentary products from small, independent makers & brands specializing in accessories, beauty, and body products. 

Vermont Business Magazine Fidium Fiber has expanded its multi-gig speed fiber network, with service now available to more than 2,000 combined New Hampshire (Northumberland, Stark, and Stratford) and Vermont (Maidstone) homes and businesses.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas, in collaboration with Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak and Winooski Mayor Kristine Lott, released a PSA video today about voting access in Vermont. The three leaders created a video, with a shorter version shared on social media and a longer version posted on YouTube, that explains and reinforces Vermonters’ right to register and vote in the upcoming November 5th General Election. The YouTube video has subtitles accessible in many languages: viewers can click CC > Settings > Auto-translate for language options.