Current News

Vermont Business Magazine State Senator Anne Watson and Montpelier Mayor Jack McCullough joined Montpelier resident John Snell and representatives of the Vermont Natural Resources Council and VPIRG Wednesday to celebrate the 2nd Anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) at Snell’s home in Montpelier. Joined by local media, they toured his home and the energy upgrades made to it that were made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act. Snell recently installed an induction stove, and in 2023 installed four heat pumps to complete his home energy upgrades. This event comes after the U.S. Department of Treasury released data on IRA tax credit uptake that shows 3.4 million Americans took advantage of the credits — more than double the federal government’s early projections.   

Vermont Business Magazine A Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) is now open in Lyndon, at the Lyndonville Public Safety Facility from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. The joint DRC, a temporary facility established in partnership between Lyndon, the state of Vermont and FEMA, has disaster assistance specialists available to help disaster survivors apply for FEMA Individual Assistance, upload documents needed for their application and answer questions in person.

Vermont Business Magazine Bennington, Vermont is once again set to sizzle, sauté, and spice things up as the town transforms into Garlic Town, USA on Saturday, August 31, 2024, during Labor Day Weekend. This year’s festival promises to be the best yet, with enough garlic to keep the vampires—and possibly your in-laws—away for years! In 2023, over 9,000 people flooded downtown Bennington for the agricultural event. The local businesses experienced an economic boost, with an estimated $140,000 spent in one day.  

Vermont Business Magazine The Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) is announcing today the publication of the Vermont 2025-2029 Statewide Housing Needs Assessment, a five-year document the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires from government entities that receive federal funding. The findings in the report show Vermont’s statewide housing shortage remains and the affordability gap is growing as costs stretch Vermonters’ budgets thin.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) Thursday joined Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) in Bennington for the ribbon cutting and celebration of its newly modernized emergency department. The Southwestern Vermont Medical Center’s (SVMC) Kendall Emergency Department, Stout Thomson Waiting Area and Outpatient Registration along with the Richard and Pamela Ader Foundation Lobby and the Jackie and Tony Marro Café includes renovations to expand emergency services and care to Bennington and nearby communities. The project was a three-year undertaking.  

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has approved Governor Phil Scott’s request for a Secretarial Disaster Designation for six Vermont counties in response to this July’s rain and flooding events. Caledonia, Essex, Orange, Chittenden, Lamoille and Washington counties were recognized as part of the declaration. This Secretarial disaster designation from USDA makes farm operators across Vermont eligible to be considered for Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans, provided eligibility requirements are met. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of a Secretarial disaster declaration to apply for emergency loans.

Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development The Business Emergency Gap Assistance Program (BEGAP) application portal is now open. Before businesses and nonprofits apply, they are encouraged to visit the Business Emergency Gap Assistance Program page to learn how the program works and what they need to have on hand to successfully submit an application. BEGAP is a grant program for businesses, nonprofits, landlords, and farms that suffered physical damage from flooding. It is available for properties damaged in 2023 and/or 2024.

Vermont Business Magazine GasBuddy today released its annual Labor Day travel forecast, predicting the average price of gas will continue its recent downward trend, falling to $3.27 per gallon on Labor Day, the lowest Labor Day price since 2021. At $3.27 per gallon, this Labor Day’s national average would be 50 cents per gallon, or 13% below last year’s $3.77 tally, saving Americans a combined $750 million over the Friday-through-Monday travel period. Average gasoline prices in the US today are $3.33/g, down 2 cents/g from last week. In Vermont they are $3.36 per gallon, down 2 cents per gallon from last week. The lowest price in the state this week was $2.89/g while the highest was $3.79/g, a difference of 90.0 cents per gallon.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation (FPR) has been awarded a $300,000 Wood Innovations Grant from the United States Forest Service to help working lands businesses install new or upgrade existing advanced wood heating (AWH) systems. Applications are being accepted on a rolling basis. Grant funds will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, and will reimburse up to 50% of project costs (maximum grant amount of $25,000). AWH systems are automated central heating systems that use pellets, chips, or cord wood to provide heat and meet certain high efficiency and low emission requirements.

Vermont Business Magazine The Business Emergency Gap Assistance Program (BEGAP) application portal is now open. Businesses and nonprofits (including landlords and farms) with damaged property from the 2023 and/or 2024 floods are encouraged to visit the Business Emergency Gap Assistance Program page to learn how the program works and what they need to have on hand before they begin the online application process. A pre-recorded webinar walks applicants step-by-step through the process and answers several FAQ’s. All applicants seeking assistance in preparing to submit this grant application can receive help from the Central Vermont Economic Development Corporation (CVEDC). CVEDC is the statewide technical assistance provider for BEGAP. Fill out their support request form and they will follow up with resources to help.  and they will follow up with resources to help. 

Vermont Business Magazine Michael Costa will join Gifford Health Care as president and chief executive officer on Oct. 14, Gifford’s Board of Directors announced today. Costa will succeed Dan Bennett, who will retire from the role at the Randolph hospital on Oct. 11. Costa currently serves as the CEO of Northern Counties Health Care in St. Johnsbury, Vt., a role he has been in since 2019. He previously served as the deputy commissioner for the Department of Vermont Health Access, the state agency responsible for administering Vermont’s Medicaid health insurance program, and as deputy director of health care reform for the State of Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine Burlington Electric Department (BED) was awarded a $4,890,821 Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Program grant by the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration to deploy electric vehicle (EV) chargers throughout the City of Burlington. In implementing its “Charging to Net Zero Energy” project, BED plans to use the grant funds to install 153 Level 2 and 47 Level 3 fast chargers at approximately 85 publicly accessible sites. The project will expand by six times BED’s existing public charging network, encourage EV adoption, promote accessibility of EVs by including locations that will serve high numbers of renters, New Americans, Refugees, and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), and help the city meet its Net Zero Energy (NZE) climate goal. BED was the only Vermont recipient of federal grant funds in this latest funding announcement.