Current News

Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies VCET sat down with Dr. Grayson Zulauf, CEO of Resonant Link, creators of the world’s smallest and fastest wireless chargers. This episode is a candid conversation about what it takes to start and scale a company that crosses multiple industries, revolutionizing how some of the world’s most important technologies power up. Grayson covers the reality of fundraising, the importance of your team, and the advantages of being based in Vermont. Whether you’re starting or scaling your company, this episode offers a quick dose of invaluable advice to help fuel your journey.

Vermont Business Magazine Hundreds of high school students from around New England will travel to the Lyndon campus of Vermont State University (VTSU) to view the solar eclipse. This rare astronomical phenomenon will be celebrated by Vermont State University’s atmospheric sciences program, now in its 49th year and known for producing top meteorologists. Ari Preston, Associate Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, will help lead the event for high schoolers, including a discussion of the weather conditions (cloud cover) ahead of the solar eclipse event, a walk to the viewing area at varsity athletic field, and eclipse observations.

Leonine Public Affairs This week, as a spring storm barreled toward the state, House and Senate committees started to unpack the bills they received from the opposite chamber. After crossover, the policy landscape is a bit clearer, as the number of bills and proposals being considered has narrowed and focus zeros in on the legislation that has been prioritized to pass before final adjournment. While the policy landscape has narrowed the political landscape is as opaque as ever. The Senate is beginning the process of analyzing the broad tax increases the House approved before the crossover deadline. The Senate Finance and Appropriations committees will develop their own proposals over the next few weeks and it will be interesting to see how the Senate version of the FY2025 budget and tax packages will compare to the House. 

by Cecilia Larson, Community News Service After a four-year hiatus, the Green Mountain Film Festival returned to Montpelier’s silver screens March 15 to 17. Established in 1997 as a community-building event and filmmakers’ showcase, the festival was placed on pause during the COVID-19 pandemic and crawled out of hibernation for the first time since 2019. Sam Kann, a Vermont-based artist and art events organizer, took charge of programming the festival, no small feat. Planning began months ago for her and her team, while festival advisory board chair Christopher Wiersema and others charted course behind the scenes for two years for the spectacle’s return. The festival ran Thursday through Sunday that mid-March week, showcasing works from filmmakers local and global. 

Lake Champlain Committee (LCC) Monday April 8, 2024 the skies above Lake Champlain will go dark in the middle of the afternoon. Almost all of the lake is in the path of totality for the solar eclipse of 2024 passing through Mexico, the US, and Canada. It’s a historic occurrence—on average, any given location sees a total solar eclipse every 355 years. The LCC team is excited to experience this rare celestial event and will be heading out on foot to various viewing locations in the Lake Champlain watershed. Below we share information and resources about what a solar eclipse is, where to go, where not to go, Leave No Trace principles, a solar eclipse sundial, safety, community science opportunities, regional guides, and more to help you experience this once-in-a-lifetime phenomena.

Vermont State Police Six months after the killing of 77-year-old Honoree Fleming of Castleton, the Vermont State Police investigation into her death remains active and ongoing. Detectives assigned to the case continue their work pursuing and developing leads. Investigators are receiving tips from the public and following up on that information. Evidence analysis remains underway. The Victim Services Unit continues to provide assistance and support to the family. VSP is aware of a privately funded financial reward for information in this case but has not received any tips that can be specifically tied to the availability of this money. “We want to reassure the public that this case remains a priority, and the state police has devoted and continues to devote significant resources to the investigation,” said Capt. Jeremy Hill, commander of the Vermont State Police Major Crime Unit. “Our thoughts remain with Honoree’s family, friends, loved ones and community.”

Vermont Business Magazine Professional Financial Associates, LLC (PFA), a Vermont financial planning and wealth management firm, recently announced it has aligned with leading wealth management firm LPL Financial to support its business. By joining LPL, PFA gains access to the firm’s extensive tools, resources, integrated technology platform and business management solutions that support the delivery of financial advice to an advisor’s valued clients. In addition, PFA is relocating its office from Colchester to Williston. The opening of the new space at 380 Hurricane Lane, Suite 201, is expected by late April. PFA has been serving clients for more than 20 years, providing financial planning, investment management, retirement planning, estate planning coordination and insurance services to individuals and small business owners.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the Vermont House Committee on Human Services unanimously passed legislation (S.25) to ban per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS) and other toxic chemicals from personal care products and menstrual products, and to ban PFAS from apparel, cookware, artificial turf, and children’s products. An earlier version of the bill passed the Vermont Senate unanimously in 2023, and the bill is supported by Vermont small businesses, public health and children’s advocates, and environmental groups. It now heads to the full House for consideration.

Vermont Business Magazine Owners of the Vermont Flannel Company, purveyors of the world’s coziest flannel shirts, pajama bottoms and accessories, announced Thursday that they have acquired the assets of Vermont Teddy Bear, the largest manufacturer of teddy bears in North America. Shelburne-based Vermont Teddy Bear has delighted customers of all ages with fun, timeless, high-quality teddy bears and other stuffed animals for decades, the majority of which are made on site in Shelburne. Simultaneously, the ownership group of Vermont Teddy Bear has also sold the assets of their apparel divisions: Pajamagram, Pajamajeans and the 1 for U to an affiliate of Lionel Capital.

Vermont Business Magazine Each year the Vermont Bankers Association (VBA) holds a Women in Leadership Conference. Historically around 200 professionals working in the financial industry from around the state attend. During the conference, the prestigious Woman Of The Year Award is presented. This year the recipient of the award was Community National Bank’s CEO Kathryn (Kathy) Austin. The VBA’s Woman Of The Year Award is presented to an individual who has a long history of going above and beyond to support and lift employees up to their full potential. This support may come from mentoring, peer-to-peer exchange, and volunteerism. In her nomination, Kathy is described as an exceptional leader who leads by example. For more than 40 years, she has taken many women under her wing and encouraged growth and development. 

Vermont Business Magazine Following the recent milestones in efficiency, stability, and scaleup, Verde Technologies has attracted investment from multiple venture funds and industry veterans. Most notably, the former CEO of GE Power, Steve Bolze, has joined Verde as an investor and advisor to support the company’s continued growth.  “Verde stood out to me because of the pace at which the team is able to make progress toward changing the solar paradigm. It is clear that solar energy will play a dominant role in the renewable energy transition, especially with the tailwinds of recent legislation such as the Inflation Reduction Act.” says Bolze. “Verde’s team and technology are poised to make solar manufacturing and deployment simpler, lower cost, and more accessible.” Recently, Verde won the $600k grand prize in the US Department of Energy’s Perovskite Startup Prize. The prestigious award was selected by an expert panel focused on scalable thin-film solar technologies. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Made in Vermont Marketplace (Saturday and Sunday at the DoubleTree Hotel Burlington) is an extraordinary opportunity for Vermonters and visitors to enjoy local shopping and local companies to showcase their Made in Vermont products to an audience of thousands of prospective customers in one weekend. The trade show is dedicated to promoting the great variety of Vermont-made products . . . from furniture, specialty foods, clothing, spirits, wines and so much more! Only Vermont-based companies that make their products in Vermont are eligible to exhibit.