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VermontBiz Governor Phil Scott on March 18 announced the death of former legislator and business and political leader Tim Hayward. Among his many accomplishments, Hayward was Governor Douglas' Chief of Staff for eight years and helped guide Richard Snelling, Jim Jeffords, Douglas and Scott, among others, through the political process. Governor Scott issued the following statement: “I join so many Vermonters in mourning the passing of our friend Tim Hayward. Tim was a true giant of quiet, selfless service, and he worked every single day to do his part and then some. He was a proud marine, legislator, and senior advisor to many." He was 82. 

Vermont Business Magazine Nearly 100 Vermont businesses from various industries completed the 2024 annual economic survey assessing the outlook of Vermont’s small- to medium-sized businesses. The survey, presented by Davis and Hodgdon CPAs and the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, demonstrated that business owners are more optimistic about the U.S. economy than they are about the Vermont economy. This is the opposite of attitudes displayed in survey results from the same timeframe in 2023. When asked to identify and rank the top issues facing their business in 2024, owners ranked “finding qualified employees” as their biggest issue (37%) and property taxes second (17%). The biggest factors for those that identified staffing as a challenge for their business, included the lack of candidates, lack of housing within the state, and their inability to offer competitive wages due to limited profitability.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $3.29 per gallon, up 4.6 cents per gallon from last week's $3.24/g. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $2.99/g while the highest was $3.44/g, a difference of 45.0 cents per gallon. The national average price of gasoline has risen 4.4 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.44/g today. 

Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food & Markets With sugaring season in full swing, Vermont Maple Sugar Makers throughout the state are hosting a Spring Maple Open House Weekend. On March 23rd and 24th, more than 90 sugarhouses and maple partners will open their doors for pancake breakfasts, sugar-on-snow, tours, syrup samples, and so much more! A full map and list of participating sugar makers and partners are available on the Vermont Maple webpage. Travel to a corner of Vermont you haven't been to before and join in the sweet celebration!

Vermont Business Magazine The annual ‘First Tapping’ event recognizes the importance of Vermont’s maple industry with a ceremonial tapping of a maple tree by Governor Phil Scott.  This year’s event is being held at Buck Family Maple in Washington.  Governor Scott will be joined by the Buck Family, Vermont Agriculture Secretary Anson Tebbetts and Allison Hope from the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers Association.  A tour of the sugarhouse and surrounding woods will follow the event.  Helping the Governor celebrate will be Vermont sugar makers, officials and area children who will all partake in a taste of Vermont maple at the Buck Family sugar house following the tapping event March 18 at noon.

Vermont Business Magazine The Department of Vermont Health Access (DVHA) is encouraging providers to review their financial needs in regard to the ongoing Change Healthcare system outage. DVHA is committed to offering weekly advance payments to providers for anticipated costs that would otherwise be billed through the Change Healthcare system. While this outage continues, DVHA wants to ensure that all providers are investigating whether they are affected by the Change Healthcare outage, and reaching out to their provider representatives for assistance as needed. 

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont is the US state with the fourth-greatest rate of Irish heritage, according to a new study. As people across America prepare to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, casino sweepstake comparison site Casinos Sweeps analyzed the latest 2022 Census data on the ancestry of residents in each US state, comparing the total state-wide populations with the number of people with Irish ancestral roots. They were then ranked from top to bottom to reveal the states with the highest percentage of Irish heritage. Vermont is home to the fourth-highest rate of Irish descendants in America. The least populated state to feature among the top-performing regions, Vermont has approximately 105,520 residents of Irish descent, 16.39% of the state’s entire population. 

Community News Service The wood stove roared in the center of the one-room Ryegate Town Hall as town voters assembled for town meeting day to address their most burning questions this year: Is the budget transparent enough? And, does the town want a weed store? Roughly 100 residents attended the meeting — people who have lived in town for 30 years or more and others who came for their first meeting. The hall didn’t have enough seats. State Rep. Bobby Farlice-Rubio, D-Barnet, gave a five-minute speech about legislative activity this session and answered general questions. But in Ryegate, the focus stayed on local business. Even the national presidential primaries on the ballot Tuesday in Vermont took a back seat, many Ryegate voters said, to the town matters that drew them to participate.

by Vermont Small Business Development Center For nearly 35 years, Robert Paul Galleries has been at the heart of Stowe’s thriving community of artists. So when the original owners, Robert and Gail O'Toole, retired last May, residents Jack Morris and Alexandra Weathers embraced the opportunity to purchase the business and build upon the O'Tooles’ decades-long legacy of connecting artists from around the world to Vermont’s largest town. At only 22 and 23 years old, respectively, Morris and Weathers set out to operate the gallery with three specific goals in mind: to bring people together through art; to have a strong presence in Vermont’s developing art scene; and to create an experiential gallery featuring the works of both emerging and seasoned artists.

Vermont Business Magazine America's SBDC Day is set for March 20, 2024, a day that will unite nearly 1,000 Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) across the country and the hundreds of thousands of clients they've served in their 43-year history. On March 20, Vermont’s Small Business Development Center (VtSBDC), along with clients, stakeholders, and community partners, will celebrate in person and virtually, posting on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn throughout the day, using the hashtags #SBDCDay and #VtSBDCDay. Participants are encouraged to like, comment, and share how VtSBDC has created a difference in their lives and communities.

Vermont Business Magazine On April 16, Ben & Jerry's is throwing its annual Free Cone Day celebration, and while any day free ice cream is involved is a win, the Ben & Jerry's team behind the annual fan appreciation event, now well past its 40th year, are inviting fans to help make this year's Free Cone Day the biggest and best yet with 1 million scoops served. Last year, Free Cone Day made its highly anticipated return after a four-year pause, and dedicated Ben & Jerry's fans showed the Vermont-based ice cream maker just how happy they were that the giveaway tradition was back. The beloved tradition began in 1979 as cofounders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield survived their first winter – as a tiny, independent, two-person ice cream business – in the frozen tundra of Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine With an ambitious plan for the future and an eye to its history, the University of Vermont’s (UVM) Royall Tyler Theatre turned 50 on March 14 and will host a celebration five decades in the making when alumni return to campus on April 12-13 for a series of panels, workshops, and exhibits, a book signing, and a musical theatre revue featuring theatre alumni and current students. In recognition of the Royall Tyler Theatre’s history of producing “over three hundred plays, musicals, concerts and similar productions for the benefit of the University community and the general public,” Governor Phil Scott declared March 14, 2024 as “Royall Tyler Theatre Day” in the State of Vermont.