Current News

by C.B. Hall, Vermont Business Magazine Brattleboro’s Food Connects joins the VermontBiz 100+ roster this year on the strength of 2023 total sales estimated at $3.1 million — an upswing from 2022’s $2.3 million, according to CEO Richard Berkfield. Incorporated in 2013 as a nonprofit, Food Connects aims to “cultivate healthy food and farm connections in classrooms, cafeterias and communities,“ Berkfield said. The company occupies 17,000 square feet, including 14,300 square feet of cold and dry storage, in the Brattleboro Development Credit Corp.’s industrial park on the north edge of the Windham County town. The company employs 29 full- and part-time workers.

by Amanda Kuhnert The Elmore Store has been the hub of the small rural town of Elmore for centuries. The white clapboard building, built in the early 1800s, is where residents stop for a gallon of milk, pick up their mail or catch up with neighbors. But in 2020 this community staple was in danger of shutting down when the owners decided to sell after 36 years in business. Thankfully, a group of community members stepped in to save the store. They formed the Elmore Community Trust and purchased the building, with the goal of leasing the store and post office space on the first level, along with two additional apartments.

Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies From directing the Peace and Justice Center to directing VSJF, Ellen Kahler has been a leader in advocating for human well-being to be at the center of Vermont's economic model. Hear about how she is breaking boundaries and supporting Vermont employees/employers. Not to mention, this episode is PACKED with resources.

Girls on the Run Vermont needs coaches! Girls on the Run is a physical activity-based, positive youth development program that inspires students in 3rd through 8th grade to be joyful, healthy, and confident. The ten-week program incorporates movement into its curriculum to empower participants to develop critical life skills, build confidence, cultivate positive connections with peers, manage their emotions, and stand up for themselves and others. Volunteer coaches utilize a curriculum to engage teams of girls in fun, interactive lessons. The spring season begins the week of March 18. Teams meet twice a week for 90 minutes and the program culminates with all teams participating in one of two noncompetitive, celebratory 5K events in Essex and Manchester, VT.

Leonine Public Affairs This week legislative committees continued to review new bills and bills carried over from 2023. It felt a bit like the calm before the storm as Governor Phil Scott will deliver his FY2025 budget proposal on Tuesday, January 23. The Republican governor and Democratic legislators have sparred over spending since 2023, when the legislature overrode the governor’s veto of the FY2024 Budget. 

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports, a leading nonprofit in the adaptive sports industry committed to providing year-round sports and recreational opportunities to people with disabilities, recently announced that 2023 marked a historic year of growth and impact for the 37-year-old organization. Vermont Adaptive provided a record-breaking 5,336 total activities and outings to participants in 2023, showcasing a remarkable milestone in its commitment to fostering inclusive and accessible outdoor experiences. This achievement represents not only a new record for the organization but also a testament to its mission to expanding opportunities for and access to adaptive sports and recreational programs. The organization also saw an 18% increase in total individual participants, with 1,096 individuals benefiting from Vermont Adaptive's diverse range of year-round programs.

BHAKTA Spirits, the world’s preeminent House of Vintages, has announced the launch of its inaugural rye vintage, BHAKTA 2013 Straight Rye Whiskey (SRP $149). Symbolizing a significant step forward for the paradigm-pushing spirits portfolio, this landmark limited release will claim its place in the annals of whiskey lore alongside the astronomically-valued early career creations of the brand’s founder, Raj Peter Bhakta. After inciting the “Rye Revolution” of the ‘00s and ‘10s through the iconic success of WhistlePig Whiskey — which he founded alone from a broken-down dairy farm in Vermont, and which exploded into a beloved billion-dollar brand — Bhakta made his name as a market-mover with a sixth sense for trendspotting.

Vermont Business Magazine Civil and environmental engineering firm Fuss & O’Neill, with offices in White River Junction and Williston, Vermont, has announced a strategic partnership with Trilon Group, a family of infrastructure consulting businesses. The partnership gives Fuss & O’Neill additional capital and resources to expand its services and markets in the Northeast, while better serving its clients. Founded in 1924, Fuss & O’Neill is a leading provider of engineering services with offices in each New England state and New York. 

Vermont Business Magazine GMCB approves OneCare Vermont’s FY24 budget with modifications; Mobile sports wagering to launch in January; JetBlue to return service between BTV and JFK after waiver expires; Vermont unemployment rate ticks up again to 2.1% in November; Personal income, Transpo Fund bog down tax revenues in November; John Grismore stripped of police duties, still Franklin County Sheriff; ISO New England anticipates sufficient power, no controlled outages. 

Vermont Business Magazine Citizens Bank has announced it has opened its annual Small Business Community Champion Award Contest, which will again recognize the positive contributions small businesses make within their communities. Now in its seventh year, the contest will award $10,000 each to 30 small businesses across Citizens’ footprint, including 10 minority-owned and 10 women-owned businesses. This year, for the first time, Citizens will also set aside five of its 30 awards exclusively for veteran-owned businesses along with five other qualifying businesses. The contest is open until 5 p.m. ET on Feb. 1, 2024.

by Charlotte Oliver, Community News Service The parents of the 3-year-old who drowned at Smugglers’ Notch Resort last summer are prepared to sue “potentially liable parties,” says their lawyer, including the manufacturer of the lid that should have prevented Tate Holtzman from falling into a 3,500-gallon cistern that July. “This was a preventable tragedy caused by an incredibly dangerous product lacking certain available safety features, made all the more dangerous by its improper installation and lack of warning,” family attorney Jennifer Denker told Community News Service via email last week. “The product was sold without an available safety feature that would have saved Tate’s life,” she said.

Vermont Business Magazine Labor union Scoopers United and Ben & Jerry’s, Burlington Vermont Scoop Shop have reached a historic first contract together. In a statement, the union said that: "This joint celebration is a testament to the leadership and collaboration required of both parties to create such a monumental first contract. It also speaks to the ease that follows working with a company that prioritizes workers' rights and their desires to unionize. While anti-union corporations such as Starbucks "state" we will bargain in good faith, which is the legal minimum that the law requires, they know that labor laws are weak and such statements about "good faith bargaining" are hollow at best. Ben and Jerry's did more than bargain in good faith. They showed up to sessions, listened to their workers – acting on their concerns– and reached an agreement that was unanimously celebrated and ratified."