Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Archer Aviation Inc, a leader in electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, and BETA Technologies, an electric aerospace company developing electric aircraft and charging systems, have announced an industry-first agreement to accelerate the roll out of an interoperable fast-charging system across the electric aircraft industry. Archer is utilizing two of BETA’s Charge Cube systems at Archer’s flight test facilities, as well as a number of BETA’s Mini Cube mobile charging systems, which Archer plans to rapidly deploy as needed. BETA’s charging system utilizes the Combined Charging Standard (CCS) – a multimodal, interoperable standard employed by the top OEMs. BETA’s charging systems are already in use at 14 locations across the eastern U.S., and development work is underway to install them at another 55 locations along the East and Gulf Coasts, as well as at Archer’s facilities in California.

by Lynn Dickinson, VSCS Board Chair, St. Albans The optimization plans at Vermont State University (VTSU) chart a path toward financial sustainability by 2027, something that has eluded its legacy institutions for far too long. When we set about this work nearly four years ago, we knew that it would be a multi-year process, informed by input from stakeholders at all levels of the organization, including faculty, staff, and students. We knew fundamental change was required from the familiar ways that we were used to and we would need to update our academic programs to be more relevant to our students and to increase efficiencies in our operations.

Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies The BIPOC community is the fastest-growing demographic in the state, with a 112% increase over the last decade. Tino and Weiwei are actively working to build generational wealth for BIPOC-identifying individuals, but their approach is not financial—it's social. They are opening doors, sharing resources, and nurturing a network that will leave a lasting impact on the BIPOC community for generations to come. Today, we introduce Tino and Weiwei, the Co-Executive Directors of the Vermont Professionals of Color Network. It wouldn't be a stretch to call them motivational speakers, this episode left us moved.

Vermont Institute of Natural Science With shorter days, the Vermont Institute of Natural Science announces that we will be open for our winter hours, November 1, 2023 through April 1, 2024. We will be open daily from 10 AM to 4 PM, and will be closed on November 23, Thanksgiving Day and December 25, Christmas Day. Winter is a special and beautiful time on the VINS Nature Center grounds. A Forest of Lights will be opening on Friday, November 24, 2023 at 5:00 – 7:00 PM! Now our second year we are sure to offer a magical experience for all. As thousands of lights transform VINS into an enchanted realm. Experience the VINS Forest Canopy Walk as you take in the lights of the season. New additions this year include a twinkling Snowflake Tunnel, the Blue & White Icicle Tower, and the Fairy Lighting Hideaway.

Vermont Business Magazine United Way of Northwest Vermont (UWNWVT), an organization dedicated to improving lives in Chittenden, Franklin and Grand Isle counties, has launched a new giving program to help small businesses make a big impact in the communities where they live, work, and play. Starting at $1 a day, small businesses can improve lives in Northwest Vermont by joining United Way’s 365 Small Business Circle. The 365 Small Business Circle has three annual membership levels: 365 Partner at $1 a day, 365 Plus Partner at $3 a day, and 365 Leader at $5 a day. Each level has corresponding benefits and opportunities to promote your business and your partnership with United Way.

by Charlotte Oliver, Community News Service Bright bracelets hang on the wire door to Jason Struthers’ duck coop. They’re relics of a time before neighborly relationships on a small cul-de-sac close to Essex High School turned sour. Since last summer, Struthers has had a license to grow cannabis in his backyard on Taft Street, where he also farms vegetables and raises some 30 ducks. The ducks provide eggs — which he sells along with the cannabis and veggies — and manure to fertilize the strain. He sells the cannabis to about a dozen dispensaries. Those bracelets on the coop came from two girls next door who used to play with the birds, he said. But the situation around Struthers, his weed and his ducks has evolved into yelling matches, lawsuits, letters to legislators and a neighborhood on edge. 

Vermont Business Magazine Ski Vermont announces the return of its popular Fifth Grade Passport Program for the 2023-2024 ski season. The Passport program provides access to 20 alpine ski areas and 24 cross country areas with more than 90 days of skiing and riding for any fifth-grade student. The Ski Vermont Passport Program provides participating fifth graders with more than 90 days of skiing—with three vouchers to each participating alpine ski area and up to three vouchers to participating cross-country ski areas—for a $30 administration fee. The program is open to any current fifth grade student, regardless of state or country of residence.  Some holiday restrictions apply, and students must be accompanied by an adult with a valid lift ticket, trail pass or season pass.

Vermont Business Magazine Consolidated Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: CNSL), a leading broadband and business communications provider, is ready for the upcoming winter season, taking steps to prepare response plans and other protocols in the event of severe weather in its service areas.  Early season storms, when wet and heavy snowfall can cause damage to trees, typically have the potential to cause the most disruption to service. In the event of severe impacts from winter storms, Consolidated is prepared to address customer needs while ensuring their safety and the safety of its employees.

Vermont Business Magazine On Monday, November 13th, at the Boston Celtics game, Burton debuted an iconic piece of sports history in rideable form: the Burton MINE77 x Celtics Floor Board, built with the famed parquet floor from the Celtics’ home arena, TD Garden. The limited-edition batch of 77 Snowboards were all built at Burton’s headquarters in Burlington, VT, from the flooring where the Celtics were crowned NBA Champions in 2008. The parquet is incorporated into the center and sidewalls of these all-terrain Process Snowboards, specially designed to celebrate the Celtics’ 77th season, a number near and dear to Burton’s founder, the late Jake Burton Carpenter, who started the Vermont brand in 1977. 

Vermont Business Magazine Ten lawyers from the Burlington, Vermont law firm Paul Frank + Collins P.C. were selected by their peers for inclusion in the 2024 Edition of Best Lawyers in America.

Vermont Business Magazine On Wednesday, November 29th, the award winning independent bottler, Lost Lantern, will celebrate the many ways whiskey can be enjoyed during the winter with its annual Winter Whiskey Wednesday drop. Created specifically to be enjoyed during the coldest season of the year, these new bottlings are sure to evoke thoughts of crackling fireplaces, home-baked holiday treats, and the dreams of summer that keep us warm on the darkest and coldest days of winter.

Vermont Business Magazine JetBlue to end service to Vermont; US DOE supports 1.2 gigawatt power line from Quebec through Vermont and NH; GlobalFoundries gets $35M from feds for next-generation GaN chips; Tax revenues stay ahead of targets despite volatility; Vermont’s unemployment up one-tenth to 1.9% in September; Burlington approves lease extension for Vermont Air National Guard at BTV; Vermont State University offers voluntary faculty buyout as part of program optimization efforts; Saint Michael’s College announces 18th president; and more.