Current News

Vermont Business Magazine This weekly report is a list of planned construction activities that will have traffic impacts on state highways and interstates throughout Vermont for the week of October 23, 2023. Please remember to drive safely in all work zones. Lives depend on it.

by Jules Older Don't let that headline fool you — I bat left. I know the 2020 election wasn't rigged, I think abortion is a woman’s right, I'm sure Bill Gates didn't invent covid vaccine so he could control the world, and I'm dead-certain that yes, Black lives do matter. Oh, and climate change is both real and really alarming. I bat left, but I can switch-hit. When my team comes up with a terrible idea, I say so. When it comes up with two in a row — read on. The first dumb doctrine has been around for a long time; in my view, way too long a time. The notion that so irks me is — heavy sigh — appropriation.

Vermont Arts Council From federal tax policy to state grant programs to local public art commissions, public policies and government investments play a critical role in the wellbeing of Vermont’s artists, makers, creative businesses, and cultural institutions. We are excited to present these free webinars to empower and inform Vermont’s creative sector advocates. All are welcome to these sessions aimed to help us strengthen the creative sector at every level.

Vermont Business Magazine Kingsbury has accepted a Construction Risk Partners Build America Award in Las Vegas from the AGC of America for New Specialty Construction Renewable Resource Innovation at Goodrich Farm AD1. This is the northeast’s largest anaerobic digester in Salisbury, VT. This 12.4-million-dollar anaerobic digester project was built with the Goodrich family, Vanguard Renewables, and Kingsbury Companies, LLC. Vanguard is a national leader in developing food and dairy waste-to-energy projects.

Agency of Commerce and Community Development A reminder that the Business Emergency Gap Assistance Program (BEGAP) application portal is closing at 5 p.m. on Monday, October 23rd. All applications must be completed and submitted by then, including those that are currently considered incomplete. Please check the portal.  If your application is visible that means it is incomplete.  Please open it and take the necessary steps to complete it. If it is not visible, that means your application has been properly submitted and is under review, in the queue to be reviewed, or has been approved.  You will receive a status update once that review is complete.

Vermont Business Magazine Ben & Jerry's is unveiling its best Non-Dairy recipe yet: a new, smooth, and indulgent oat-based formula. The nearly 20 existing Non-Dairy flavors in pints and scoop shops will make the switch to the new and improved base by Spring 2024, beginning with Ben & Jerry's fan favorites Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and Chocolate Fudge Brownie. Fans can also look forward to a Non-Dairy version of a favorite, dairy classic being added to the line up next year – the first created with the oat recipe in mind.

Vermont Business Magazine iSun, Inc (NASDAQ: ISUN), a leading solar energy and clean mobility infrastructure company with 50-years of experience accelerating the adoption of innovative electrical technologies based in Williston, has announced a strategic partnership with Cleantech Industry Resources, LLC, a highly-automated provider of energy project development and engineering services. This partnership allows iSun to hone its expanding core turnkey EPC business, while CIR concentrates on its growing development-as-a-service and engineering services business. The arrangement is also designed to reduce any conflicts for iSun with its many developer partners, while CIR continues to work with a wide range of developers and renewable energy asset owners.

Vermont Business Magazine In recognition of Careers in Construction Month, Vermont Works for Women (VWW) has announced the 2024 schedule of their free trades training program for women and gender-expansive individuals ages 16+. In addition to offering Trailblazers in the usual South Burlington and Rutland locations, the program is expanding to Newport and Brattleboro next year. 

Vermont Business Magazine Have you ever tasted a nearly 100-year-old spirit? A century may have once seemed impossible to consume in one snifter. But now — compliments of an innovative spirits maverick — you can finally mix a cocktail with time itself. BHAKTA Spirits, the world’s preeminent House of Vintages, announced today the national debut of its new flagship spirit, BHAKTA 1928 (SRP $69). A boundary-breaking blend of straight rye whiskey, XO Calvados, and ultra-aged Armagnac named in honor of the most ancient vintage contained in each bottle, BHAKTA 1928 unifies America’s finest rye with France’s two most exquisite brandies.

Vermont Business Magazine Smugglers’ Notch Distillery is expanding once again! In mid-November, visitors to the charming village of Stowe will be able to stroll Main Street and stop in to try Smugglers’ Notch vodkas, gins, bourbons, cream liqueurs, and barrel-aged maple syrup in their new tasting room at 112 Main St.  Guests can explore how oak barrels develop complex flavors in bourbon, sample single barrel pours, and get a taste of Vermont’s Mountain Spirit on a leisurely wander about Stowe village. Meanwhile before the Stowe grand opening, visit one of their other tasting rooms which were recently voted as one of four top tasting room experiences in the US. 

Public Assets Institute The Covid pandemic shaped Vermonters’ commuting habits. According to new U.S. Census data, nearly 15,000 fewer workers commuted daily in 2022 than did so before the pandemic. Almost 80 percent of those pre-pandemic commuters drove alone. The Census data also show nearly 56,000 Vermonters working from home last year, up from nearly 23,000 in 2019. Vermonters may be sliding back to their old ways, however. Commuting alone inched up and remote work inched down in 2022 as compared with 2021.

Vermont Business Magazine MVP Health Care (MVP) and The University of Vermont Health Network (UVMHN) today announced that their Medicare Advantage Plan, called UVM Health Advantage, will include new benefits in 2024 tailorable to each customer’s health needs. At a time when 65% of patients say coordinating and managing health care is overwhelming and time consuming, UVM Health Advantage offers Medicare-eligible customers in Northern New York and Vermont an unmatched health care experience and personalized support at every step of the way. Enrollment in the plan begins October 15, with coverage starting on January 1, 2024.