Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR), the statewide, nonprofit business association advancing a just, thriving, and transformative economy that works for all people and the planet, has launched ClimateReadyVT, a new, free program designed to help small businesses in Vermont adapt to our changing climate and build resilience to climate-related business interruptions. Registration is open and the cohort will convene starting in early November.

Northeastern Vermont Development Association On Saturday, October 14th from 10 AM to 1 PM, Island Pond & the Town of Brighton are hosting one of Button Up Vermont’s annual campaign events. This event’s theme is Weatherization for All: Programs & Resources for Making Efficiency Affordable. The event will be held at the Brighton Town Hall Gymnasium. Northeastern Vermont Development Association (NVDA), Energy Committees and Energy Partners from across the NEK have worked together to offer a free, family-friendly, and affordability-focused event to everyone interested in energy efficiency. A panel of representatives from HEAT Squad, NETO, NEKCA, RuralEdge, Efficiency Vermont, VPPSA, and VEC will provide information on incentives, rebates, grants, and programs for homeowners, renters, and landlords, alike. This is the opportunity to ask questions such as “How can I afford to weatherize?”, “Is it worth the time and cost?”, and “Where do I start?” 

Vermont Business Magazine The George D. Aiken Center, home of the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Vermont, has officially become a net zero energy building. Located next to the Davis Center on UVM’s central campus, the Aiken Center now produces as much or more energy than it uses on an annual basis. In 2016, the Rubenstein School and UVM’s Office of Sustainability commissioned VEIC, a clean energy consulting firm, to develop a Zero Energy Framework that could be used to evaluate progress toward the net zero goal. 

Vermont State Auditor Doug Hoffer Below you will find two short memos addressing the state’s 10-Year Telecommunications Plan. The plan, which is supposed to guide Vermont’s telecom policies and spending, is being updated and we wanted to share our concerns while it’s in process. We are not conducting an audit, but the shortcomings in the existing plan (and the scope of work for the new one) are sufficient to warrant communication with the Legislature and the Public Service Department in the hopes they can be remedied.

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia and Counterterrorism, U.S Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) on Wednesday led 16 of their Senate colleagues in a letter to President Biden, expressing their support for the prospect of a normalization agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel and sharing their views on the parameters of the United States’ involvement in a potential normalization deal. 

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s Killington Resort, the largest ski and snowboard destination in Eastern North America and a POWDR resort, announced today that tickets for the 2023 Stifel Killington Cup will be available for purchase starting October 12 at 10:00 a.m. ET at killington.com. Taking place November 24-26, the Audi FIS Ski World Cup will once again bring the women’s giant slalom and slalom races to Vermont. The event is expected to attract Stifel US Ski Team superstars, including five-time Stifel Killington Cup slalom victor and winningest alpine skier in history Mikaela Shiffrin, and former University of Vermont skier and 2023 world champion Paula Moltzan.

Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center Check out the dozens of ways you and your teams can host an MFG Day (Oct 6) event – webinars, toolkits and so much more are at your fingertips to plan your best manufacturing event ever. Since MFG Day’s main focus is careers in manufacturing, we highly encourage you to reach out to your local Career & Technical Education Center (CTE). Host An Event Registering your event contributes to the larger MFG Day phenomenon in a major way. The more events we know about, the more people we can say we’ve affected — which inspires more interest in manufacturing. MFG Day makes a big impact in shifting the misconception of modern manufacturing. Tell your story by opening your doors – physically or virtually – and hosting an event with students, parents, educators, media, community leaders and elected officials. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Historical Society is pleased to announce that the Vermont History Museum will reopen to the public on October 10th, 2023. Housed in the Pavilion Building at 109 State Street in Montpelier, the museum has been closed since July 11th, when floodwaters inundated the building. To celebrate the reopening, museum admission will be by donation on October 10th. Admission is waived for one day, and visitors are encouraged to donate an amount they are comfortable with.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas has announced that David Hall will be joining the office as the new Director of Corporations. After serving in the Office of Legislative Counsel for 15 years, providing non-partisan legal counsel to 180 members of the Vermont General Assembly, Hall will now play an important role in overseeing the critical mission of transparency and accountability in the Business Services Division of the agency.

Vermont Business Magazine VCBB has been named a finalist for the first ever US Broadband Awards in the category of Innovation in State Broadband Deployment. The awards honor and celebrate the best solutions, programs, use cases, technology, and individuals working to connect everyone across the United States through broadband. VCBB’s entry is based on Vermont’s Communications Union Districts (CUD) model that’s made up of hundreds of volunteers from across the state who formed CUDs and have been working ever since toward one goal, universal broadband service for everyone in Vermont. Each CUD is committed to universal service, affordability, and public accountability, while being locally tailored and reflecting the will of its region and member towns.

Vermont Business Magazine A diverse coalition of Vermont organizations, including the Vermont Human Rights Commission, Outright Vermont, Neighbors for a Safer St. Albans, The Root Social Justice Center, ACLU of Vermont, Rutland NAACP, The Education Justice Coalition, the Vermont Center for Independent Living, All Brains Belong, Youth 4 Change, the Network against Domestic Violence, and the Vermont Student Anti-Racism Network is announcing the launch of a new storytelling project to illuminate, document, and address the pervasive issue of harassment and bullying in Vermont's Pre K-12 education system.

Northeastern Vermont Development Association Vermont Communities are making progress in their flood recovery and the amount of new information is decreasing, but NVDA will continue to provide updates when available for resources and funding. Also, the $20 million dollar Business Emergency Gap Assistance Program through the Department of Economic Development is for businesses, nonprofits, and landlords that suffered physical flood damage. The grant funds are to help businesses reopen their doors, bring employees back to work, and help displaced Vermonters return to their rental housing. It's not too late to apply. Learn more: Business Emergency Gap Assistance.