Current News

by Karina Dailey, VNRC If there is anything this extreme rainstorm has taught me, it’s that community resilience is critical.  I am proud of Vermont for staying strong during this relentless wet weather pattern and grateful for the outpouring of community support as we filter river sediment out of homes, yards, and businesses.  But as we think about where to go from here, it’s time we reckon with the river and give it the space and protection it deserves.  Rivers need more room to move and improved protections to support their dynamic natural systems. 

Vermont Business Magazine World Breastfeeding Week 2023 begins on August 1st, and the Department of Health along with communities around Vermont will showcase the important health benefits breastfeeding has for both infants and parents, and the supports available to make it an easy choice. This year’s global celebration will highlight the theme Enabling Breastfeeding - Making a difference for working parents, and how breastfeeding-friendly employers and communities are key partners in building a healthy Vermont where people want to live, work, and raise a family.

Northeastern Vermont Development Association The Business Emergency Gap Grant Program will provide $20 million in the form of grants to impacted businesses and nonprofits that sustained physical damage due to flooding. Business owners can seek grants to support demonstrated losses to their physical space and replacements of inventory, machinery, equipment, and supplies. The aim is to reopen businesses and bring employees back to work. Program details and and the portal to apply will open the first week of August. A link will be posted on the NVDA website as soon as it is made available.

Vermont Business Magazine Registration is now open for the 2023 Vermont Worksite Wellness Awards and Conference, to be held October 24th at the Doubletree by Hilton in Burlington. The annual conference, which has been historically attended by more than 500 business owners and leaders, human resources professionals, and wellness experts from across Vermont, is hosted by the Vermont Department of Health and the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. Most Vermonters spend more than one third of their day at their workplace. Healthy lifestyle incentives, policies, and the environment at their worksite can significantly influence employees' health. 

Tuck School of Business In 2010, Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business and Geisel School of Medicine collaborated to create the Master of Health Care Delivery Science (MHCDS)degree, a mid-career program bringing together the best minds in medicine and business. After a decade-plus of success that has produced nearly 500 MHCDS graduates, Tuck and Geisel are uniting once again for a new program aimed at early-career professionals. The Master of Health Administration (MHA) degree will prepare students to develop, plan, and manage operations and services within health care facilities and across health care systems. 

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine State economists Jeff Carr (for the Administration) and Tom Kavet (for the Legislature) today provided their regular July revenue report to the Emergency Board at the Governor’s Ceremonial office at the State House in Montpelier. Their consensus report again showed the state’s tax revenues surging. As a caveat, the report was completed just before flooding hit the state. They said the effects of which will not be known for several months. But it will not slow down the local economy or revenue expectations. To that end, they expect $78.4 million more in General Fund receipts than their revenue report from January expected for the new fiscal year (FY24) and another $18.3 million next year (FY25).

Vermont Business Magazine A Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) will open in Plainfield on July 31 to help Vermont residents affected by the floods kickstart their recovery. The joint DRC, a temporary facility established in partnership between Plainfield, the state of Vermont and FEMA, will help survivors apply for FEMA assistance, upload documents and answer questions in person.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Welch convened a meeting today with small business owners from across Vermont to discuss the challenges they are facing following catastrophic flooding in state earlier this month.  Congresswoman Becca Balint (VT-AL) participated in the meeting. Small businesses impacted by flooding are encouraged to document and report damage by calling Vermont 2-1-1. Visit the Small Business Administration and the Vermont Small Business Development Center for more resources.   

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center (VMEC) today announced a new partnership with Connex Marketplace for the rollout of CONNEX Vermont, a new program designed to strengthen the local and domestic manufacturing supply chain. CONNEX™ Vermont is a powerful online manufacturer-supplier database and connectivity platform provided as a no-cost resource for Vermont manufacturers and suppliers. The platform will combine Vermont manufacturer and supplier data into a single, accurate, searchable scouting-database to better connect manufacturers, provide supply chain visualizations and display workforce and R&D efforts within a region. 

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont pushed up 11.1 cents per gallon over the last week and now stand at $3.71/g. Prices are down 75 cents/g from a year ago. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $3.47/g while the highest was $3.93/g, a difference of 46.0 cents per gallon. The national average price of gasoline has risen 16.5 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.72/g today. The national average is up 21.4 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 45.6 cents per gallon lower than a year ago.

Vermont Business Magazine The National Life Group Foundation announced more than $1.4 million going to 119 grant recipients in this year’s grant cycle dispersed last month. Created in 2006, the Foundation offers grants to nonprofit organizations primarily in central and northern Vermont and the Dallas, Texas area where the company has offices, with a focus on ending childhood hunger and supporting youth mental health. Breakdown of funds: $701,250 supports ending childhood hunger; $596,500 supports youth mental health; $115,500 supports community development.

Vermont Business Magazine Federal funds are available for affected individuals who suffered damage to their homes or personal property caused by the July severe storms, flooding, landslides and mudslides in nine counties: Caledonia, Chittenden, Lamoille, Orange, Orleans, Rutland, Washington, Windham and Windsor. FEMA is in the community, offering survivors many ways to apply for assistance and work with a FEMA representative about their case.