Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCBB) is coming to a location near you to hear input on the current state of internet service; barriers Vermonters have accessing, affording, or using it; and what can be done to improve it. You can find more information about these sessions and additional sessions that will be added on the VCBB website. Everyone is welcome at these free events. $20 gas cards will be provided at the conclusion of the events to compensate participants for their travel expenses. Snacks will also be provided.

Vermont Business Magazine As the Champlain Valley Fair approaches (August 25 to September 3), the stage is set for a local partnership aiming to make a difference in the lives of cancer patients and their loved ones. NorthCountry Federal Credit Union, the Champlain Valley Fair’s presenting sponsor, recognized the valuable opportunity to raise awareness for a community partner. Its search led to the Cancer Patient Support Foundation (CPSF), an organization that extends emergency financial assistance to people receiving treatment for cancer. CPSF serves Vermont and parts of Northern New York.

Vermont Business Magazine Today represents a major win for the future protection of Vermont’s forests, water, wildlife, and community resilience, according to the VNRC. Governor Scott allowed H.126, an act related to community resilience and biodiversity protection, to become law following strong votes in both the Vermont House and Senate. This process will determine the tools, programs, and mechanisms needed to advance to conservation of 30% of our land by 2030 and 50% by 2050.  

Vermont Business Magazine Casella Waste Systems, Inc (Nasdaq: CWST), a regional solid waste, recycling, and resource management services company, announced the signing of an asset purchase agreement on June 9, 2023, to acquire the assets of Consolidated Waste Services, LLC and its affiliates (dba “Twin Bridges”) for a purchase price of approximately $219 million in cash. The proposed acquisition, which is expected to generate annualized revenues of approximately $70 million, includes two collection operations, one transfer station, one material recovery facility (MRF), one office building that can support future growth, and several satellite properties.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott signed five bills into law, including the largest Transportation Bill in state history, and let the conservation bill, H.126, become law without his signature. He had vetoed a similar bill last year. This bill, he said, still has "unclear" language but is one which the Agency of Natural Resources can work with.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont was an attractive destination for people moving from other states during the first two years of the Covid-19 pandemic. The state saw a net gain of more than 3,000 residents in 2020 and again in 2021, the biggest increases since the IRS began tracking state-to-state migration in the early 1990s. Many of the new arrivals did not travel far. More than 19,000 people moved to Vermont in 2021, and over half of them came from states in the Northeast. About 16,400 Vermonters moved away; the most popular destinations were other New England states, New York, and Florida. The pattern was similar from 2019 to 2020.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) joined Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) to introduce the Market Access, Promotion and Landowner Education Support for Your Regionally Underserved Producers (MAPLE SYRUP) Act last week, legislation extending and expanding the Acer Access and Development Program, which supports maple syrup producers in Vermont and across the United States. Co-Sponsored by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Angus King (I-ME), and Bernie Sanders (I-VT), the bill would also rename the Acer Program to the Maple Research and Market Promotion Program.  

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Community Foundation is pleased to announce its Spark Connecting Community grant program has awarded $81,465 to 24 organizations across Vermont. Recipients, which include municipalities, schools, nonprofits, and community groups, will host local projects that strengthen community connections. Of the total awarded, $36,000 was made possible by Giving Together, a program at the Community Foundation that shares grant proposals with fundholders and donors to give them an opportunity to co-fund projects.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont rose to $3.58 per gallon today, up 2.8 cents per gallon from last week's $3.56/g. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $3.39/g while the highest was $3.85/g, a difference of 46.0 cents per gallon. The national average price of gasoline has risen 5.6 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.57/g today. The national average is up 5.7 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 144.6 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. Demand has increased as OPEC+ is cutting supply. Hefty gas price increases have occurred in several states in the Great Lakes and also in Florida.

Vermont Business Magazine A federal two-year grant of $400,000 has been awarded to VMEC, the Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center, to assist Vermont small and medium-sized manufacturers in building their supply chain initiatives. The funding comes from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), an agency of the US Department of Commerce whose mission is “to promote US innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life.”  

Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food & Markets It's not summer in Vermont without a creemee! The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets is pleased to share our new Creemee Locator Map. The map is made up of businesses with licenses from our Agency who have confirmed they are selling creemees and opted to participate in the Agency's map. This ensures you find a creemee spot near you that is open and ready for your business! The map will be a living space that grows and is updated as new creemee locations open or some close their offerings for the season, so please bookmark so you may come back year after year! 

by Christine McGowan, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund “The old adage was large columns, large trees,” said Ricky McLain, senior technical director at WoodWorks, “but we don’t need to cut down large trees to make columns and beams from wood anymore.” That was the pitch Adam Kane, executive director of the Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium, heard from McLain in 2019. Intrigued by the possibility of using mass timber, which had also been suggested by Tim Tierney at the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development, Kane decided to explore its use for an addition he was planning at the museum.