Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Southern Vermont Area Health Education Center (AHEC) is now accepting applications for its College Student Health Internship Program (CSHIP), offering paid, 100-hour summer internships for college students interested in public and community health. The CSHIP program provides students with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience working on meaningful, project-based initiatives with Vermont community and health organizations. Internships will take place during June, July, and August 2026 and are primarily remote, allowing students from across the state to participate while making a real impact in Vermont communities.

Vermont Business Magazine Saint Michael’s College recently received a $1 million gift from an anonymous donor to launch a special current-use scholarship initiative designed to make tuition more affordable for students and their families. This transformative gift directly supports the College’s expanded financial aid initiatives, which were recently introduced to increase access and affordability. “This gift has already generated another $3 million in donations from former and current trustees, alumni, and friends of the College,” said Ellen Kane, Vice President for Advancement and Communications."

Vermont Business Magazine The Richards Group, an IMA Company, has acquired the Burlington Insurance Agency of Colchester (BIA). A partnership with The Richards Group will benefit existing BIA clients by ensuring that decisions and service remain local for years to come, while expanding client services and resources. BIA’s staff will remain at their current office, located at 1241 Prim Road, Colchester, VT. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Vermont Business Magazine Brook Field Service of Northfield has partnered with Kohler Generators to support Vermonters facing food insecurity. The companies presented a $10,000 donation to the Vermont Foodbank on January 29, 2026. Owner Jim Brochhausen of Brook Field Service launched the promotion after seeing the impact of recent federal funding cuts and SNAP disruptions related to government shutdowns. He reached out to Kohler Generators, who agreed to join the effort and help bolster local food assistance.

Community Health Centers Recent legislation authorized an extension of many of the Medicare telehealth flexibilities that were in place during the COVID-19 public health emergency. These extended flexibilities ended on January 30, 2026. This means that individuals with Medicare no longer have insurance coverage for medical visits that occur outside of the office by phone or video. Psychiatry and behavioral health visits remain eligible for telehealth services.

Vermont Business Magazine Vikas Anand has been appointed Dean of the University of Vermont's Grossman School of Business, bringing extensive experience in business school administration, strategic program development, accreditation, and global engagement to UVM’s nationally ranked business school. Dr. Anand currently serves as Associate Dean for Academic Programs at the Poole College of Management at North Carolina State University, where he oversees a broad portfolio including undergraduate and graduate programs, executive education, global initiatives, career services, and marketing. Under his leadership, Poole has seen significant enrollment growth, curricular innovation, and enhanced student outcomes, including top national rankings and strong employment metrics. 

by Maggie Lenz and Gwynn Zakov If last week was a barometer of whether the Legislature is truly interested in reopening the book on Act 250 reforms, the outlook is not very promising. Since the first week of the session, both House and Senate committees with jurisdiction over housing issues have been working on various housing bills and proposed initiatives. The House General and Housing Committee is working diligently on a bill addressing property tax relief by modifying homestead property tax credits to provide increased relief, particularly for low- and middle-income homeowners, through adjustments to the income-based formulas used to calculate those credits. Another bill would create a suite of housing financing tools, including a rural tax stabilization pilot program, municipal special assessment bonds, expanded State Treasurer credit facilities for mobile home parks and bulk purchases of modular housing, and an off-site construction study program.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Treasurer Mike Pieciak stood with state and local leaders at Hula in Burlington to unveil $30 million in new housing investments to build and revitalize homes across Vermont.  Awarded through the Treasurer’s 10% in VT program, the funding will support over 450 homes statewide, including affordable, market-rate, senior, climate-resilient, and homeownership housing. The investments will leverage nearly $200 million in private and public capital, sparking future investment in cities, downtowns, and rural communities across Vermont. 

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $2.99 per gallon, up 0.8 cents per gallon from last week's $2.98/g. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $2.75/g while the highest was $3.29/g, a difference of 54.0 cents per gallon. The national average price of gasoline has fallen 0.9 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $2.83/g today.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott and the Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD) today announced the application portal for the new Community and Housing Infrastructure Program (CHIP) is now open.  CHIP, a statewide tax increment financing (TIF) tool, represents one of the largest investments in municipal infrastructure in Vermont history, with the potential to invest $2 billion between now and 2035. The program is designed to help Vermont communities of all sizes unlock housing opportunities by investing in critical public infrastructure.

Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets UVM Extension and the Northeast Cover Crops Council invite you to attend the 2026 No-Till and Cover Crop Conference on February 19 in Burlington, VT! Every year, this event brings farmers, technical advisors, agricultural businesses, agencies, researchers, students, and consultants together to discuss updates and insights on reduced tillage and cover cropping practices. Topic highlights include soil compaction, soil health, nutrient management with no-till and cover crops, interseeding, and cover crop seed production. New this year is a second afternoon track specific to vegetable farmers.

Vermont Business Magazine Concept2, the global leader in rowing oars and fitness equipment based in Morrisville, celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2026, marking five decades of innovation, durability, and community-driven performance. Founded in 1976 in a dairy barn in northern Vermont by Dick Dreissigacker, Peter Dreissigacker, Bari Dreissigacker, and later Judy Geer, Concept2 began by revolutionizing competitive rowing with the world’s first carbon-fiber oars. That same spirit of innovation led to the creation of the Concept2 RowErg, now the gold standard in indoor rowing.