Vermont Business Magazine Over 200 business-minded community members gathered at Hula on Tuesday to support LaunchVT’s 2022 cohort at Demo Night, the program’s annual pitch night and celebration of entrepreneurship. The 2022 cohort pitched their businesses to the audience and a panel of investor judges, including Bridget Croke, John Howard, and Matthew Upton. Two businesses walked away with cash awards and all seven will receive professional services from local businesses worth over $100,000. Demo Night marks the end of LaunchVT’s annual 10-week intensive accelerator program where entrepreneurs in the cohort work with dedicated business coaches and strategic advisors to address their startup’s most pressing needs, including refining their business models, developing their go-to market strategies, and preparing for future fundraising and investment. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center (VMEC) is pleased to announce the appointment of Patrick Boyle as its next Center Director and CEO. Patrick is based at VMEC’s office on the Vermont Technical College (VTC) campus in Randolph Center. He is responsible for leading the VMEC team in their mission to strengthen and grow Vermont’s manufacturing sector, and is the focal point for the Center’s collaboration with Vermont, regional, and federal stakeholders and partners.

Vermont Business Magazine Construction on the Champlain Parkway – after 35 years since initial site work was halted – has now resumed. This week, site preparation has begun. Following the federal judge’s ruling Friday, June 17 to lift the temporary restraining order on the Champlain Parkway, construction activities on the Champlain Parkway Project began on Tuesday.  The Court gave the go-ahead to start construction while the legal challenge is pending. The City hopes to agree on a schedule resolving that legal challenge before the next construction season. 

Senator Patrick Leahy As Senators prepare to return to their home states for the July 4th holiday, it is frustrating that we have once again kicked the can down the road on providing the needed funding to address the ongoing COVID pandemic.  For months, the Administration, scientists, and health care experts have raised the alarm that we do not have the resources we need to stay ahead of this virus.  And with COVID, if you are not staying ahead of it, you are slipping behind, to the detriment of all Americans. To keep our recovery afloat, we have robbed Peter to pay Paul.  Earlier this month, the Administration announced that it is repurposing $10 billion appropriated by Congress to help purchase additional vaccines and additional therapeutics because our stocks were running low. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Education has committed $200,000 to support two national refugee non-profits with a presence in Vermont to ensure that refugee students and their families are provided with access to summer programs and community mentoring. The AOE will also leverage an existing partnership with the WIDA Consortium to offer targeted professional learning opportunities for teachers serving Afghan students and other multilingual newcomers. As of spring 2022, Vermont is now home to over 100 school-aged Afghan children and more families are expected to arrive in summer 2022. The AOE will use $200,000 in federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds to create the Afghan Refugee Partnership Grant.