Current News

Leonine Public Affairs The Vermont legislature entered Week 16 of the session eyeing a May 10 adjournment date. The Senate approved its version of the FY2025 budget this week, and a number of key policy bills either passed out of committee or are very close to being finalized. Outside the statehouse, signs of spring were breaking through. While the legislative calendar and (slightly) warmer temps give a sense that the end of the session is near, there are numerous differences to be reconciled between the House and Senate before they can adjourn in May. Discrepancies between key spending and tax proposals—such as the House's proposal to increase the corporate income tax and the Senate's proposal to tax Vermonters' video streaming services—along with Medicaid expansion and plans to bolster the Judicial Branch, are just a few issues that the two chambers will need to resolve.

Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies Battery cell technology plays a pivotal role in the transition to renewable energy. Lightweight, dense, and rechargeable, batteries efficiently store and distribute power from sources such as solar or wind. But they haven’t always been readily available or locally sourced. Few domestic manufacturers make large-scale lead- or lithium-based systems to support a greening grid. KORE was co-founded in 2018 by Gorrill and Paul Coombs to fill a critical hole in the energy storage market –– and today, they sell to a much wider audience than just electric vehicles (“EVs”). Over the past five years, KORE has expanded to over 125 employees, acquired Vermont-based Northern Reliability Inc. (“NRI”), and broke ground on a two million square foot production facility. In a recent interview with VCET, Gorrill projected optimism about the company’s future.

Vermont Business Magazine This weekly report for April 29 is a list of planned construction activities that will impact traffic on state highways and interstates throughout Vermont. Please remember to drive safely in all work zones. Lives depend on it.

Vermont Business Magazine U.S. Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest will host a press conference at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Burlington. At the press conference, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont, in cooperation with UVM Medical Center, ATF, the Vermont State Police, the Vermont Attorney General’s Office, the Vermont Sheriffs' Association, the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife, Vermont’s Office of the Director of Violence Prevention, the Vermont Agency of Education, the Howard Center, the Vermont Medical Society, and the Vermont Department for Children and Families will discuss how Vermont is promoting secure gun storage and how secure gun storage can help address the many types of gun violence in the state. 

by Kevin Chu & Amy Spear On April 8th, over 160,000 people visited Vermont to observe the solar eclipse. Vermont briefly surpassed the 802,000 population goal that the Vermont Futures Project set last year, and we saw a glimpse of the vibrancy that’s possible in our state. Our downtowns and villages were full of life, full of people engaging in commerce and connecting with communities. When totality occurred, there was a palpable sense of shared humanity and joy. For three and a half minutes, it didn’t matter if the person next to you was a visitor or resident. It didn’t matter if they were rich or poor, what languages they spoke, the color of their skin, or who they loved. For three and a half minutes, we were all human. What we observed in the sky was rightfully described by many as a once-in-a-lifetime event. What happened on the ground doesn’t have to be. Vermont needs more people, and more people need Vermont, whether it’s for a day, a week, months, or years.

Vermont Business Magazine Since 2016, Ethan Tapper has been the Chittenden County Forester for the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation. In this role he has been recognized as a leader in the forestry and conservation community and received numerous awards and distinctions, including being named the Northeast-Midwest State Foresters’ Alliance Forester of the Year in 2021 and the American Tree Farm System’s National Outstanding Inspector (forester) of the Year in 2024. Now, Tapper is embarking on a new adventure. Tapper’s first book – How to Love a Forest: The Bittersweet Work of Tending a Changing World – will be published by Broadleaf Books on September 10, 2024 (pre-order is available now). Tapper will be stepping down as Chittenden County Forester on May 31 to publicize his book and to start his own consulting forestry business – Bear Island Forestry.

by Todd Heyman After what can only be described as a near uniform consensus in the state that Act 250 requires reforms in order to meet the challenge of the housing crisis and promote agricultural viability by facilitating diversification, the Vermont Legislature is proposing to do the unthinkable to achieve such reform in H.687: give the Natural Resources Board the authority to police itself by removing the Environmental Court from its role of ensuring compliance with Act 250. The supposed justification is that the Environmental Court takes too long and doesn’t think “deeply” enough. Rather, it merely announces whether a proposed project complies with the Act 250 statute or not.

Vermont Business Magazine Last week, the Manufacturing Institute (MI)—the workforce development and education affiliate of the National Association of Manufacturers—honored two outstanding women from GlobalFoundries (Nasdaq: GFS) (GF) at their annual Women MAKE Awards. Jennifer (Jenny) Robbins, Senior Director, Central Facilities, was recognized as a 2024 Women MAKE Awards Honoree, while Katelyn Harrison, Senior Integration Engineer, was honored as an Emerging Leader. The Women MAKE Awards is a prestigious national program that honors women who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and excellence in their careers, representing all levels of the manufacturing industry, from the factory floor to the C-suite.

Shelburne Museum Join us Saturday, May 11, for Art, Music, & Tours. Just in time for Mother's Day, Shelburne Museum opens for the season on Saturday, May 11. To celebrate the exciting new season, we're holding Community Day with free admission. Come experience inspiring new exhibitions and visit the beloved galleries, buildings, and gardens that make Shelburne Museum a place like no other. Saturday, May 11, 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., Free admission, live music, art making activities, garden and gallery tours, and more.

Vermont Business Magazine Spruce Peak Realty announces a total of more than $80 million in closed sales for The Treehouse, a spectacular four-story mountain retreat and the first all-electric building of its kind in Stowe. It is the fourth major luxury residential development at Spruce Peak in the past six years. With only one residence remaining, The Treehouse is fast approaching a sell-out as buyers look to own an incredible piece of alpine real estate within Spruce Peak's luxury slopeside community. The Treehouse exemplifies contemporary mountain living – each of the 48 residences has been designed with thoughtful details such as floor-to-ceiling windows, oak floors, local quarry granite countertops, Nordic-inspired furniture, and Vermont artwork, allowing generations to come together to enjoy mountain adventures. 

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) has awarded over $540,000 in grants to maple producers and processors through the Maple Agriculture Development Grants program. Eleven producers, ranging in size from 500 to 30,000 taps, received funds for operational efficiency, food safety, and climate resilience improvement projects. The award represented the largest ever state investment in maple producers.  Acting on the recommendation of Governor Scott’s Future of Agriculture Commission, this first-time program will help grow, develop, and sustain maple, produce, and meat businesses throughout the state.  

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont (UVM) Grossman School of Business (Grossman School) hosted the final presentations of the inaugural Joy and Jerry Meyers Cup yesterday at the Ifshin Hall Keller Room. Out of the three UVM undergraduate teams that presented their business ideas to a panel of judges, Painting With Purpose won the grand prize of $212,500 in cash, with additional in-kind services from local organizations included to ensure their successful business launch and support the Vermont entrepreneurial community. This is the first time a competition has awarded cash prizes of this magnitude to college students in Vermont. The Joy and Jerry Meyers Cup is one of two new entrepreneurial competitions launched by UVM, also including the Vermont Pitch Challenge for high school students, which recently named its first winner in the program’s history.