by Kelsey Price | May 23, 2019 | Entrepreneurship, Innovation, News
The Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies (VCET) today announced new partnerships with five innovation hubs to boost startups, innovation and localized economic development throughout Vermont. The #ScaleHere platform accelerates business growth throughout the state by sharing the business resources aggregated at VCET to companies at other non-profit innovation centers outside of the greater Burlington area.
“Economic development used to be here or there, but today, it’s here and there,” said David Bradbury, VCET President. “The #ScaleHere platform shares expert advice, business mentoring and deeply discounted technology services to members in these innovation centers that can exceed $100,000 in support per company.”
In addition to VCET’s three innovation hubs in Burlington and Middlebury, the #ScaleHere partners launching today include: Do North Coworking, Lyndonville; The Space on Main, Bradford; The Mint, Rutland; Black River Innovation Campus (BRIC), Springfield; and The Lightning Jar, Bennington.
As part of the #ScaleHere platform, eligible members in these innovation hubs now have free access to a larger network of resources to help them start and grow their businesses. Platform members can connect with more than 130 business mentors, get one-on-one coaching and consulting sessions, and connect to third-party technology and business resources. The #ScaleHere platform also brings valuable financial incentives such as SaaS partner program discounts, up to $100k in cloud credits, and $20k in fee-free payment processing.
“The #ScaleHere platform is another example of how Vermonters are working together to reverse our declining workforce trends,” said Michael Schirling, Vermont Secretary of Commerce & Community Development. “Our rural communities and city centers coming together to share resources, lower costs, connect with area colleges, and ultimately aid our state’s entrepreneurs, will help the companies of tomorrow take root and grow in Vermont.”
Since launching at the University of Vermont, VCET has earned national recognition for its impacts advancing Vermont’s technology ecosystem through strategic curation of people, places, and capital, leading to business growth and investments in the local economy. Now, through #ScaleHere, entrepreneurs can thrive more broadly in any part of Vermont, inspiring business growth and innovation throughout the state. The Vermont Technology Council has provided support for this initiative along with VCET’s other key partners such as U.S. Senator Patrick J. Leahy, Middlebury College, The University of Vermont, Consolidated Communications, Champlain College, the Vermont Agency of Commerce & Community Development, and Norwich University.
by Kelsey Price | May 20, 2019 | Manufacturing, News, VTP, Workforce Training
Vermont Precision Tools, an advanced manufacturing company based in Swanton, recently received a grant totaling $12,167.10 from the Vermont Training Program (VTP).
With this grant, Vermont Precision Tools is expanding its Blueprint Reading training. The Blueprint Reading Project is a 72-hour course offered on-site. Goals of the training include defining Blueprint syntax, interpreting and applying dimensions and tolerances as defined by ASME Y14.5M-2009, performing math and geometry fundamental to manufacturing operations, interpreting multi-view drawings, and interpreting thread series and notations. This core curriculum helps employees perform valued-added tasks with a new set of skills and acquired knowledge. It also allows them to understand the technical requirements of the product so that they can be more fully engaged in the manufacturing or selling process.
“Vermont Precision Tools is grateful for the recent funding provided by the Vermont Training Program,” said Chelsea Reed, the Project Leader for the Blueprint Reading Program.
“Our Blueprint Reading and GD&T Course clearly communicates the direction of our company and assists in creating an environment where our workforce can thrive. Advanced technical education such as this further secures quality in our product and is preparing our team members for growth within the industry,” said Jesse Thomas, the instructor of the program.
Since 1968, Vermont Precision Tools has provided high-quality products to its clients built through its collaborative team efforts. These efforts are built upon the principles of mutual respect, fairness, and pride. Today, the company serves as one of the region’s top manufacturers of high-quality precision medical bur blanks for the OEM medical industry. It also is listed as one of the top manufacturing staffers in the state of Vermont. The company staffs more than 200 full-time employees at its 90,000 sq. ft. headquarters in Swanton. Vermont Precision Tools primarily services the metalworking industries. These include operations such as aerospace, automotive, cold heading, cutting tool, die casting, ejection molding, fastener, medical tooling, powder metal, stamping, and tool and die.
“Vermont Precision Tools has been in near continuous growth under Monica Greene’s leadership. We are pleased that our Vermont Training Program was able to offer support to this important Franklin County advanced manufacturer,” said Vermont Department of Economic Development Commissioner Joan Goldstein.
by Kelsey Price | May 9, 2019 | Brownfields, Environment, News, Outdoor Recreation, Renewable Energy
The Town of St. Johnsbury has been awarded $35,000 in cleanup funding to create the Three Rivers Path Trailhead Center.
The Agency of Commerce and Community Development’s Brownfields Program is sub-granting the monies from its Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund program, which was originally capitalized through grants from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The grant is earmarked to cleanup asbestos and lead at the site.
The derelict two-story building at 195 Bay Street has been vacant since 2006. The property was acquired by the town of St. Johnsbury in 2012. Redevelopment of the property has been stalled due in part to a lack of funding for hazardous waste abatement and building demolition.
“The grant will enable the town to put other funding resources towards amenities at the trailhead, including a sheltered picnic pavilion, picnic tables, a water fountain, and landscaping,” said Town Manager Chad Whitehead. “This project serves as a catalyst for the transformation of the Bay Street Riverfront for new uses focused on outdoor recreation.”
The Brownfield cleanup funding will leverage a previous Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) grant commitment of $425,000 for the greater trail expansion and redevelopment project.
“St. Johnsbury should be commended for their efforts to revitalize this blighted area and for infusing additional resources into this outdoor recreation project,” said Agency of Commerce and Community Development Deputy Secretary Ted Brady, who represents Governor Phil Scott on the NBRC.
The overall project capitalizes on local and regional assets which include the shops, services and cultural attractions in the designated downtown, and the recreational scenic potential of the Passumpsic River. The extended trail expects to bring a portion of Lamoille Valley Rail Trail users to the downtown, the most densely populated area of St. Johnsbury. The path extension, trail improvements and the Three Rivers Trailhead Center is expected to be completed by September 30, 2019.
by Kelsey Price | Apr 30, 2019 | Awards and Rankings, News, Quality of Life, Vermonting
“Livability,” “quality of life,” “sense of place”—these are all terms used to describe some of the less tangible but very important aspects of a town, city, or state that make it a good place to live. Vermont is well known for ranking high in many different criteria that measure these aspects. Here’s some recent findings:
Civic infrastructure
Vermont voters turned out at a significantly higher rate than much of the rest of the country during the 2018 midterm election, according to a recent study conducted by Nonprofit VOTE. The organization ranked Vermont 11th with a voter turnout rate of 56 percent, above the national average of 50 percent. Notably, the top 10 states have policies in place to encourage greater voter participation, including Same Day Registration and Vote at Home initiatives. (Courtesy of the Center for Research on Vermont)
Vermonters also know their US history. Recently a national civics test revealed that Vermonters correctly answered the most questions on the US citizenship test.
Community spirit
Volunteerism in general is high in Vermont, both locally and globally. St. Michael’s College, in Colchester, is among the top schools for producing Peace Corps volunteers. In state, neighbors come together in myriad ways to keep their communities vital. After the announcement that Green Mountain College would close its doors, residents of Poultney have galvanized an effort to repurpose the campus and boost their region’s economic vitality. While churches in some small towns are seeing less use, community groups are stepping in to find new ways to help their neighbors. General stores are an essential meeting place in most Vermont small towns, and when things get shaky, like they recently did in Monkton and Albany, people step up. With Vermont’s score of over 66 on the Opportunity Index (2017), it’s easy to see that to Vermonters, “community” is a verb.
Community development
Now that it’s spring, towns and villages across Vermont are embarking on projects to improve their physical infrastructure as well, kicking off road reconstructions and placemaking projects, and securing grants for new housing and clean water initiatives. Recently the National Life Group awarded eight Main Street Grants to communities from Newport to Rutland for projects as small as a downtown mural to as ambitious as transforming a downtown parcel into a river walk and trail system. And the Agency of Commerce & Community Development recently awarded Better Connections grants to the towns of Fairlee, Middlebury, and Northfield to begin transportation infrastructure projects that will also improve water quality.
Quality of Life
Vermont continues to rank highly on other criteria generally used to measure quality of life. In 2019 WalletHub ranked Vermont among the top 5 places to raise a family. And Vermont continues to rank high among the safest states in the US according to the Safewise survey.
by Kelsey Price | Apr 26, 2019 | News, VTP, Workforce Training
Department of Economic Development’s Vermont Training Program (VTP) has granted $9,760 to Green State Biochar. The three-person startup produces biochar, a hard carbon made from local waste wood, which is used in a myriad of applications including the production of energy.
In 2015, Green State Biochar owners designed, engineered, and built an innovative, working prototype pyrolysis unit (kiln) which produces biochar. The VTP grant will allow them to onboard new employees to increase operational capacity and grow the business over the next three years. It will also support the development of a biochar injection system and assembly of new production equipment.
“Having trained employees to operate our biochar kiln is essential to our continued growth. The Vermont Training Program provided us with the funds needed to bring on new employees so that they could be trained on the efficient operation of the kiln,” said Green State Biochar General Manager Donna Pion. “Teaching employees how to work the kiln was critical; previously, the founders of the prototype were the only ones who understood how to operate it. Knowing that we were subsidized through the training period for the two new employees truly helped us to move ahead. We look forward to continuing to build our workforce in the future.”
Biochar can absorb minerals, toxins, and fertilizers, reducing biomass waste. It is known to improve soil health resulting in improved plant growth and resilience. Biochar contributes to reducing carbon emissions and mitigates the challenges of runoff into Vermont’s waterways.
The company is currently working with dairy farms to ensure best management practices which utilize filtration systems for manure pits and cleaning waters.
“Green State Biochar is a small Vermont company with a big mission striving to do good for the environment. We are pleased that the training program was able to support this growth phase as they push to meet increasing demand,” said Department of Economic Development Commissioner Joan Goldstein.
