Leigh Cole's Vermont Business Blog

Vermont's Dynamic Outdoors Industry

2009-05-31T13:04:34Z

Live and learn! I recently learned that Vermont has a robust Outdoors Industry comprising a variety of businesses that, I confess, I had not recognized as an eclectic but discrete and dynamic business sector. I was enlightened by Matt Crawford, an outdoors journalist and free lance writer in Vermont who last year joined Pale Morning Media, a public relations firm in Waitsfield, VT that focuses on (you guessed it) the Outdoors Industry. Read the full post....

The New VBSR Venture

2009-05-12T22:53:11Z

Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR) held its annual Spring Conference last week and as usual it was inspirational and educational. At this year's Spring Conference VBSR introduced the VBSR Venture, which was very exciting for me because I was one of a small group of VBSR members who developed the VBSR Venture. Read the full post....

"Vermont in Transition" Report

2009-02-12T02:05:58Z

A report by researchers Vince Bolduc and Herb Kessel at Saint Michael's College, released this month by The Council on the Future of Vermont, examines current trends in Vermont's population and economy. Read the full post....

Vermont Company Boosting National Sales in a Down Economy

2009-02-01T13:51:58Z

Talk about strategic partnerships. Have you noticed how everyone seems to be talking about their new Keurig coffee maker at home or the office? Have you noticed that it all seems to be emanating from Green Mountain Coffee Roasters? Read the full post....

Vermonter Takes The Helm at Soda Club USA

2009-01-25T13:35:00Z

A Vermonter recently took over the helm at Soda Club USA, a distributor of home carbonation systems that are popular outside the U.S. and are a new concept in the U.S. market. Read the full post....

My Favorite Store in Vermont

2009-01-11T13:26:00Z

If you’ve never been to the Farm-Way store in Bradford, Vermont, you should go. Read the full post....

New Regulations for Cars Sold in VT

2008-12-21T13:23:00Z

There is yet another sign that Vermont is leading the green revolution and branding our state as the Green state: it has been reported that Vermont regulation now requires new cars starting with model year 2010 to carry labels with information about the vehicle’s smog and greenhouse gas emissions. Read the full post....

Urban Homesteading in Vermont

2008-12-07T13:00:00Z

I had never heard of “urban homesteading” until April 2008 when Vermont’s Governor Jim Douglas introduced an economic stimulus package that included what he called an urban homestead proposal. The concept resonated with me because a few years ago we moved from 5 acres in the country into what is the closest thing to an “urban” neighborhood in South Burlington, Vermont. Read the full post....

Immigration Policy Crosses Party Lines

2008-11-15T19:46:48Z

The recent and widely reported arrest of workers at the Lowe's construction site in Essex Junction, Vermont who apparently are illegal aliens sparked strong debate among some Vermont conservatives who generally may agree on policy matters but find themselves on opposite sides of the immigration debate. As an immigration lawyer, this does not surprise me. Immigration policy crosses party lines and socio-economic lines. Read the full post....

Chamber Awards Highlight Nonprofits

2008-11-12T14:29:46Z

Awards presented last night at the annual dinner for the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce highlight the prominence of nonprofits in the Vermont economy and business community. Read the full post....