We’ve all heard frequently over the past weeks how these are uncertain and challenging times.
It is clear that the tech sector and digital and tech-enabled businesses have had to make adjustments to address the new realities of remote work and changing customer needs and priorities.
Many of our vtTA member businesses have been able to stave off layoffs, despite dealing with reduced activity resulting from the pandemic. At the same time, some have seen increased business as the types of remote and IT services they provide are in demand. As Vermont begins to reopen, tech could be the sector best positioned to rebound. The vtTA has always said that tech and digital-enabled businesses represent one of Vermont’s greatest economic growth opportunities – and that could be even more so as we recover. Vermont could become a more appealing place to pursue a tech career or to start or expand a tech business.
That could be helped with continued efforts to enable significant broadband coverage everywhere in Vermont – something the vtTA has advocated for over many years. The shutdown has highlighted communities where it is lacking, as some students and employees struggle to work remotely. If there’s silver lining, it is the awareness among our political leaders that more progress is needed and that it should be a priority. Federal COVID-19 funding could potentially provide an answer.
The Vermont Department of Public Service has proposed a
broadband expansion plan
using federal COVID relief funds, to connect all Vermonters. Under the plan, the state would provide internet providers with subsidies to build-out broadband to homes that lack connection, or have poor service, benefiting nearly 70,000 Vermonters. The vtTA supports this proposal as an opportunity for the state to get connected.
The Vermont Technology Alliance is ready to help our members and others wherever we can. We’ve offered free webinars on topics of interest to tech and other businesses, and our next session on June 17 will offer
tactics to improve SEO
. Let us know of any needs or specific information, recognizing that the Vermont Agency of Commerce
COVID-19 Resource page
is a good source for Vermont information for business.
There are some businesses that are hiring, or looking ahead to fill staffing needs. We encourage our vtTA members to take advantage of the free job listings on our
Career Center
, visited by job seekers in and outside the state. Members can add the openings themselves, or we can handle the job posting for you (we regularly review our members’ openings and add them). Send them to
admin@vtta.org
.
If you’re not a member and would like to take advantage of our Career Center, consider joining. Your membership gives you free posting of your job openings throughout the year, among other benefits.
Stay well, stay safe, and stay positive.
Jeff Couture
Executive Director
Vermont Technology Alliance
|
|
The Power of SEO: 5 Tactics to Drive Awareness, Engagement, and Leads
(June 17, 2020)
The Vermont Technology Alliance presents a free
Let’s Tech Together
webinar with Julia Scott of J. Scott Marketing discussing five tactics to boost a website's SEO to drive awareness, engagement, and leads.
|
|
Scott Presents $400 Million Economic Relief and Recovery Package
(May 20, 2020 – Vermont Business Magazine)
Phil Scott announced a $400 million economic relief and recovery package, using funds from the $1.25 billion the state received from the Federal CARES Act.
The two-phase proposal, which is expected to be the first of multiple packages necessary to fully recover, will start with $310 million for immediate emergency relief to the most impacted sectors and businesses to be followed by $90 million in long-term recovery investments.
Much of the focus of the relief package is aimed at businesses that are struggling the most during the COVID-19 pandemic: Tourism, food & beverage, retail, and the dairy industry. But, Scott added, any business damaged during this crisis can apply for one of the grants or loans.
|
|
Tech Startups among the LaunchVT 2020 Cohort
(May 15, 2020 – VTDigger/Press Release)
LaunchVT has selected the seven Vermont businesses that will be participating in its 2020 Accelerator, which includes tech startups. This is the eighth cohort of startups to come through LaunchVT’s acceleration program. Over the past seven years, LaunchVT has provided business development support, strategic coaching, and over $700,000 in cash and services to accelerate 51 Vermont startups.
The startups selected for the 2020 LaunchVT Accelerator Cohort are:
DriveAbilityVT, LLC, Liminal Beverage, NuttyLife, PackageAware, Resonant Link, Skri Technologies, Inc., and Vermont Tortilla Company
|
|
State Stepping up Broadband Efforts
(May 14, 2020 – VTDigger)
State leaders are accelerating efforts to get people connected to the internet during the Covid-19 crisis, The Department of Public Service released a draft emergency broadband plan to provide immediate relief to people without high-speed connections and to give all Vermont residents broadband access by 2024. Much of the discussion with legislators centered on whether the state could use its existing money from the federal CARES Act — $1.25 billion — to build out new broadband services.
|
|
EC Fiber Expands Broadband Coverage to Four VT
(May 15, 2020 – Vermont Business Magazine)
ECFiber’s governing board voted to add four towns to its coverage area: Windsor along its southern edge, and Fairlee, West Fairlee, and Corinth along its northern edge. The action came at the annual meeting of the East Central Vermont Telecommunications District, the municipality that delivers broadband as ECFiber. The district now has 27 member towns and expects to complete construction of its network this year in all areas of its core 23 towns that do not have access to cable Internet.
|
|
Comcast Extends Services to 430 Addresses, Delivers 250 Chromebooks to Vermont School District
(May 12, 2020 – Vermont Business Magazine)
Governor Phil Scott announced that Comcast will begin a network expansion project this summer to extend broadband service to more than 430 addresses in seven Vermont communities, including Arlington, Berlin, Derby, Newport Town, Salisbury, Sheldon and Winhall.
Attorney General TJ Donovan announced Comcast had donated 250 Chromebooks to the Orange-East Supervisory Union (OESU), which did not have reliable access to tablets or computers. OESU consists of schools servicing Bradford, Newbury, Corinth, Groton, Ryegate, Thetford, Topsham, and Wells River.
Read more about the service expansion
here
and the donation
here
.
|
|
Burlington Code Academy to Launch UX Bootcamp in June
(May 12, 2020 – Burlington Code Academy)
vtTA member Burlington Code Academy has announced the launch of a new technology education program focusing on user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design. The first session of the program will begin on June 8, and span 12 weeks and will employ project-based learning to prepare students to work as UX practitioners in a professional setting.
|
|
Burlington Mayor, BTV Ignite, and Burlington Telecom Announce Accelerated Timeline for New Community Investment
(May 10, 2020 – BTV Ignite)
BTV Ignite, a public/private partnership in Burlington, VT., Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger, and Burlington Telecom, announced an accelerated timeline for community investments, as well as new programs developed in partnership with the University of Vermont and community partners focused on supporting businesses, the local workforce, and economic development. They include grants for Burlington-based STEM & workforce training for Burlington, new investments for Burlington-based businesses, and a new program to connect small businesses with technical support to develop an online presence.
|
|
Many Vermonters Interested in Telecommuting after Covid-19 Crisis, Survey Finds
(May 7, 2020 – VTDigger)
After Covid-19 forced many workplaces across the state to go remote, some Vermonters may try to continue telecommuting even after their offices open up again, according to a new survey.
A University of Vermont researcher found that 55% of 610 Vermonters surveyed said they would telecommute to work more when things returned to normal. But workers said their employers could do more to help — 68% said their workplace should do more to support telecommuting.
People cited several reasons why they liked telecommuting, including the convenience of working from home, feeling more productive and having more time with their families.
|
|
Hula is a tech accelerator, coworking campus, and venture capital fund focused on elevating Vermont-based companies. At Hula, they believe Vermont is the ideal place to live, work, and play. That is why they are striving to make Vermont the ideal place for growing businesses. Hula’s 14-acre lakeside campus is currently under construction in Burlington's South End and is set to open in late 2020. Join the community of daring entrepreneurs and disruptive innovators at Hula.
|
|
Vermont Technology Alliance Membership Update
The Vermont Technology Alliance works on behalf of its members and is able to carry out its mission through the support of its membership.
New members include Galen Dow and John Wright.
|
|
Join the Vermont Technology Alliance
Join the Vermont Technology Alliance and be part of our growing tech community. The Vermont Technology Alliance welcomes all businesses, organizations and individuals who make up and support Vermont's diverse, tech-based economy to join our business association. Members benefit from vtTA's advocacy, programs, events, communications, and services – including job postings in our Career Center – and networking and business opportunities.
We are happy to learn about your business or organization and tell you more about our organization – contact
jeff@vtta.org
. You also can find more information
here
, or sign up today to be a new member
here
.
|
|
Useful Information & Links
|
|
Changes Announced to Vermont’s Security Breach Notice Act
Governor Phil Scott signed Bill
S.110
on March 5, which implemented significant changes to Vermont’s
Security Breach Notice Act, 9
V.S.A. §§ 2330 & 2335, which go into effect on July 1, 2020. In particular, the scope of data defined as
Personally Identifiable Information (PII) has expanded
, and the permissible circumstances under which
substitute (non-direct) notice is permissible have been narrowed
.
Find the letter with these and other details
here
.
|
|
VCET Unveils New Resources in its #ScaleHere Program
VCET announced new offers and discounts through its #ScaleHere Program. They include new programs for online accounting from Intuit’s Quickbooks, and a digital mail service from Earth Class Mail, which add to its current list of major discounts from partners such as payment processor, Stripe, and free cloud storage from Google, Amazon and Digital Ocean.
|
|
Governor's Institutes of Vermont Announces Summer Immersions Lineup
The Governor's Institutes of Vermont (GIV) announced details for summer 2020 online Immersions. At GIV Immersions, students will join a cohort of other eager young learners exploring a topic they love and related career options. From designing, building, and prototyping a hardware proposal based on real-life Mars missions with former NASA engineers at the Technology & Design Immersion to researching and evaluating local watershed ecosystems in the Environmental Science Immersion, there is something for every passionately curious young techie in Vermont. Tuition is now pay-what-you-can and a full refund will be issued if students need to cancel at a later date, so they have nothing to lose by applying now.
|
|
Facility Startup Survey
RL Kistler, a vtTA member, has issued a short survey to better understand businesses’ specific building needs and new initiatives in preparation for phase I of re-opening. The survey takes five minutes to complete and can be found
here.
RL Kistler is part of The Stark Tech Group Facilities Health & Wellness Program, which helps create strategic plans for the reopening and continued health, cleanliness, and air quality of buildings and the implementation of measures and procedures to keep occupants safe, healthy, and comfortable.
|
|
vtTA Career Center
Vermont Technology Alliance member companies are hiring, and when you visit the
Career Center
on the
Vermont Technology Alliance website
you can browse and search for these job openings and subscribe to updates. The Career Center currently has
200+
tech and non-tech jobs
with Vermont Technology Alliance member businesses and organizations. Jobs available from vtTA members are listed at no charge in the Career Center as a member benefit.
|
|
The vtTA Thanks Its Member/Sponsors
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
