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Photo: Grant Spates owner of Spates Construction at his sugarhouse. Courtesy photo from Grant Spates.
by Joyce Marcel, Vermont Business Magazine People say it s hard to make a living in Vermont, but it s even harder to make a living in the Northeast Kingdom. The north country has always been the state s economic stepchild, rich in natural resources but poor in population and almost everything else.
You have to be stubborn and determined to make your business thrive there. And general contractor Grant Spates, the owner of Spates Construction, Inc, is making it work, and on his own terms, too.
Valley News - Column: Vermont needs to find its own way on broadband
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Challenge facing broadband proposal: Finding the money
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Childcare bill becoming a heavy lift
The House Committee on Human Services is working through H.171, a bill that would create a comprehensive child care system governed and subsidized by the state. The system would take several years to establish. The work began in earnest last year.
There are two critical studies in the bill. The first is the creation of an Early Care and Education Systems and Administration Advisory Committee which would ultimately advise relevant state agencies regarding the delivery of appropriate services. This 20-member committee would include representatives of three business-related representatives: the Vermont Business Roundtable, the National Federation of Independent Businesses, and Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility.