Current News

VermontBiz and the Vermont Chamber of Commerce revealed the ranking of the top 50 Best Places to Work in Vermont 2022, at a ceremony on April 6th at the DoubleTree Hotel. There were over 300 people in attendance. The number 1 company in each category is: Small (15-99 employees) – New England Excess Exchange Ltd; Medium (100-249 employees) – New England Air Systems LLC; Large (250+ employees) - Edward Jones.

Vermont Business Magazine On April 6, Governor Scott signed bills of the following titles: H.628, An act relating to amending a birth certificate to reflect gender identity; H.722, An act relating to reapportioning the final representative districts of the House of Representatives and the senatorial districts of the Senate. On H.628 he said, “This bill takes an important step forward towards building a more equitable Vermont. Working to make our state more welcoming and inclusive for all must be a priority, and this is another important step towards that goal. I want to thank the legislators, advocates, and members of my Administration for working together to advance this bipartisan initiative and I’m happy to sign it into law.”

Vermont Business Magazine There were plenty of reasons why Sydney Swindell, Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT), wanted to open her new practice, Fyzical Therapy & Balance Center, in Vermont. For starters, Vermont’s aging population, famously among the nation’s oldest, would provide a ready and growing market for her services. She also understood that our state’s extremely active population, regardless of age, would need her; as Sydney observes, while an active lifestyle boosts personal fitness and health, it can also increase risk of injury.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health today is reporting 219 cases of COVID-19 for Tuesday. The VDH reported no additional deaths for 620 statewide. As the Omicron BA.2 variant is now the most common coronavirus variant in New England (84 percent), overall cases have increased 22 percent in the region over the last week; hospitalizations have increased 2 percent and are rising this week.

Vermont Business Magazine Providers and patient care teams across the UVM Health Network in both Vermont and New York’s North Country are now connected via Epic, a single electronic health record (EHR) system, hospital and Health Network officials announced Wednesday, after Alice Hyde Medical Center (AHMC), Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital (CVPH), Elizabethtown Community Hospital (ECH) -- including nearly 40 North Country ambulatory practices -- launched the EHR on Saturday, April 2.

Vermont Business Magazine Mia Schultz, president of the Rutland Area Branch of the NAACP, will deliver the commencement address at Castleton's 235th graduation ceremony on Saturday, May 14. Schultz is an educator, organizer, and problem solver - as well as an ardent champion of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and promoting the voices of people of color throughout Vermont. She was named president of the Rutland Area NAACP chapter in 2021.

Vermont Business Magazine As the US continues to make progress with the vaccination rollout, the attention is now turning to how quickly we can recover from the pandemic and return to something resembling economic normality. Research by TOP Data indicates that some states are faring much better than others, with the Pandemic Recovery Index revealing that Vermont is recovering best overall, with large states like New York and California struggling in comparison.

Vermont Business Magazine 1% for the Planet — the global network of individuals and businesses that has donated more than $350 million to support environmental nonprofits around the globe — today announced the launch of an innovative philanthropic fund providing environmentally focused investments and grants. The new 1% for the Planet Impact Fund at National Philanthropic Trust (“Planet Impact Fund”) is available to donors of all sizes with a commitment to the environment.

​Vermont Business Magazine MemberXP, a member experience management software from CU Solutions Group, has named Vermont Federal Credit Union one of their 2022 Best of the Best award winners. The coveted Best of the Best award is given annually to credit unions that consistently provide exceptional service, as reported by their own members. Only the highest-performing credit unions using the MemberXP platform are given this honor.

VermontBiz How can leaders truly make a difference? Former Walmart executive Claire Babineaux-Fontenot—now CEO of the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization and second largest U.S. charity—will share her insights on the April episode of 21st Century Business Forum.

Babineaux-Fontenot oversees the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization and second largest U.S. charity. Feeding America is a nationwide network of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meals programs. Together, the network provides more than 4 billion meals to more than 46 million people across the United States and supports programs that improve food security for the families they serve.

Vermont Business Magazine The dedication of the Mamadou N’Diaye Resource Center brought the Northern Vermont University Johnson Campus community together to celebrate this new space for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) students. Created by the Coalition of Minority Students (COMS) as a safe place for people of color in a predominantly white campus community, the resource center is named in memory of a former NVU student.

by Fred Kenney, Executive Director, ACEDC Labor force shortages continue to be foremost for every employer. The factors that got us to where we are developed over a long period of time and were exacerbated by COVID-19. The shortages are driven primarily by individual and family choices, such as early retirements. These are choices that are difficult for policymakers to impact and results that are difficult to change.