Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that John Van Vught, 72, of Northfield, Vermont, was arrested on Friday, May 12, 2023 in Brunswick, Georgia. Van Vught is expected to have his initial appearance later today before a United States Magistrate Judge in Brunswick, Georgia. According to court records, on May 11, 2023, the federal grand jury in Burlington, Vermont returned a three-count wire fraud indictment related to Van Vught’s embezzlement of $560,000 from ValleyNet, a non-profit operating in the Upper Valley. Van Vught performed contract accounting work for ValleyNet between 2010 and July 2022. During that timeframe, Van Vught transferred $560,000 out of ValleyNet’s accounts into his personal bank account. Van Vught hid the transfers by underreporting the income ValleyNet received according to his accounting submissions. Van Vught also obfuscated his possession of the embezzled funds by purchasing properties in Georgia and Florida.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, US Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) held a press conference in Burlington calling for a stronger code of ethics of US Supreme Court Justices. Senator Welch, a member of the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, was joined by Marilyn Skoglund, retired Associate Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court, and Andrew Manitsky, President of the Vermont Bar Association and legal ethics expert. Despite multiple requests for information from the Supreme Court and hearings in the Judiciary Committee, the Court has, to date, failed to outline meaningful steps it will take to establish robust ethical standards and processes.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont (UVM) today launched its Institute for Agroecology dedicated to advancing just, sustainable food systems, and supported by a $1 million grant from the Schmidt Family Foundation’s 11th Hour Project. The UVM Institute for Agroecology, approved by the UVM Board of Trustees earlier this year, will receive base funds from the university to begin its work immediately. It will build on more than a decade of work in agroecology at UVM, pursuing research, collaboration and movement building around the world. Early priorities for the Institute will include convening national and global agroecology summits, advancing agroecology through communications and shared learning, conducting participatory research alongside farmers, farmworkers and other researchers and developing a leadership program for emerging young agroecologists. Specific research programs will focus on agroecology in the South American Andes and Africa.

Vermont Business Magazine Lamoille Housing Partnership (LHP,) nonprofit affordable housing developer, was recently awarded a $175,000 Housing for Everyone grant from the TD Charitable Foundation, the charitable giving arm of TD Bank. LHP is one of 37 non-profit organizations selected from more than 450 applicants to receive a Housing for Everyone grant as part of the TD Charitable Foundation's signature grant initiative that has helped support organizations that are focused on providing affordable housing and affordable housing services since 2005. In recent years the housing affordability crisis has continued to be a financial burden on families. As individuals and families across the country struggle with inflation and an exponential rise in rental costs, affordable housing providers face increased hardship given the growing demand for affordable rental units and emergency rental assistance.

Vermont Business Magazine It's not uncommon for a corporate employee at Ben & Jerry's to have began their career as a scooper and then move onto a corporate position, many staying for decades. But going from a tour guide to CEO? That's something else. Ben & Jerry's named Dave Stever as its new CEO on May 8, 2023. The 34 year veteran has seen it all in his career. The lifelong Vermonter, started as a tour guide in 1988 at the company's Waterbury factory, which is the state's #1 tour attraction. Stever swiftly established himself in Marketing and management and over the past 12 years as Chief Marketing Officer. One of his strengths has been working cross functionally to create impactful partnerships with the likes of Dave Matthews Band, Stephen Colbert, Willie Nelson, Sir Elton John, Jimmy Fallon, Colin Kaepernick, Netflix, Chance the Rapper, Tony's Chocolonely and Ava DuVernay. While leading the company to remain as part of the cultural zeitgeist, Stever never lost focus on the critical differentiator for Ben & Jerry's: Its mission.

Vermont Business Magazine The eleventh annual Vermont’s Greenest Building Awards, hosted by the Vermont Green Building Network (VGBN), recognized eleven projects and design/build teams. The projects received awards for achieving the highest standard of demonstrated building energy performance for commercial and residential buildings and documentation of green building strategies including health, transportation, water and affordability. Award winning projects must demonstrate an energy use intensity of at least 50% below the regional average energy use for buildings of the same end use to qualify for a Vermont Green Building Award and demonstrate an energy use intensity or at least 75% below the regional average to qualify for the Vermont’s Greenest Building Award.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott announced action on the following bills, passed by the General Assembly. This includes a charter of the Village of Alburgh, already approved by voters, to make the town clerk and treasurer appointed positions; allowing DOC personnel to be notaries public; and updating the liability for those selling alcoholic beverages.

by Ciara McEneany, Community News Service Vermont lawmakers are seeking to give workers increased protections when it comes to collective bargaining and union organizing through a bill that has passed in the Senate with a number of changes since it was introduced. The bill, S.102, would make it illegal under state law for employers to discipline or fire employees who decline to attend employer-hosted meetings that are primarily about the employers’ political or religious opinions — including unionization. The same would apply to requiring employees to look at or participate in communications about their boss’ political or religious opinions. That would, to some degree, make Vermont the fourth state to pass legislation to bar what are called captive-audience meetings. Wisconsin and Oregon passed such laws more than a decade ago; Wisconsin repealed its law after being sued, and Oregon’s withstood a court challenge. Connecticut lawmakers last year passed their own bill that has also been challenged in court. The language in the Vermont law closely mirrors that of Connecticut’s.

Vermont Business Magazine The Department of Buildings and General Services is auctioning a large assortment of state vehicles and equipment to the public beginning at 10:00 AM on Saturday, May 13, 2023, in Berlin, VT. This annual in-person physical auction is expected to be very well attended. A major collection of state vehicles and equipment will be auctioned off to the highest bidder including dump trucks, plow trucks, pick-up trucks, fleet passenger vehicles, boats, four wheelers, snow mobiles, paddle boats, riding mowers, tools, tires, miscellaneous parts, and more. In addition to the auction, a sales booth will be set up from 8:00 to 10:00 AM for the surplus “airport sharps.” The “airport sharps” include a selection of hand tools, hunting knives, pocketknives, pocket tools, and cork screws. There will also be more than a dozen sets of tires for sale that are new and/or barely used.

Vermont Business Magazine National managed cybersecurity leader NuHarbor Security didn’t compromise on culture while growing over 90% last year. The company announced that it has been named to Inc. magazine’s annual Best Workplaces list. The company was selected from thousands of companies across the United States and was chosen for demonstrating management effectiveness, fostering employee growth, and an exceptional culture. NuHarbor was also featured on the Editor’s List and four other categories and will be featured in Inc.’s May/June issue and prominently on its website.

After 45 years of practice, optometrist Dr David Garbutt is retiring and transferring his practice to Dr. Francis (Frank) Pinard of Newport Optical. Dr Pinard will begin seeing patients at 530 Washington Highway in Morrisville in early May. The Morrisville office will be a full-time second location for Dr Pinard and his associates. Ophthalmologist Dr. Mark Iverson, who shared office space with Dr Garbutt, will continue to see patients in the Morrisville office.

“We are pleased to welcome Dr. Pinard to our medical community; he brings more than 25 years of experience and, as a native Vermonter, a tremendous sense of community,” said Mel Patashnick, President of Copley Hospital. “We thank Dr. Garbutt for his many years of care and service to our community. We wish him and his wife Gail great joy pursuing their plans of gardening, traveling, and generally enjoying retired life.”

The 2014 Vermont Legislature adjourned last Saturday after putting the finishing touches on a bill that will result in this year’s state education property taxes going up another $49.5 million. This latest multi-million increase will begin showing up in property tax bills local officials must distribute starting next month. The state education portion of those bills will total $1.0169 billion, up 59 percent since the $640.1 million required just ten years ago. Those figures are net of the homestead property tax adjustment provided to the majority of homeowners.

The state’s education taxing and spending plan: