Current News

The Vermont Department of Corrections (DOC) is conducting internal administrative and medical reviews following the death of an incarcerated individual on Friday. Anthony Giallella, 85, of Brattleboro, Vt., was receiving end-of-life comfort measures at the SSCF infirmary following treatment in a medical facility. At 13:25, a Correctional Officer observed signs of medical distress during a routine visual check. SSCF medical personnel were notified and responded immediately. Mr. Giallella was pronounced deceased at 13:35. The official cause of death will be determined by the Vermont State Medical Examiner but is not considered suspicious at this time.

Vermont Business Magazine Venture 7 Advisors, a Burlington, Vermont-based merger and acquisition advisory firm, announced the recent sale of manufacturing and construction company Energy Smart Building of Starksboro, Vermont to private investor Kevin Moyer. Venture 7 served as the exclusive advisor to the sellers in the transaction. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.   Energy Smart Building represents the very best of traditional, honest New England craftsmanship. Their Vermont Frames division is one of the very few (and the largest) hand-cut timber frame makers in the US. The timber frames they cut fit together precisely using true mortise and tenon joinery and will stand for hundreds of years. They have produced more than 3,000 buildings including family homes, single floor retirement homes, barns for workshops or studios, and large commercial buildings.

Vermont Business Magazine Northeast Kingdom residents looking for a new job/career are encouraged to sign up for a new Broadband Installer Apprenticeship Program. Free training starts this spring for a career as a fiber optic internet network maintenance technician, splicer, or installer. NEK Broadband is building a 2,800-mile high-speed network to connect every address in the Northeast Kingdom and Wolcott that is currently underserved or unserved. “We need more workers to get this job done, and we’d love to keep it local and employ as many people from the Kingdom as possible,” said Executive Director Christa Shute. The course will include safety training, technology instruction, classroom and online work, and OSHA training.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Mayor Miro Weinberger made several announcements regarding the future of Memorial Auditorium: The City will not be moving forward with any of the respondents to last October’s Memorial Auditorium’s Request For Proposal (RFP) process. The Mayor anticipates that the City will release a new RFP for Memorial Auditorium and the municipal parking lot west of the building in the coming months. The new RFP will have narrower goals and objectives to encourage more responsive proposals. This next step will include public engagement through the Parks, Arts, and Culture Committee. The City is in the process of carrying out the stabilization work recommended to reduce the potential for further weathering or structural failure over the next 3 to 5 years. This is to reduce the potential of injury to people in and around the building and enhance the feasibility of a potential renovation to occur in the future. The roof structure stabilization has been completed and the masonry stabilization will be put out to bid this spring.

Vermont Business Magazine E4H Environments for Health Architecture announces today the LEED Gold certification of the Miller Inpatient Building at University of Vermont Medical Center. E4H, the top ranked design firm solely committed to healthcare and health science + technology facilities, worked with sustainability consultants Thornton Tomasetti to design a state-of-the-art facility that prioritizes patient comfort, staff safety, and environmental sustainability. The 162,000SF inpatient bed tower uses 40% less energy than a comparable hospital facility.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Land Trust is accepting applications for 2023 Eric Rozendaal Memorial Award to recognize business innovation, environmental practices, and giving back. The $5,000 award is given for land stewardship, innovation, and service to community. It is intended to for farmers who are actively working on or managing a commercial farm operation in the state, are residents of Vermont, and have not received this award in the past .

Vermont Business Magazine The Addison County Chamber of Commerce has announced the grand opening of the new Addison County Visitor Center, located in the Ferrisburgh/Vergennes Train Depot in Ferrisburgh, will occur on April 24. The new modernized Addison County Visitor Center was designed by Shadow and Light Design of Monkton and features an interactive kiosk where visitors can search restaurants, lodging and points of interest in Addison County. Large video monitors and informational displays will feature Addison County’s arts and culture, recreational and historical attractions. The Addison County Visitor Center will also feature print and video advertising and brochure distribution.

Vermont Business Magazine Bennington County residents will soon be able to enjoy the Student Art Street Banner Series thanks to a recently launched crowdfunding campaign. The campaign is sponsored by the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development’s Better Places program and is led by the Better Bennington Corporation’s Design Committee. “Investment in public art both inspires and engages our communities,” said Josh Hanford, Department of Housing and Community Development Commissioner. “The banners created by Bennington students will bring a sense of vibrancy that community members of all ages will enjoy.” If the Support Student Art Street Banners in Bennington campaign reaches its $4,500 goal by May 10th, 2023, the Better Bennington Corporation will receive a matching grant of $9,000 from DHCD’s Better Places program.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Corrections (DOC) today launched its new Vision, Mission, Values statements proclaiming Department philosophy and direction. The new Vision, Mission, Values statements were enacted into Department policy this week. “Corrections best practices are not what they were twenty, ten, or even five years ago” said Nicholas J. Deml, Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Corrections. “The world has changed: we live in a new time; we face new realities. Our Vision, Mission, Values statements embrace the imperative to stay up-to-date with our times and envision the future of our work. Importantly, our new Vision, Mission, Values statements declare our commitment to our staff and their wellness, professional development, and career advancement; define our commitment to equity and removing barriers to success; and demonstrate our important role in supporting safer communities. These statements are essential to the culture of our organization and the direction in which we will go from here.”

Vermont Business Magazine On March 30, 2023, a joint statement from Roman Catholic Church leaders formally acknowledged and took accountability for “the terrible effects” of more than 560 years of assimilation policies and the resulting “pain experienced by indigenous people.” A series of historical decrees from the Vatican, collectively known as the “Doctrine of Discovery,” became the foundation for European colonization of Indigenous peoples and entered into Western legal concepts foundational to private property and racial privilege concepts, still cited today in courts of law. This response from the Church has been adamantly requested by Native communities for many decades and comes at a time of reckoning with the process of reconciliation.