Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The State of Vermont and the Vermont Captive Insurance Association (VCIA) will send a delegation of government, regulatory, and industry representatives to Mexico to highlight Vermont’s leading captive insurance industry. The trade mission was originally planned for March 2020, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The delegation will lead a captive insurance educational forum in Mexico City on March 1, 2023. The trade mission is a collaborative effort with the U.S. Commercial Service, the trade and promotion arm of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration, and Vermont’s Department of Economic Development via its State Trade and Expansion Program, a program funded by the Small Business Administration.

Vermont Business Magazine Rutland Regional Medical Center’s Women’s & Children’s Unit (WACU) has recently installed a new and innovative Infant Safety System developed by CertaScan Technologies (www.certascantek.com). Rutland Regional is the first hospital in the state of Vermont to have installed this new safety system and provide this innovative service to moms and the community it serves. The proprietary system allows the hospital to capture high resolution digital images of a newborn’s footprint which can be used for precise identification in situations like an abduction, lost baby or natural disaster.

by Devon Green, VP of Government Relations, Vermont Association of Hospitals & Health Systems Despite weather warm enough to keep the Capitol doors open earlier last week, the return to cold weather reminded us that the session is far from over. We’re hunkering down as bills pass out of committees and the House starts working on the FY 2024 budget in earnest. Mental Health: Senate Appropriations removed $9.25 million dedicated to an adolescent inpatient psychiatric unit out of the FY 2023 Budget Adjustment Act (BAA). The proposal will be discussed for the FY 2024 budget after feasibility study results are released. The full Senate will likely pass the BAA out early next week.

Vermont Business Magazine The Northwest Vermont REALTOR® Association (NVRA) is hosting its annual food drive collecting money and tangible donations for Feeding Chittenden, Champlain Islands Food Shelf, and the Enosburg Food Shelf. The NVRA Food Drive will be accepting financial contributions through PayPal and food item donations of non-perishables from February 14 through March 31.

Vermont Business Magazine Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital (NVRH) held orientation for its newest Corporators on Thursday, February 16, 2023. Because Corporators are key links between members of the community and the hospital, they are an invaluable source of wisdom and perspective for hospital leadership.

Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food & Markets NOFA-VT has grant funds for projects that will improve long-term resilience on farms. NOFA-VT's definition of "resilience" is framed broadly around their mission: to promote organic practices to build an economically viable, ecologically sound, and socially just Vermont agricultural system that benefits all living things. Applications are reviewed anonymously by a committee of Vermont farmers and farmworkers. The maximum grant amount is $2,500. For 2023, NOFA-VT is accepting multi-farm applications.

by Wendy Wilton It turns out the real long-term cost of The Affordable Heat Act, S.5, proposed by the Natural Resources and Energy Committee, is $5 billion over a 5-year period as demonstrated in a detailed financial analysis by the Ethan Allen Institute. Most of that cost will be on the backs of low- and moderate-income Vermonters who will pay for it through increased fuel costs in the range of $5 per gallon. Worse, hoped-for long-term energy savings will not occur. The Ethan Allen Institute analysis supersedes the administration’s previous estimate of $1.2 billion overall cost and a fuel increase of $0.70 to $1.00 per gallon to pay for it.

Vermont Business Magazine New research by bike experts icebike.org analyzed the 50 states based on a review of multiple factors related to mountain biking to establish the best state, with Vermont finishing at the top. The study looked at the number of trails, the percentage of hilly terrain, the number of national parks, the state's bikeability score and the number of top destinations per state. The study revealed that Vermont ranks number one as the best state for mountain biking. Aptly named the ‘Green Mountain State,' Vermont has a total of 2,520 bike trails which equates to 402 trails per 100,000 people, the highest of any state, and 80% of the state has hilly terrain, second to West Virginia with 88%.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are largely unchanged over the last month and today stand at $3.47 per gallon, the same as last week and one cent lower than a month ago. Gas prices are 10 cents/g lower than at the same time last year. The US average is $3.37. Also nationally, diesel has fallen in price which is expected to lower transportation costs.

Vermont Business Magazine Polly, the Williston-based leader in embedded insurance for automotive retail, today announced “Get It Together” a new visual identity and brand campaign developed in collaboration with TBWA\Chiat\Day LA. The company, which rebranded from “DealerPolicy” in early 2022 to better engage consumer audiences, allows dealers to provide access to insurance choice during the car buying process through Polly’s software. The new visual identity and campaign represent the next major steps in the company’s commitment to substantial investment in communicating its brand and value to consumers in partnership with its dealership and automotive partner network.