Current News

by Mike Smith It's hard to beat an incumbent politician, especially federal ones. In 2014, over 96 percent of incumbent members of Congress were reelected — this despite a collective approval rating of around 11 percent. This trend is true in Vermont, and especially for U.S. senators. Since voters began to directly elect senators beginning in 1913 (prior to that the Vermont Legislature decided who would represent the state in the Senate), no elected U.S. senator has ever lost a reelection in Vermont. Our senators are elected for life, or at least until they choose to step down.

Which takes us to the case of Sen. Patrick Leahy, America's longest-serving member of the senate. He's been in Washington for 42 of the 103 years Vermont voters have been electing senators. Leahy may hold the safest senate seat in the country.

Vermont Business Magazine Two major and anonymous financial commitments totaling $100,000 have been committed to Porter Medical Center in Middlebury in the form of “challenge grants” intended to encourage others to support the upcoming “People for Porter” annual campaign. Through these challenge grants, every donation made to Porter between September 15 and December 31 will be matched on a 2-1 basis by these donors according to Porter’s Vice President for Development Ron Hallman. 

“We are deeply grateful to these anonymous friends who have come together to offer this incredible challenge opportunity for our local supporters,” he said. “This is a unique opportunity for every member of this community to have their individual donation, regardless of the amount, to essentially be tripled thanks to the availability of these matching funds.”

Vermont Business Magazine The Administration will present its transportation budget rescission plan to the Legislative Joint Fiscal Committee at the Committee’s scheduled meeting starting at 10:05 am in the Ethan Allen Room of the State House on Thursday, September 15, 2016. A public hearing will be held following the Administration’s presentation. At the Emergency Board meeting held in July, an updated FY2017 revenue forecast was adopted that is $2.8 million less than the forecast used to construct the FY2017 budget adopted by the Legislature. Pursuant to 32 V.S.A. § 704(b)(1), the Agency of Transportation (VTrans) submitted a plan to realign appropriations with the reduction in the Transportation Fund Revenue.

Vermont Business Magazine For the seventh consecutive year, Clark-Mortenson Insurance is part of an elite group of independent insurance agencies around the United States participating in the
Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA or the Big “I”) “Best Practices” Study Group. Each year since 1993, IIABA and Reagan Consulting, an Atlanta-based management consulting firm, join forces to study the country’s leading agencies in six revenue categories. The agencies comprising the study groups are selected every third year through a comprehensive nomination and qualifying process and awarded a “Best Practices Agency” designation. The selected “Best Practices” agencies retain their status during the three-year cycle by submitting extensive financial and operational data for review each year.

Vermont Business Magazine The Community Health Team has developed an explainer program that provides support in helping individuals create an advance directive. An advance directive provides documentation and clear instructions for a designated agent to reference on a person’s behalf should they be in a position to where they are unable to make decisions for themselves. “A health crisis can happen at any time and planning ahead is a gift someone can give to their family,” explained Sarah Narkewicz, RN, MS, CDE, Program Director of Bowse Health Trust and Blueprint for Health Manager. “It is important for people to identify someone who can speak for them and to share their wishes should a health crisis occur. Our expert volunteer team is ready to help people solidify these important directives.”

Vermont Business Magazine Brattleboro Memorial Hospital is offering a Chronic Pain Self-Management Program at Grace Cottage in the Holt Conference Room with a partnership with SASH (Support and Services at Home). This free workshop series is scheduled to start on September 21 from 3 pm to 5:30 pm and continue every Wednesday ending October 26^, 2016.

Living a Healthier Life with Chronic Pain Workshop is a Self-Management Program (CPSMP) designed for people who have either a primary or secondary diagnosis of chronic pain (as defined as lasting for longer than 3 to 6 months or lasting longer than the normal healing time of an injury) and focuses on problem solving, appropriate usage of medications and exercise, nutrition, emotions and communicating with health care providers. The CPSMP is a workshop given over two and a half hours, once a week for six weeks.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Safety & Health Council EXPO, www.vshc.org  The Stoweflake Mountain Resort and Spa has been selected as the site for the 2016 VSHC Expo, 1746 Mountain Road, Stowe, Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine Weekly unemployment claims stayed at a very low level last week after a steep drop the week before. Overall, claims are running higher in 2016 than in 2015. For the week of August 27, 2016, there were 385 claims, down 4 from the previous week's total and 38 more than they were a year ago. By industry, claims were up for Manufacturing, as they were two weeks ago. Services, the usual leader, led the way with 38 percent of all claims, which for actual claims was a steep drop from last week (56 percent). 

Altogether 4,254 new and continuing claims were filed, a decrease of 130 from a week ago, and 131 more than a year ago.

The Department processed 0 First Tier claims for benefits under Emergency Unemployment Compensation, 2008 (EUC08).

Vermont Business Magazine Democratic Candidate Sue Minter has announced that her campaign raised $101,819 for the September 1 filing period, out-raising her opponent, Phil Scott, by a nearly 2-1 margin. Minter has out-raised Scott in every fundraising period this cycle.

Vermont Business Magazine It’s not enough that Jackie Freiberg, PhD, espouses the value of corporate cause. She actually wrote the book about it. The leadership consultant and author is heading to Vermont in September to engage as many as 400 CEOs and other business leaders at the Vermont Business Roundtable’s third annual Executive Leadership Series breakfast at the Sheraton Burlington. Freiberg has been a long-time consultant to National Life Group and has helped CEO Mehran Assadi and others at the company transform it into a financial powerhouse by rallying around the simple but difficult promise “Do good. Be good. Make good.” 

Dr Jackie Freiberg

Vermont Business Magazine Trusted Choice Vermont Insurance Agents Association donated $7,500 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation^® of Vermont. Vermont Insurance Agents Association (VIAA) presented the check during the Vermont Lake Monsters baseball game against the Lowell Spinners on Wednesday, August 24. Kody Lyon, of the Noyle Johnson Group, threw out the first pitch. Kerri O’Connor, AAI, Noyle Johnson Group, Vermont Young Agents Committee Chair, and Dan Rodliff, NFP P&C, Vermont Young Agents Committee Outreach Chair presented the check to Jamie Hathaway, Executive Director of the Vermont Make-A-Wish branch.

The donation will go towards helping grant the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses. Trusted Choice is the funder in collaboration with VIAA. 

by Timothy McQuiston Vermont Business Magazine Jay Peak CEO Bill Stenger has entered into a settlement agreement that would resolve the Securities & Exchange Commission civil suit against him. Stenger and Jay Peak and Burke Mountain Resort owner Ariel Quiros were charged by the SEC and state regulators with fraud last April, involving the EB-5 foreign investor projects at the two resorts and at the proposed AnC Bio facility in Newport. However, the agreement does not necessarily let Stenger avoid possible SEC penalties involved in the case, nor does it necessarily forgo possible criminal prosecution, as US Attorney Eric Miller is separately looking into the cases against Stenger and Quiros.