Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont consumers who own or lease certain Volkswagen and Audi 2.0-liter diesel vehicles will receive a cash payment from Volkswagen and will have the option of having their vehicle modified or repurchased by Volkswagen under the terms of a settlement announced by Vermont Attorney General William Sorrell today.

“Volkswagen is being held accountable for its total disregard for our consumers and the environment,” said Attorney General Sorrell. “Today’s agreement is a big step towards making Vermonters whole, but there is still much work to be done. My office will continue to pursue this matter so that Volkswagen is also held responsible for the environmental harm it has caused, as well as to deter future acts of orchestrated consumer deception.”

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) and Governor Peter Shumlin each issued statements on US Senate action days before Vermont’s first-in-the nation GMO labeling law takes effect: “On Friday, Vermont will become the first state in the nation to require GMO labeling. This is a triumph for ordinary Americans over the powerful interests of Monsanto and other multi-national food industry corporations.

Senator Sanders. VBM file photo.

"We cannot allow Vermont’s law to be overturned by bad federal legislation that has just been announced. I will do everything I can to defeat this bill, beginning by putting a hold on it in the Senate.

by Stephanie Yu Young people and rich people are moving to Vermont. If this surprises you, you aren’t alone. You’re more likely to hear that the young and the wealthy are fleeing Vermont for better opportunities. Your neighbors bought a condo and moved to Florida. Your daughter got a good job and took off for Chicago. So yes, people move out of Vermont. But here’s what else is happening: They’re moving in. About the same number of young people move to Vermont as leave the state each year. That’s true of high-income people too.

Vermont Business Magazine OneCare Vermont, LLC and Vermont Information Technology Leaders, Inc announced Monday a collaboration to provide OneCare Vermont with comprehensive population health data in a system designed to improve data collection and clinical analytics capabilities. To accomplish this, clinical data from the Vermont Health Information Exchange (VHIE) – operated by VITL – will be filtered and transmitted into OneCare’s enterprise informatics platforms. The VHIE collects and indexes clinical data from different electronic health record (EHR) systems across the state. This data is then analyzed by OneCare for the purposes of managing care and meeting its wellness and patient satisfaction objectives. OneCare Vermont is Vermont’s largest accountable care organization and manages care for the more than 100,000 patients attributed to its Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial shared savings programs.

Vermont Business Magazine Ski Vermont donated a record breaking $19,050 to the Keep Local Farms Fund at Nea-Tocht Farm in Ferrisburgh on Saturday, June 25, 2016. The donation comes from the proceeds of Ski Vermont’s Fifth Grade Passport program, which enabled nearly 3,000 children to ski and snowboard for free in Vermont during the 2015-16 season.

Vermont Business Magazine US Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) Tuesday welcomed action by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) late Monday to finalize a rule on a long-delayed extractive industries transparency provision of the Wall Street reform law enacted in 2010.  The transparency provision was authored by Leahy and became Section 1504 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Power is preparing for a strong wind and rainstorm that is forecasted to hit Tuesday afternoon and could cause outages across the state. The storm could blow trees onto power lines and also snap power poles at the base. As we head into July, which is the worst month for storms and storm related damage causing outages, safety is critical. GMP reminds customers to be safe by staying away from any downed power lines and by being extra careful on the roads. 

“Our crews are preparing now and are ready to respond quickly to any outages from this strong wind storm,” said Kristin Carlson, GMP’s Chief Communications Executive. “Early preparation is key to making sure we can get the lights on quickly and safely for customers.”

Vermont Business Magazine Effective June 27, the organization formerly known as Women Helping Battered Women has changed its name to Steps to End Domestic Violence. The rationale for the change was to be more inclusive and welcoming to those who don’t identify as women or as “battered.”

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Peter Shumlin and Health Commissioner Harry Chen, MD have announced that BAART Behavioral Health Services will open a new medication-assisted treatment center – or Hub – in the St Albans area, expanding the Care Alliance for Opioid Addiction's Hub & Spoke system of care. The new Hub will open by January 1, 2017, offering comprehensive addiction and co-occurring mental health treatment services for residents of Franklin and Grand Isle counties with opioid use disorders. The exact location was not announced. It is expected to serve at least 250 Vermonters in its first year of operation.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont Health Network announced today that Moody’s Investors Service, one of the major New York City-based bond rating services, has revised upward  the institution’s bond rating outlook from  “Stable” to “Positive.” Moody’s based its decision not only on the UVM Health Network’s strong financial performance but also on the way that the network has continued to respond to the health care reform environment by successfully integrating regional hospitals and providers into the system.

John Brumsted, MD, president and chief executive officer, UVM Health Network. VBM file photo

Vermont Business Magazine Heat illnesses can be deadly. In extreme heat situations, sometimes your body's temperature control systems can't keep up. When that happens, your body temperature gets dangerously high. As a result, you are at greater risk of serious heat illness, such as heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat cramps and sunburn.

Vermont Business Magazine The Stowe Area Association presented the Stowe Business Person of the Year award at their Annual Membership Dinner, which was held on June 15th at the Commodores Inn. The Annual Stowe Business Person of the Year 2016 honor was awarded to David Wolfgang, owner of Pinnacle Ski & Sports, SkiEssentials.com, and Inner Bootworks. Wolfgang has a long and eclectic history in the Stowe business community, and has proven to be an influential player in the development of Stowe as a tourist destination. 

Wolfgang began his career in the ski industry over thirty years ago.  He grew up in Great Neck, New York, but he could not ignore the call of the mountains. As a young ski bum in the 70’s, Wolfgang worked various odd-jobs around the town of Stowe (none of them for very long) and helped with his brother’s ski tour operation. In 1984, Wolfgang’s then-girlfriend and now-wife, Katrine, said, “You know, it would be nice if you got a job.”