Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Burton Snowboards is partnering with The Venture Out Project to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community this month, and beyond. Burton’s “Design Your Pride” initiative will call on LGBTQ+ artists from across the globe to submit a piece of their work (any medium) for the snowboarding brand’s first-ever Pride Collection that will launch in 2023. Burton has received 46 artist applicants so far from 16 countries. Burton said in a statement: "It’s been great to see the campaign embraced internationally but we are hoping to continue to get the word to as many potential applicants as possible ahead of the close of the submissions on July 1st."

Vermont Business Magazine Thousands of Vermont households can now sign up for free and low-cost health plans on Vermont’s health insurance marketplace, thanks to an ongoing Special Enrollment Period (SEP) announced today by the Department of Vermont Health Access. While most SEPs are time-limited and linked to a particular life event, the new policy allows income-eligible residents to sign up any time of the year.

Vermont Business Magazine Turning Point of Franklin County is pleased to announce its new satellite office in Alburgh, offering peer recovery coaching and support groups for both individuals and families seeking assistance to reduce harm or seeking recovery from substance use disorder. In 2021, a record-high 210 Vermonters died from opioid overdoses. Substance use disorder and its impacts on our families, friends and neighbors have been compounded by the stress, uncertainty and isolation so many have endured throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vermont Business Magazine The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) team at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), part of Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC), was the recipient of the DAISY Team Award for Extraordinary Nurses in May. The department was nominated in a heartfelt message from a patient recovering from an overdose.

​Vermont Business Magazine Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), part of Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC), graduated eight nurses from its Transition-to-Practice Nurse Residency Program. The program is the first program in the state and one of only 208 in the United States to have received accreditation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Practice Transition Accreditation Program for nurses working in the medical-surgical, women’s and children’s, and emergency departments. Accreditation for the intensive care unit is expected to be obtained later this year. Current students in the program joined the graduates in celebrating their completion.

by Mike Donoghue, Correspondent, Vermont Business Magazine The United States Attorney's Office in Vermont has decided to drop 10 felony charges against the fourth defendant in the EB-5 criminal fraud case in the Northeast Kingdom. Jong Weon Choi, also known as Alex Choi of South Korea, has remained on the run since he was indicted in Vermont with three American business colleagues in May 2019. Newport businessman Bill Stenger, the former president of Jay Peak resort, has begun an 18-month federal prison sentence in Devens, MA. The mastermind of the EB-fraud scheme in Vermont, former Miami businessman Ariel Quiros, and the former owner of Jay Peak has been sentenced to five years in prison. William Kelly, a Quiros business partner, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison.

Vermont Business Magazine PC Construction announced that it has been selected by Spruce Peak Realty to complete the next phase of development at Spruce Peak in Stowe, Vermont. This latest round of work, which includes construction of a new luxury condominium building and a parking garage, builds on the success of prior PC-built projects at the resort, including the One Spruce Peak residential building, the Spruce Peak Village Center, and the Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, among others.

Vermont Business Magazine Representative Peter Welch will join Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA) in South Burlington next week as it announces that it has received a $4 million award from the federal government that will support the development of over 300 affordable apartments across Vermont. The source is the Capital Magnet Fund, a program of the U.S. Treasury intended to create and preserve affordable housing for low-income families and revitalize distressed communities by attracting private capital. This year the program awarded $336.4 million in funding to nonprofits and financial institutions. VHFA is one of only 59 organizations nationwide to receive an award this cycle.

by Mike Del Trecco, Interim President and Chief Executive Officer VAHHS My name is Mike Del Trecco and I recently stepped in as interim president and CEO of VAHHS. Many of you who are regular readers of VAHHS Update and followers of hospitals in Vermont know me from my nearly 18 years at VAHHS leading efforts to support our hospitals. On the personal side, I live in Essex with my wife Donna, a nurse, and our two kids, Jeffrey and Jillian. I enjoy all that Vermont has to offer—especially spending time exploring the back woods of the Northeast Kingdom.

Vermont Agency of Agriculture Are you interested in accessing free meals for children this summer? The goal of the USDA Summer Food Service Program is to ensure that every Vermont family with eligible children knows about the program and where they can access meals during the summer months. At summer meal sites across the state, children 18 and under can receive free meals and snacks, no questions asked!

by Joyce Marcel, Vermont Business Magazine It's hard to find anyone who has a bad word to say about Michael S Pieciak, the high-profile former commissioner of the state's Department. of Financial Regulation and the man who took the leading and highly visible role of Governor Phil Scott's "data guy" during the state's successful two-year battle against COVID. Pieciak resigned as commissioner on April 30, saying he wanted to explore other options. Then on May 4, State Treasurer Beth Pearce announced she would not be seeking another term because of health reasons. So Pieciak caught his breath, turned around and, on May 6, announced he was running for Vermont state treasurer to replace Pearce — with Pearce's endorsement. If it looks like collusion, that's because, in the nicest way, it is.

The President signed into law a much-needed step forward to addressing our nation’s gun violence epidemic. As we continue marking mass shootings with more and more frequency, and the nation calls on its elected officials to legislate change, the inaction in Congress has been deafening.

But today, we finally have progress. Earlier this week, the Senate convened to vote on its bipartisan agreement to address and prevent gun violence. I am pleased that key provisions of my bill, the “Stop Illegal Trafficking in Firearms Act,” were included in the agreement and now have been signed into law. This is a bill I have been working to pass for nearly ten years with Senator Collins and Senator Durbin, which strengthens penalties for straw purchasing and firearms trafficking. These are serious crimes and should be treated accordingly. I am confident these efforts will help increase safety in our communities, and I applaud the bipartisan negotiators for including these important reforms in their agreement.