Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Heritage Aviation Inc., a 100% Employee-Owned company and Certified B Corporation located at the Burlington International Airport has been recognized by B Corporation as one of the Best for the World™ B Corps of 2021 for their excellence in the “Workers” category. Heritage ranked in the top 5% of the Best for the World – “Workers” out of all B Corporations in the world in the 50 – 249 employee class. Heritage Aviation was also recognized for this award in 2019 after becoming a Certified B Corporation in 2018. In addition, Heritage Aviation has been recognized as a “Best Place to Work in Vermont” for 5 consecutive years (2017-2021).

Vermont Business Magazine Tony Blake of V/T Commercial announced that the popular Essex restaurant known as Railroad & Main has signed a lease for a new free-standing building at Finney Crossing in Williston. The owners plan to open at their new location in the fall of 2022. Tony Blake assisted the owners and the developers in this lease.

Vermont Business Magazine After nearly eight months as a member of the psychiatric team at Washington County Mental Health Services (WCMHS), Justin Knapp, MD, has accepted the role as Medical Director of the state-designated Agency that serves the Washington County catchment area. Dr. Knapp’s extensive experience in leading and providing psychiatric services to the individuals under his and his team’s care will help guide the Agency in meeting the increasing clinical demands at one of the County’s largest employers and the State’s second largest designated agency. Dr. Knapp took the helm as Medical Director on July 30 and will provide oversight to all five agency divisions and a psychiatric staff of five professionals. He will continue to be located at the Agency’s Center for Counseling & Psychiatric Services (CCPS) offices and Building C, both located on the Central Vermont Medical Center (CMVC) campus in Berlin. He will also become a member of the Agency’s Senior Managers leadership team.

Vermont Business Magazine Clean Energy Group (CEG), a national nonprofit advocacy organization focused on enabling a just clean energy transition, has announced that Melanie Santiago-Mosier will join CEG and its sister organization, the Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA), as Deputy Director in mid-September 2021. Santiago-Mosier previously served as Managing Director for Access and Equity at Vote Solar, where her work centered on implementing the organization’s vision for diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice.

Vermont Business Magazine The Burlington Electric Department today issued a peak day alert for Thursday as part of its newly-launched Defeat the Peak program, encouraging members of the Burlington community to reduce their energy usage tomorrow between 3:00pm and 7:00pm. Burlingtonians can lend a hand by taking the following steps on what is projected to be a very hot, summer day.

Vermont Business Magazine Champlain College Online (CCO) is excited to announce a new truED Partnership with Hula, Burlington’s technology-driven co-working campus located on the shores of Lake Champlain in Vermont. Through this partnership, eligible Hula tenants and their family members, as well as Hula staff, qualify for reduced tuition for more than 60 degree and certificate programs offered 100% online by the regionally accredited college.

CCO’s career-focused undergraduate and graduate programs in healthcare administration, business, IT, and cybersecurity are well-matched with the tech-focused members Hula hosts in its Burlington-based workspace. With Hula’s focus on emerging technology companies, their goal to accelerate small and high-tech businesses is a natural fit with CCO’s goal to continue the growth of knowledge and careers of employees.

Vermont Business Magazine The Employee Misclassification Task Force will hold two public hearings on the topic of employee misclassification on Thursday, August 26, 2021 and Friday, August 27, 2021 from 11am-1pm (both days). Any member of the public is welcome to attend. The Task Force invites testimony from labor and/or employees on the 26^th and employer testimony on the 27^th. However, anyone may participate on either or both days, and the Task Force will hear from anyone on either day if scheduling conflicts so require. The Task Force will strive to be as flexible as possible.

Vermont Business Magazine Joy is not a word often associated with work. However, in the view of author and organizational health expert Patrick Lencioni, joy “is the leading indicator” of whether an organization is healthy and is something he can gauge just by walking around a workplace.

“Are people talking to one another?” Lencioni asks. “Are they engaged in what they’re doing? Does it seem like there is joy? Or do they look like they can’t wait to be gone?”

“If good people are staying at an organization and bringing other people in, that’s a really good sign that the company is healthy,” Lencioni said. On the flip side, the inability of a company to keep its best people is a sign of an unhealthy organization, he said.

Vermont Business Magazine The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently finalized a settlement with Cargill, Inc., a Minnesota based company with a facility in Vermont that produces animal feed, for alleged violations of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA)’s Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) Program.

Cargill, Inc. agreed to pay a penalty of $40,294 for allegedly failing to timely file TRI reports for zinc and manganese compounds processed at its plant in Swanton, Vermont.

“To inform the public and protect communities, EPA requires companies and organizations that manufacture, process, or otherwise use certain chemicals to report this information publicly every year. This reporting is an important part of ensuring that local communities have access to information about the presence of chemicals in their area,” said EPA New England Acting Regional Administrator Deborah Szaro.

Vermont Business Magazine The Nature Conservancy in Vermont (TNC) is pleased to announce that Lauren Oates will assume the role of Interim Director of Government Relations and Policy, following the departure of Phil Huffman in early August. Oates has been with TNC since 2019, where she has proven herself a leader in advancing climate-forward policies, programs, and initiatives. In her new capacity, she will further elevate the role of science in decisions and policymaking, as well as leverage our natural and working lands to comprehensively address the dual crises of unprecedented biodiversity loss and accelerated climate change. Oates will continue to serve on Vermont’s Climate Council, following her appointment by the Senate last year as an expert on resilience to climate impacts.