Current News

Vermont Business Magazine A new rating places the University of Vermont’s Grossman School of Business among the top nine business schools internationally and top three in the U.S. for social impact. The new ranking, called the Positive Impact Rating, was announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos. The new recognition joins other honors Grossman has recently received. Its Sustainable Innovation MBA (SI-MBA) program has been ranked the No. 1 “Best Green MBA” by Princeton Review for three consecutive years. In 2019, Corporate Knights, a leading sustainability magazine, rated SI-MBA No. 4 internationally in its Better World MBA rankings and No. 1 in the US.

Vermont Business Magazine More than 30 athletes who are blind or have visual impairments will learn to ski or learn to race with Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports this weekend at the 13th anniversary of the United States Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) Winter Ski Festival at Pico Mountain. The event is scheduled for all day on Saturday and Sunday, February 8-9.

Vermont Research Newsletter The transportation sector continues to be the primary contributor to GHG emissions in Vermont, according to the 2020 Annual Energy Report by the State Department of Public Service. In 2018, transportation accounted for 46.7% of Vermont’s greenhouse gas emissions. Women are the primary earners in 47% of Vermont families, according to Change the Story VT’s updated report on “Women, Work, and Wages in Vermont.” The rate of vaping among Vermont youth continues to increase, according to The Vermont Youth Risk Behavior Survey. In 2019, half of Vermont youth said they had used an electronic vapor device, increasing from 34% in 2017. Additionally, vaping as the primary method of marijuana use increased from 2% in 2017 to 17% in 2019. Vaping also appears to be more popular with females, a switch from 2017.

Vermont Business Magazine Edge Pharma, a pharmaceutical company in Colchester, recently received over $62,000 in grant funding from the Vermont Training Program (VTP). With this funding, Edge Pharma will train employees in several departments vital to meeting increasing demand. Training includes prepping laboratory materials and devices, learning the drug compounding process and further STEM education. New employees will be better equipped to meet demand, allowing for research and development opportunities to expand without impeding production levels.

“Edge Pharma has recently expanded its laboratory, allowing for increased production of compounded medications,” said Edge Pharma Human Resource Generalist Skylar LeBlanc. “With the VTP Grant funds, Edge will be able to hire and train employees and grow our business at a much quicker pace than if we hadn’t received the grant.”

Vermont Business Magazine Community Health Chief Executive Officer Don Reuther gathered members of his leadership team on Friday, January 31st to guide Vermont Congressman Peter Welch through the health network’s primary care facility in Castleton, where he saw health care in action. Dr Julie Foster was using voice recognition software to transcribe patient notes when Welch stopped to observe time-saving software in use. Dr. Foster told Welch the technology was a “huge asset” to her work. Castleton Practice Leader Cathy Cota explained the facility’s color-coded tracking system that ensures efficient and timely care of patients.

Vermont Business Magazine Fab-Tech, Inc, a Critical Process Systems Group (CPS) company based in Colchester, recently received over $32,000 in grant funding from the Vermont Training Program (VTP). The funding from VTP will be used for Lean Manufacturing Principles 101 training as well as development and leadership training across the company. These trainings will help Fab-Tech remain up to date with evolving demands and best practices in the manufacturing industry.

"Fab-Tech is proud to participate in programs which support the professional development of our employees, particularly in Lean initiatives,” said Fab-Tech President Scott Fine. “These programs deliver return on investment in the form of employee skills, satisfaction and productivity, which is a value-add for the company.”

Vermont Business Magazine Nasdaq, Inc (Nasdaq: NDAQ) announced today the acquisition of OneReport, Inc, a privately-held provider of corporate responsibility and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) data management and reporting services based in Brattleboro. OneReport will accelerate the delivery of Nasdaq’s recently-announced ESG reporting and workflow solution, to be named Nasdaq OneReport. The platform is now available to companies as part of the suite of solutions offered by Nasdaq’s Corporate Services business. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Vermont Business Magazine One hundred forty Vermont businesses from diverse industries completed the latest annual economic survey in January regarding the outlook of Vermont’s small- to medium-sized businesses. The survey, presented by Davis and Hodgdon Associates CPAs and the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, revealed that business owners’ attitude about the Vermont economy has become increasingly more ambivalent over the last five years, while optimism in the US has improved over the same timeframe and significantly since January 2019.

Vermont Business Magazine Ledyard Financial Group (Ticker Symbol: LFGP), with an office in Norwich, has announced a regular quarterly dividend of $0.18 payable November 30, 2018 to shareholders of record as of November 9, 2018.

Ledyard Financial Group, Inc., headquartered in Hanover, New Hampshire, is the holding company for Ledyard National Bank. Ledyard National Bank, founded in 1991, is a full service community bank offering a broad range of banking, investment, tax and wealth management.

Source: HANOVER, N.H.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ledyard Financial Group

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont’s Board of Trustees today approved changes to its Guidelines for Selection of University Trustees to reinforce the importance of seeking diversity when recruiting new members to the Board.

“While considerations about the diversity that a candidate may bring to the Board have been on our minds throughout the time I have served on the Board, the changes to this document are significant because they commit us in writing—as part of our official Board guidelines—to be deliberate in our diversity efforts,” said Frank Cioffi, chair of the Committee on Board Governance.

Two new sentences were added to the guidelines:

Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Power (GMP) is inviting customers to a bi-annual open house this Tuesday, February 4, at GMP’s district office in St Johnsbury. The timing of the event coincides with the company’s recently filed Climate Plan and will provide a chance for customers to talk with GMP leaders about this and other topics including operations, storm response, and strategies to reduce energy and lower costs.

Vermont Business Magazine Marathon Health, a Winooski-based leading provider of onsite and nearsite health centers for employers, today announced its selection as the 2020 Best in KLAS in the worksite health services category. The Best in KLAS Award is a third-party measurement of customer experience from 8 vendors and 178 employers with worksite health centers. KLAS is an independent research firm that has been providing impartial insights to the healthcare industry since 1996.