Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Ski areas across Vermont saw record levels of business over the Martin Luther King, Jr, holiday weekend, thanks to timely snowstorms that resulted in prime conditions for skiing and snowboarding. Sugarbush Resort enjoyed the “biggest day” in its 61-year history on Sunday. Meanwhile, Jay Peak welcomed the largest number of skiers and riders it has seen in three seasons. A sizeable snowstorm midweek was followed by another powder dump from Saturday into Sunday – setting Vermont ski areas up with ideal conditions for the second leg of the ski industry “triple crown” between the Christmas holiday period and President’s Week.

Vermont Business Magazine The state’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) awarded nearly $11 million in water infrastructure financing to fund conservation and restoration projects that will protect and restore Vermont’s water quality. These projects will reduce water pollution and protect water quality by conserving key forests, lakes, rivers, and wetlands throughout the state.

DEC recently redesigned its water infrastructure financing program to allow nonprofits to receive funding for natural resource projects that improve water quality. Nonprofits can pursue funding for land or easement acquisitions, headwaters restoration, and tree plantings. The program also offers payment-free financing for the first four years.

Vermont Business Magazine Goddard College announced today its largest fundraising effort to date, the Together for Goddard campaign to raise $4 million by the end of June 2020. At a time when many are questioning the future and viability of New England colleges, Goddard believes that its greatest innovations and academic experiments are yet to come.

by Dr Fred Kniffin, former president of Porter Medical Center In late November, I was interviewed by a reporter who asked for my perspective regarding the topic of hospital “consolidations,” and to discuss some national studies that indicate that hospitals coming together means higher prices for patients. The reporter wanted to hear about Porter’s experience as an affiliate of the UVM Health Network since we joined the Network in early 2017.

I am not a healthcare finance expert nor a student of national trends. I am, however, intimately familiar with our finances here at Porter and what is happening locally and in our region.

by Bruce Edwards, Vermont Business Magazine The boating season in Vermont and in New England for that matter is pretty short. But that didn’t discourage Jeff Provost from taking his dream and turn it into a successful business. Located in Ferrisburgh, a hop, skip and a jump from Lake Champlain, Provost set up shop in the 1980s and named his business Dock Doctors. Dock Doctors is an appropriate name. The company manufactures and sells a variety of galvanized steel and aluminum docks, boat lifts, paddle boat racks, trailers and launch systems, waterfront access stairs and floating walkways, and accessories.

Vermont Business Magazine Radon is colorless, odorless and can invade your home. But you won’t know if this naturally occurring, radioactive gas is present at unsafe levels in your home – unless you test for it. That’s why the Health Department is making it easy for Vermonters to find out if their homes have high levels of radon – by offering free test kits. Breathing air with radon can increase your risk of getting lung cancer. Radon decays into radioactive particles that damage lung tissue and can lead to lung cancer over the course of a person’s lifetime. If you smoke and your home has high levels of radon, your risk of getting lung cancer is especially high.

Vermont Business Magazine Airbnb, the world’s leading community driven hospitality company, announced today that its Vermont host community earned a combined $15.1 million in supplemental income while welcoming approximately 69,800 guest arrivals to the State for the five biggest guest arrival weekends in 2019, including Columbus Day Weekend, President’s Day and Valentine’s Day Weekend, and the holiday season.

Vermont Business Magazine On Tuesday, the Vermont House advanced the proposal of a constitutional amendment to clarify the prohibition on slavery and indentured servitude (PR.2) on a vote of 145-0. The proposal of amendment passed the Senate in April and in May, the House held a public hearing on the proposal as part of the process to consider an amendment to the constitution. Chapter I, Article 1 of the Vermont Constitution is historically significant in that it is the source of the anti-slavery provision that made the Vermont Constitution of 1777 the first state constitution to outlaw slavery; however, the proposed amendment would eliminate part of this article and replace it with the statement, “slavery and indentured servitude in any form are prohibited,” as the current article does not protect those under the age of 21.

Vermont Business Magazine Bennington College has been awarded a four-year $290,000 grant from the New York-based The Endeavor Foundation to launch The Endeavor Foundation Environmental Changemaker Fellowship Program, which includes funded internships for Bennington students to work in nonprofits with a focus on environmental justice. The fellowship will start with a pilot cohort to be selected in Summer 2020, and launch formally in January 2021 over Field Work Term, the College’s annual six week internship experience.

by Shawn Shouldice Small businesses face a critical list of legislative proposals this session that would raise costs and impose burdensome mandates that hinder their ability to operate. Vermont’s demographics have continued to erode over the past decade - aging population, declining enrollment, stagnant revenues and nearly $87 million of additional General Fund Budget pressures over FY’20, but getting much attention are proposals that put even more strain on the cost of doing business - require employers to allow workers time off for up to 12 weeks of family leave, a significantly higher minimum wage, and costly proposals intended to address climate change.

Vermont Business Magazine Renovations will begin this month to create a new Women’s Health Center at Gifford with a grand opening slated for September. The center will house Gifford’s OB-GYN and Midwifery services and providers in an improved location directly adjacent to Gifford’s renowned Birthing Center. Once housed within the medical center, OB-GYN team members and patients will be closer to other Gifford services and providers, easing patient access and improving upon continuity of care. The center will be 5,700 square feet – 1,240 square feet larger than the current OB-GYN and Midwifery space – and include a new designated Procedure Room, Ultrasound Room, Phlebotomy Room and Lab in addition to provider offices and midwife on-call space.

Vermont Business Magazine Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital (NVRH) Lead Respiratory Therapist Heather Nelson presented at the NVRH Auxiliary’s bi-monthly meeting on January, 10, 2020. Nelson discussed the NVRH Respiratory Department’s Green Initiative, an initiative that educates respiratory therapists and provides patients with color-coded thermometers as a way to stay on top of their COPD and asthma.

Color-coded thermometer notifies patients of their current breathing status. This one indicates "green" which is good.