Current News

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Énergir announced Monday that Sophie Brochu has decided to step down on December 30 as President and CEO of the Montreal-based owner of Green Mountain Power and Vermont Gas Systems. The Board of Directors announced Éric Lachance—currently Senior Vice President, Regulatory Affairs, IT, Logistics and Chief Financial Officer—will succeed her. This is another significant development for Énergir. GMP CEO Mary Powell also is stepping down at the same time. Mari McClure, who joined GMP in 2010, will succeed her. GMP initiated a 2.72 percent rate hike October 1. And Energir itself has had a restructuring of its ownership, which was contested in Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont Medical Center Board Chair Allie Stickney today announced that the board will conduct an internally-focused search – across the UVM Health Network – for the next president of the UVM Medical Center, and has named a search committee to lead the process. UVMMC is the largest hospital in the Network. The Network includes Central Vermont Medical Center in Berlin and Porter Medical Center in Middlebury, as well as three hospitals in upstate New York and the UVM Visiting Nurse Association.

“Our goal is to find the right leader to successfully guide our academic medical center and meet our mission of patient care, education and research,” Stickney said. “To achieve that goal, the board will conduct a rigorous process to fully consider and vet any individuals that come forward from across the Network. If at the end of this process we haven’t found the right candidate, we will move to a national search.”

Vermont Business Magazine The American Concrete Institute (ACI) announced the winners of the 2019 Excellence in Concrete Construction Awards, who were honored at a Gala event during the Institute's Concrete Convention & Exposition, October 21, 2019, in Cincinnati, OH, USA. The highest honor was presented to King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, located in Dhahran, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. The bridge replacement on I-91 in Brattleboro was the top winner in the infrastructure category.

Vermont Business Magazine Rutland Regional Medical Center is one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Joint Replacement and the only hospital in Vermont to receive this recognition according to a national study by  [Anchor] Healthgrades, the leading online resource for information about physicians and hospitals. Rutland Regional once again was the only hospital in Vermont to receive a Five-Star Rating for Total Hip Replacement and Joint Replacement Excellence Award for the second consecutive year (2019-2020). Additionally, Rutland Regional was the only hospital in Vermont to receive a Five-Star Rating for Total Knee Replacement for ten consecutive years (2011-2020), and one of three hospitals to receive a Five-Star Rating for Treatment of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease for three consecutive years (2018-2020). And, for the first time, the hospital received a Five-Star Rating for Treatment of Sepsis (2020).

by John McClaughry Of all the fifty states California has been blessed with every advantage. A mild climate. Fertile land. Tall timber. Mining riches. Strategic location for shipping, trade and finance. Great universities. Glorious scenery. And of course, Silicon Valley, the world-leading center for high technology. This year’s state budget picture is a governor’s dream.  Governor Gavin Newsom’s first budget (for FY 2020) projects a $21.5 billion surplus. That’s 10% of the projected budget. (It will of course be spent.)

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos has announced the dates and locations for his fifth biennial Transparency Tour. Throughout late October and November Secretary Condos will travel to several locations across Vermont to provide training and facilitate discussion on Vermont’s transparency laws; Vermont’s Public Records Act, and Open Meeting Law. They begin October 28 and run through November 21.

Vermont Business Magazine Today the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a $25,000 Healthy Communities Grant award to the University of Vermont in Burlington. Announced during Children's Health Month in October, the grant will help create a new partnership project between the University of Vermont, middle school and high school teachers and students, and community partners to pilot a team-based approach to education, hazard reduction, and educational materials development related to addressing lead in water and soil in Burlington and Winooski.

Vermont Business Magazine On Friday, October 18, Chelsea Hoadley, former Tax Examiner with the Vermont Department of Taxes, pleaded guilty in Washington County Criminal Court to one felony count of embezzlement in violation of 13 V.S.A. § 2537. Superior Court Judge Mary Morrissey presided over the matter. Pursuant to the plea agreement, Hoadley was sentenced to 18 months to 3 years, all of which were suspended except for 90 days of home confinement furlough.

Vermont Business Magazine An independent poll by Vermont Public Radio (VPR) and Vermont PBS (VTPBS) found tremendous public support for dairy in the Green Mountains. The scientific poll released by the VPR and VTPBS found a total of 93% of Vermonters support Vermont dairy. “These independent results are encouraging as we try to grow the Vermont economy,” said Agriculture Secretary Anson Tebbetts. “We are working hard to improve the livelihood for dairy farmers throughout Vermont.  One major way to have an impact is to improve the outlook for dairy farming.”

Vermont Business Magazine Nearly 500 emergency responders and officials from local, state and partner agencies will test their disaster recovery skills during Vermont’s fourth Catastrophic Exercise (CAT 4) from October 23-25. The exercise simulates the aftermath of a statewide catastrophic disaster and tests the ability to restore critical infrastructure. CAT 4 will involve 19 cities and towns and 20 state and volunteer agencies from around Vermont. Unlike past exercises that practiced a response to an active natural disaster, this event will simulate the aftermath of a major storm on the scale of Tropical Storm Irene.

Vermont Business Magazine Ledyard Financial Group, Inc (ticker symbol LFGP), the holding company for Ledyard National Bank based in Hanover, NH, with a branch in Norwich, VT, today reported record quarterly and year-to-date earnings. Net income for the quarter ended September 30, 2019, was $1,579,252 or $0.50 per share compared to $1,382,986 or $0.44 per share for the same period in 2018, an increase of $196,266 or 14.2%. Net income for the nine months ended September 30, 2019, was $4,450,056 or $1.42 per share compared to $3,932,184 or $1.27 per share for the same period in 2018, an increase of $517,872 or 13.2%. Strength in the Company’s core businesses and the ability to control operating expenses are the primary contributing factors to these record results.

Vermont Business Magazine Groennfell Meadery, a Vermont craft beverage company, recently received a grant totaling $3,237.50 from the Vermont Training Program (VTP). Groennfell, which means “Green Mountain” in old Norse, is Vermont’s premier craft meadery. Its mead is made from 100% True Source honey. Based in Colchester since opening in 2013, the meadery recently moved to St Albans to focus more of its attention on production.