Current News

Vermont Business Magazine With spring underway and the bulk of construction season ahead, the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is reminding those who withdraw surface water to track and report usage. Under the newly enacted Act 135 of 2022, anyone withdrawing surface water must file an annual report with DEC each January. The purpose of Act 135 is to collect baseline data on the use of surface waters such as rivers, streams, brooks, creeks, lakes, ponds, and reservoirs. Anyone who withdraws 10,000 gallons or more of surface water within 24 hours – or 150,000 gallons or more over 30 days – is required to fill out an online form to register and report their withdrawal.

Vermont Business Magazine In an effort to bolster composting and reduce waste, the Vermont Organics Recycling Summit (VORS) will bring together industry leaders with learners from April 29 to May 3, 2024. Summit attendees will discuss creative ways to keep food and other organics out of the trash and to transform them into valuable products. Beginning on Monday, April 29, 2024, the Summit will kick off with in-person and hybrid sessions in Waterbury, Vermont. The remainder of the week will include a series of free virtual sessions through Friday, May 3. VORS is organized by the Composting Association of Vermont (CAV) and the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is holding a series of introductory bullhead fishing clinics this spring, highlighting a seasonal opportunity to target one of Vermont’s most overlooked fish species. “The arrival of spring brings increased opportunities to catch bullhead (a small catfish) as they begin moving into their spawning grounds,” said Education Specialist Corey Hart.  “In addition to be being a blast to catch, bullhead -- or ‘horned pout’ as they are also known -- are excellent table fare.” Each clinic will explore different fishing styles used to target brown bullhead, which are found in many of the shallower, muddier lakes, ponds and rivers of Vermont.  Bullhead, like other species in the catfish family, are nocturnal bottom feeders.  So, the clinics will take place in the evening to take advantage of increased bullhead activity.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Outdoor Guide Association (VOGA) has announced the return of nationally known MasterClass Wilderness Survival Instructor, Jessie Krebs who will be teaching women's outdoor survival skills for 2 weekends in Monkton, VT in June. Jessie is a former U.S. Air Force SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape) training instructor and one of the few female S.E.R.E. specialists who taught military members how to stay alive and return home if they were shot down behind enemy lines. She is also an "Alone" Season 9 participant.

Vermont Business Magazine Reynolds and Son, Inc, Vermont’s largest, privately held industrial distributor, announced the signing of a lease for a 1,100 square foot office suite located at 41 Gauthier Drive, Suite 3, in Essex Junction, Vermont. The move comes after the previous office complex occupied by Reynolds was sold to a developer, who was looking to expand on a different concept for the property. Esther Lotz, Broker, LLC was the tenant broker consultant & Steve Donahue was the listing broker.

Vermont Business Magazine The Bennington County Sheriff's Department hosted 22 Vermont career and technical high school students for the SkillsUSA 2024 Criminal Justice (CJ) and Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) competitions on Thursday, April 10. The students were vying to earn a spot at the national competition that will be held in Atlanta, GA on June 24-28, 2024. James Gulley, Jr., Bennington County Sheriff, and his department have been managing this competition for the past seven years. Also on hand were members of the Vermont Sheriff’s Association (Windham Sheriff Mark Anderson, Windsor Sheriff Ryan Palmer, Middlebury Sheriff Michael Elmore) and the Vermont State Police’s Crime Scene Search Team. High school students from Southwest VT Regional Technical School District, Stafford Technical Center and Burlington Technical Center competed individually in the Criminal Justice competition; traffic stop, and suspicious person service call scenarios were presented to them. Additionally, three teams of three students from each of the schools competed in the Crime Scene Investigation competition. Each student took a written and oral exam before competing in the hands-on scenario portion of the competition.

Vermont Business Magazine On April 10, the Biden-Harris Administration issued the first-ever national, legally enforceable drinking water standard to protect communities from exposure to harmful per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as ‘forever chemicals.’ Exposure to PFAS has been linked to deadly cancers, impacts to the liver and heart, and immune and developmental damage to infants and children. This final rule represents the most significant step to protect public health under EPA’s PFAS Strategic Roadmap. The final rule will reduce PFAS exposure for approximately 100 million people, prevent thousands of deaths, and reduce tens of thousands of serious illnesses. Today’s announcement complements President Biden’s government-wide action plan to combat PFAS pollution.               

by Steven Foster, President, Vermont Association of Realtors On March 15, 2024, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) announced a $418 million settlement that would resolve litigation over claims in a national class action lawsuit brought on by home sellers related to broker's commissions. Much of the reporting surrounding this and what it means for the Vermont housing market has been inaccurate. It’s important to note that NAR does not set commissions or fees, and the proposed settlement would not change that. Realtors professional service fees would continue to be negotiable among buyers, sellers, and their brokers. Sellers and buyers may decide to work with a Realtor for many reasons, including helping to understand local market conditions, interpreting information found on the internet, negotiating the best price and terms, and navigating an often complex financing and closing process.   

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the Vermont House advanced legislation (S.25) on a strong voice vote to ban per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS) and other toxic chemicals from personal care products and menstrual products, and to ban PFAS from apparel, cookware, artificial turf, and children’s products. An earlier version of the bill passed the Vermont Senate unanimously in 2023, and the bill is supported by Vermont small businesses, public health experts, children’s advocates, and environmental groups. Following another vote tomorrow, the amended bill will return to the Senate for their consideration. 

Vermont Business Magazine Patients and health care providers gathered at the Vermont State House on Wednesday to support H.766, a bill that requires health insurance companies to reduce administrative delays and streamline insurance requirements. According to an American Medical Association survey, more than nine in 10 physicians report care delays while waiting for insurers to authorize necessary care, and 80% say prior authorization can lead to treatment abandonment. One-third of physicians report that waiting for prior authorization has led to a serious adverse event, like hospitalization, disability or even, in 9 percent of those surveyed, in death for a patient in their care. Meanwhile, 31% of physicians report that prior authorization criteria are rarely or never evidence-based, with 89% saying prior authorization has a negative impact on patients’ clinical outcomes.

Vermont Business Magazine Norfolk & Dedham (N&D), based in Dedham, MA, and Union Mutual, based in Montpelier, with a combined 350 years of delivering quality service and insurance products, are excited to announce their intent to affiliate, subject to regulatory approval.  Both companies are rated A (Excellent) with a Stable outlook by AM Best. The affiliation brings a unified next step toward mutual growth and resilience for both companies, their employees, policyholders, agents, community partners and vendors. Joel P. Murray and Lisa L. Keysar will remain President and CEO of their respective organizations. Murray will serve as Board Chair of the combined group. N&D reported assets of $838 million in 2022. Union Mutual reported $385.1 million in 2022.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center (VMEC) is pleased to announce the addition of Whitney Valentine-Wafer to its team. Whitney brings over 20 years of finance, accounting, and business operations to VMEC, specializing in a mix of non-profit organizations and for-profit organizations, with a specific for-profit emphasis on manufacturing and inventory-based businesses. For the three years prior to joining VMEC, Whitney’s focus was acting as a consultant and fractional CFO to small to medium-sized businesses, helping them build scalable and sound financial and business operations. New to Vermont in 2022 after spending the previous 15 years in Northern California, Whitney lives in White River Junction. In her spare time, she is a sewist and a mixed media artist.