Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Humanities is excited to announce that the National Endowment for the Humanities has awarded the organization a Disaster Recovery Grant of $200,000 for ongoing flood recovery efforts for cultural organizations in the state of Vermont. This emergency funding is designed to support non-profit organizations impacted by the historic flooding in Vermont as they seek to return to providing cultural or humanities-based programming to their communities. Vermont Humanities has already raised an additional $165,000 from reserve funds and generous individual donors seeking to offer flexible funding in support of the state’s vital community and cultural resources, and this award from the NEH will empower the organization to extend that help further.

Vermont Business Magazine Senators Peter Welch (D-VT) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) as well as Senators John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Dick Durbin (D-IL), John Fetterman (D-PA), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) filed an amicus brief in Merck & Co. v. Becerra in the District Court for the District of Columbia urging the federal court to uphold the constitutionality of Congress allowing Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices for consumers. 

by Bill Schubart I have grave ethical concerns about the behavior, governance, and board leadership at the UVM Health Network (UVMHN) and its network of Vermont hospitals (Porter, Central VT, and UVM Medical Center (UVMMC). As nonprofits, I believe they’ve betrayed the best interests of those patients they’re appointed to serve, as well as their many committed nurses and practitioners (see moral injury), by focusing solely on competitive expansion, market consolidation and revenue growth rather than on the key mission of population health. As a former chair of 12 statewide and national non-profits, I understand non-profit governance. Nonprofits are by definition driven by a public-good mission not by profits and market share. They don’t compete with one another, they collaborate together to expand their mission impact.

Vermont Business Magazine FLO, a leading North American electric vehicle (EV) charging company and smart charging solutions provider, announced its first sale of the all-new, FLO Ultra fast charger to Green Mountain Power (GMP) in Vermont. Manufactured with a revolutionary flexible design, FLO Ultra provides drivers with a convenient, intuitive, and lightning-fast charging experience. These first chargers, which are Buy America compliant, will be produced at FLO's Auburn Hills facility. FLO's distribution partner, Rexel Energy Solutions, supported the sale to GMP. FLO will deliver four FLO Ultra chargers starting next spring as part of GMP's goal to add 10 fast chargers a year through 2030.

Vermont Business Magazine The Disaster Recovery Center in Wardsboro (Windham County) ceased operations at 6 p.m. Monday, September 18, and will relocate to Ludlow (Windsor County). It will reopen at 8 a.m. September 20, and continue with regular hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, and closed Sunday. The new address is: Ludlow Community Center, 37 Main St, Ludlow, VT 05149.

Vermont Business Magazine Continuing a legacy of humanitarian work, Defender has announced the finalists of the 2023 Defender Service Awards. Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports, a nonprofit organization offering sports and recreational programs year-round throughout Vermont for people with disabilities, has been selected as a finalist in the Outdoor Accessibility and Education Award, Presented by OUTSIDE Interactive Inc. Defender has always embraced the impossible, opening new horizons for humanitarian work on every continent. In the third annual “Defender Service Awards” presented by CHASE, which embraces the Defender inner spirit of heroism and recognizes those who embody this, the 25 U.S. non-profits and Canadian registered charities are recognized for making a positive impact in their local communities and embodying the ethos of Defender as a beacon of liberty. 

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Today, the Vermont Department of Labor released the seasonally adjusted statewide unemployment rate for August as 1.8 percent. This reflects no change from the prior month’s revised estimate, which is the lowest on record for the state. Vermont is tied with New Hampshire for the second lowest rate in the nation; Maryland is lowest at 1.7 percent and Nevada is highest at 5.4 percent. The Vermont civilian labor force increased by 771 from the prior month’s revised estimate (see Table 1). The number of employed persons increased by 670 and the number of unemployed persons increased by 101. No changes were statistically significant in the seasonally adjusted series. The civilian labor force participation rate was 64.0 percent in August, an increase of one-tenth of one percentage point from the prior month’s revised estimate. The comparable United States rate in August was 3.8 percent, an increase of three-tenths of one percentage point from the revised July estimate. 

Vermont Business Magazine The 2023 SHRM Vermont State HR Conference, held in Burlington on September 14th and 15th, achieved a remarkable milestone by shattering all previous attendance records. This year's conference brought together HR professionals from across the state, and beyond, in a two-day event that combined exceptional learning opportunities with memorable celebrity appearances. The #SHRMVT23 Conference, organized by the Vermont State Council of SHRM is the state's premier event for HR professionals and enthusiasts. This year's conference saw an unprecedented surge in attendance, with over 500 participants converging at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Burlington. 

Vermont Business Magazine Vermonters and Vermonters with children who have been to a doctor’s office in the last six months are asked to keep an eye out for a survey about their experience, which is arriving in mailboxes this fall. Every year, the Blueprint for Health and OneCare Vermont conduct a Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) survey. The results of this survey provide the broadest statewide look at patient experience of primary care in Vermont. 

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Dunkin’ franchisees and the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation recently celebrated a $10,000 Iced Coffee Day grant for the University of Vermont Children’s Hospital. The foundation is delivering the $1.6 million in funds raised on Dunkin Iced Coffee Day this year to local hospitals and fortifying its commitment to bringing the simple joys of childhood into the lives of kids battling hunger or illness. Dunkin’ Franchisees Damartin Quadros, Susan Quadros-Covey, and Ari Souliotis, and Dunkin’ Business Consultant Amy Carey recently gathered to present a ceremonial grant check to University of Vermont Children’s Hospital Community Fundraising Supervisor Tatiana Havens. 

Vermont Business Magazine If you stopped by the pop-up tent outside the Paramount Theater a few weeks ago, you might have met Kelsey Bathalon, BSN, RN, CCM, a volunteer and Care Manager from Community Health, working the crowd, signing up participants in this year’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s in Rutland on Saturday, September 23. Alzheimer’s isn’t new to Rutland County and Vermont. The Alzheimer's Association predicts that the number of Vermonters living with Alzheimer's (13,000 in 2020) will increase over 30% by 2025.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Adult Learning (VAL) is pleased to announce the recent support of Mascoma Bank as their first top-tier or “VAL-edictorian” level business sponsor. The Vermont Adult Learning Business Sponsorship program was launched in late 2021 as a way of strengthening connections with area employers and enhancing community goodwill while diversifying VAL’s funding streams.