Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont National Guard announced today that its members will increase staffing support to local hospitals struggling to meet demand in the face of the Omicron COVID-19 surge.

The Vermont Department of Health has asked the Vermont National Guard to shift support from vaccination clinics to provide wrap-around services for local hospitals because Vermont leads the nation in vaccination rate among all eligible groups age 5 and older.

Vermont Business Magazine United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Secretary Dr Jewel Bronaugh today announced that USDA is investing $1 billion to build and improve critical community facilities in 48 states, Puerto Rico and Guam. This infrastructure funding will increase access to health care, education and public safety while spurring community development and building sound infrastructure for people living in rural communities. Included in the funding is $1,575,270 for Vermont infrastructure projects and $2,676,410 for those in New Hampshire.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott and Department of Financial Regulation (DFR) Commissioner Michael Pieciak today announced that Vermont businesses will see another rate decrease in workers’ compensation insurance in 2022. This is the sixth straight year workers’ compensation rates have decreased, and when combined with decreases from 2017-2021, Vermont employers will pay an average of 41% less in premiums than they did in 2016. The rate reduction will be effective on April 1, 2022, which is estimated to save Vermont employers over $8 million in premiums during the upcoming year.

Vermont Business Magazine After more than four decades as a physician, innovator and national leader in health care, John R. Brumsted, MD, President and CEO of The University of Vermont Health Network, will retire in September from the position he has held since the Network was founded. Over the course of his career, Dr. Brumsted served as a physician specializing in Obstetrics and Gynecology in rural Northern New York and at the University of Vermont Medical Center, brought individual health care organizations together as a health system to preserve access to high quality care in the region, and served as a respected voice and driver of what has become a national model for health care payment reform efforts here in Vermont.

Spike is now nuwave Agency (nwA)

Vermont Business Magazine 2022 marks the dawn of a new age for Spike Advertising and Vermont’s marketing scene, as owner Ken Millman donates the company’s shares and assets to Emiliano Void and Jacques Void. The new entity is nuwave Agency (nwA), a division of nuwave Equity Corporation (nwEC)—providing framework, processes, and consulting to help companies and organizations develop and sustain solutions towards an equitable, inclusive and diverse workplace.

The Vermont State College System is hosting a Winter/Spring 21/22 Virtual Job and Internship Fair. It won’t be held on a set day or time, but the information that you provide will be used to let students and community members know about your opportunities. If you’ll be recruiting for internships, full- or part-time jobs, seasonal jobs, continuing education, community engagement and volunteer opportunities, or would be willing to do informational interviews with students, please register. It’s free! And there’s no obligation whatsoever. We would like to get employer information as soon as possible to pass on to our students.

Public Assets Institute Workers were ready for change last fall. About 13,000 Vermonters quit their jobs in November—an all-time high and more than double the pre-pandemic monthly average. We don’t know why: Vermont data don’t tell us how many left the workforce altogether and how many took new jobs. In either case workers were in high demand, with more than 23,000 unfilled jobs in November. National data and reporting show that many workers are leaving for jobs with better pay, better hours, or perhaps less COVID-19 risk. Voluntary leaves were highest among workers in restaurants and hotels, both public-facing, low-paying sectors.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health today is reporting 420 cases of COVID-19 for Monday. Cases the last week were down 27 percent and for the last two weeks were down 37 percent. There were two additional deaths reported for 523. While Vermont was slower to get the Omicron variant than the rest of the Northeast, it is showing a similar trend with a spike followed by a decrease in cases.

Vermont Business Magazine The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be sending more than $1.6 million to the State of Vermont to reimburse the costs of providing emergency meals for residents in need during the COVID-19 pandemic. The $1,613,025 Public Assistance grant will go to the Agency of Commerce and Community Development for providing meal preparation and delivery service to high-risk populations under the the state’s emergency feeding program “Vermont Everyone Eats” between October and November 2021.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Labor today reported that the state’s unemployment rate fell another tenth to 2.5 percent for December 2021. However, there was very little change in the major metrics from November: The labor force was down a little, as was the number of unemployed and the number of employed was up a smidgen. The numbers are much stronger when compared to a year ago, when the jobless rate was a full-point higher. The comparable United States rate in December was 3.9 percent, which was a decrease of three-tenths of one percentage point from the revised November estimate. Vermont is tied for fifth lowest. Nebraska is lowest at 1.7 percent and California is highest at 6.5 percent.

Vermont Business Magazine OVR Technology, a leader in multisensory VR/AR, has won the AUREA Award for Excellence in Impact in augmented, virtual or mixed reality. Started in 2018, the AUREA Awards are an industry-leading event honoring the world's best innovations that demonstrate the potential of this sector for technology and immersive entertainment. OVR Technology was one of 10 selected finalists. Jury members included thought leaders Cathy Hackl, Athena Demos, Kathleen Cohen, Frank Govaere, and Thomas Wagner. Award categories included innovation, creative, experience, impact, and interaction.

Vermont Business Magazine Southwestern Vermont Health Care’s (SVHC) Medical Matters Weekly with Dr. Trey Dobson welcomes Lorna Mattern at noon on January 26. Mattern is the executive director of United Counseling Service (UCS) in Bennington.

The show is produced with cooperation from Catamount Access Television (CAT-TV). Viewers can see Medical Matters Weekly on facebook.com/svmedicalcenter and facebook.com/CATTVBennington. The show is also available to view or download a podcast on www.svhealthcare.org/medicalmatters.