Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott and Human Services Secretary Mike Smith today announced the appointment of Andrea DeLaBruere as the new commissioner of the Department of Vermont Health Access (DVHA), effective December 20, 2021. DeLaBruere is currently the Executive Director of the Agency of Human Services (AHS) and has a wide variety of experience in the pharmaceutical, medical device, and health information technology industries. She has proven herself to be a respected leader and skillful at bringing divergent viewpoints together while working alongside health care providers, payers, and other stakeholders as they grapple with health information technology, health care reform and payment reform.

Vermont Business Magazine Christine Hallquist, Executive Director of the Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCBB) announced today that the Vermont State Employees Credit Union (VSECU), the Vermont Community Foundation (VCF), and Vermont’s Communication Union Districts Association (VCUDA) have partnered to purchase over 1,000 miles of fiber-optic cable in time for the 2022 construction season in conjunction with a 1,000 mile purchase by NEK Broadband, the state’s largest communication union district. The 2,000 miles of cable will be used to build publicly owned broadband networks across the state of Vermont.

​Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General TJ Donovan today sent a letter to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) requesting information about the agencies’ use of Clearview AI in Vermont. Clearview AI is a technology company that collected billions of citizens’ images from the internet for the purpose of creating a mass surveillance facial recognition system.

Vermont Business Magazine On Monday, the Vermont Community Foundation’s Insight Hub, its research-driven arm focused on providing insight to inform charitable giving, published a brief on how charitable individuals can use their philanthropy to strengthen Vermont’s mental healthcare system. The Insight Hub offers webinars, events, briefs, and peer-to-peer experiences that help philanthropists understand where their giving can make a difference.

Vermont Business Magazine The Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation was recently selected to be a US Small Business Administration microloan intermediary. BDCC has received a commitment of $350,000 from the SBA to lend to small businesses throughout southern Vermont. BDCC is only the third SBA microloan lender in the state of Vermont, along with Community Capital of Vermont in Barre and Vermont Community Loan Fund in Montpelier. It will primarily serve the southernmost counties, providing direct loans up to $50,000 to small businesses. The average microloan in the U.S. is about $13,000.

Burgeoning Club of Collectors, Businessmen, and Bon Vivants Aim to Save Green Mountain College

Vermont Business Magazine Bhakta Spirits (https://bhaktabrandy.com), the purpose-driven family of spirits brands founded by Vermont entrepreneur Raj Peter Bhakta with an aim of reviving the state’s once-storied Green Mountain College, has announced that it nears the final expansion stage of its groundbreaking Stockholder Program.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Senate President Becca Balint (D-Windham) announced today that she is running for Vermont’s At-Large seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Balint is the first woman to serve as president of the Vermont State Senate in the history of the state, and she is also the first openly gay person in that position. She would also be the first woman and openly gay person to serve in DC on behalf of Vermonters, if elected. Lieutenant Governor Molly Gray previously announced she is running for the US House seat now held by Peter Welch.

Vermont Business Magazine USDA’s annual farm-to-school grant, championed by Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy, is now open for applications. This competitive grant program is designed to improve access to local foods and increase agricultural and nutrition literacy. The list of eligible applicants is broad and includes schools, non-profits, local agencies, agricultural producers, and more.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health on Sunday reported 532 new cases of COVID-19, after Friday's record of 740 cases. All of the highest case counts since the beginning of the pandemic have occurred since November 3, 2021. Timing of when tests are taken and when results come back has affected daily totals, but there has been a post-Thanksgiving surge in cases in Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine At Okemo, two new lifts made their debut one week apart: the Evergreen Summit Express on December 4 and the Quantum Six on December 11. With the grand opening of two lifts, Okemo has completed a transformational upgrade – part of a Vail Resorts capital improvement plan that makes accessing the mountain faster and easier. Major infrastructure improvements that took place between April and November 2021 include the relocation of one high-speed bubble chairlift and the installation of a new high-speed, six-passenger chairlift – as well as terrain and snowmaking expansions.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Patrick Leahy announced that he will be retiring from office at the end of his current term. His retirement will mark the end of a long and distinguished Senate career, which began in 1974, when he became the first Democrat and youngest person ever elected to the US Senate from Vermont. US Representative Peter Welch on November 22 announced he is running for US Senate. Vermont’s revenue results for October 2021 show General, Education, and Transportation Fund cumulative revenues were slightly below targets for October 2021, the first month of the second quarter. Revenues remain above targets for the year-to-date.

by Lisa Ventriss Since joining the Champlain College community in mid-August as Interim Dean, I have had the privilege of developing a much deeper appreciation for the college, its faculty and staff, and our amazingly talented students. On a tight urban footprint with 65 of Burlington’s most architecturally significant buildings, this campus and the hill on which it resides is a place of much history and beauty. Champlain College is home to four academic divisions — Communications and Creative Media (the largest program of which is the renowned Game Studio); Education & Human Services (known for majors in criminal justice, social work, and education, among others); Information Technology & Sciences (boasting the Leahy Center for Digital Forensics & Cybersecurity); and the Robert P. Stiller School of Business, Vermont’s longest standing business school.