Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Mike Smith, Secretary of the Vermont Agency of Human Services, announced today that Emily J Hawes has been appointed by Governor Phil Scott to be Commissioner of the Department of Mental Health beginning July 4. Hawes will assume the responsibility for day-to-day operations and management of DMH in place of Commissioner Sarah Squirrell, who is moving out of state with her family.

Vermont Business Magazine Following yesterday’s enactment of S.48, which will protect public safety while removing barriers to licensure for qualified nurses wishing to practice in Vermont, Secretary of State Jim Condos and Office of Professional Regulation Director Lauren Hibbert applauded the Legislature and the Governor for their support and passage of the Nursing Licensure Compact bill.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott Tuesday signed the state budget (H.439, An act relating to making appropriations for the support of government) for state fiscal year 2022, which begins July 1. The $7.315 billion budget prioritizes growing the economy, including funding small business pandemic relief, community revitalization projects and tourism marketing Career Technical Education programs and centers, adult training and re-training, state colleges, worker relocation grants and more.

Vermont Business Magazine Along with the $7.3 billion state budget, Governor Phil Scott signed eight bills into law Tuesday, passed by the General Assembly. These include the $150 million broadband bill and the carry-out alcohol beverage bill.

Vermont Business Magazine It makes sense that a business CEO who graduated with honors from the United States Military Academy at West Point would think the best place for leaders to be is in the trenches with their troops. And that's precisely the philosophy Steve Cannon espouses.

"Great leaders are present; they are there on the field, not sitting in a corner office trying to absorb data through spreadsheets," said Cannon, who is CEO of AMB Group, which operates Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the NFL's Atlanta Falcons, Major League Soccer's Atlanta United and the PGA Superstore retail chain. Instead, Cannon said, great leaders "are absorbing data through observation, through contact, and I find that model of leadership... is very, very powerful."

Vermont Business Magazine On Tuesday over the lunch hour, over 250 people gathered virtually for the launch of the new Leaders for Equity and Equal Pay (LEEP) Toolkit. The Toolkit is a unique and powerful DIY resource, containing an excel-based Equity Management Tool and a companion Playbook, that provides Vermont’s small to midsize employers with information and methodology needed to conduct in-house, ongoing gender and racial pay equity reviews.

Vermont Business Magazine As of today, the Vermont department of health is reporting five new cases of COVID-19, with no new deaths, which remain at 256. Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) will administer COVID vaccines 8 am – 6 pm every day at SVMC ExpressCare and 9 am – 3 pm on Saturday, June 12, at the gymnasium on the former Southern Vermont College campus. Also below is the state and pharmacy vaccine availability. Also, most pharmacies and supermarkets with pharmacies, including Walmart and Costco, have walk-in vaccination clinics. Governor Scott will drop all COVID-19 restrictions once 80 percent of all eligible Vermonters get vaccinated. As of June 8, 79.6 percent of eligible Vermonters were vaccinated.

Vermont Business Magazine The staff at the Champlain Valley Exposition are busy preparing for the 99^th Annual Champlain Valley Fair. The “ten best days of summer” runs from August 27 through September 5, 2021. In anticipation of Vermont’s largest annual event, Jeff Bartley issued the following statement with regards to the Grandstand line-up.

Vermont Business Magazine An additional 3,139 individuals remain to be vaccinated. On June 7, 2021, an additional 1,058 individuals were vaccinated. If Vermont can vaccinate 1,000 at day, Governor Scott will remove all COVID mitigation restrictions by Friday. Some states like Connecticut, New Hampshire and Rhode Island have already fully reopened despite lower vaccination numbers without any health repercussions. Vermont ranks as the healthiest COVID state by any measure and number one in vaccinations. As for cases, the VDH reported today 13 new cases of COVID-19 and no deaths, which remain at 256. A statistical analyysis by the Department of Financial Regulation estimates that the vaccines have saved 260 lives in Vermont.

by Lieutenant Governor Molly Gray This past year has proven what we have long known to be true: Vermonters are resilient and know how to come together to get through tough times. While we should all be proud that our brave little state has led the nation in responding to COVID-19, the all too familiar stories of working families and small businesses hurt by the pandemic are devastating. While in some instances we know the toll this pandemic has had on our families, businesses and communities, in many other instances we are still learning. Now is the time to listen to Vermonters.

Vermont Business Magazine Senators Patrick Leahy and Bernie Sanders, and Representative Peter Welch sent a letter to the Biden administration late Monday urging him to work with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to allow additional travel between the United States and Canada. With increased vaccination rates in both the United States and Canada, and updated CDC guidance for fully vaccinated Americans, the delegation urged the Biden administration to work with Canada to add additional essential traveler classes and to continue working toward fully reopening the border.

Vermont Business Magazine InSpace, a collaborative video conferencing platform that replicates personal interaction between students and teachers in virtual classrooms, today announced that the company has closed on $6 million in two rounds of seed funding. The funding is led by a $2.6 million investment from venture capital firm Boston Seed Capital and $1.5 million each from Gutbrain Ventures and PBJ Capital, in addition to other investors.