Current News

Vermont Business Magazine University of Vermont President Suresh Garimella on Friday sent a letter to seniors informing them that commencement ceremonies scheduled for May have been canceled. Garimella said that he shared their disappointment, as it would have been his first graduation as president. He took up his duties last July. Earlier in the COVID-19 crisis, UVM had surveyed students about preferences for commencement. Those possibilities included holding an online ceremony or even a live ceremony later in the summer. Without offering possibilities, Garimella held out hope for some sort of alternative commencement.

by Louis Josephson and Steven Gordon The Coronavirus pandemic continues to demand timely, innovative solutions that focus on keeping people safe. And as we are learning, these solutions require the willingness of health care institutions to work together for the greater good. With that in mind we want to reassure our neighbors and friends both locally and across Vermont that the Brattleboro Retreat and Brattleboro Memorial Hospital (BMH) have developed an effective way to address the needs of psychiatric patients with possible COVID-19 needs.

Vermont Business Magazine In light of the substantial and ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global financial conditions, the University of Vermont Board of Trustees today approved a three-month budget continuation past the June 30, 2020, conclusion of the current fiscal year. In September, the administration will present a budget for the remaining nine months of the 2021 fiscal year, when anticipated income and expenses for the next fiscal year become clearer. The Board also directed the University to examine major operating costs including ongoing capital construction projects.

The decision reflects the uncertainty felt throughout higher education as a result of impacts from the pandemic and is part of the continuum of actions the University has taken in response to challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health this afternoon reported that there were 31 new cases of COVID-19 for a total of 543 total cases. There also was another death related to the novel coronavirus, for a statewide total of 23. Of the 6,600 tests that have been administered, over 6,000 have come back negative. The state has opened up testing to more marginal potential cases as tests have become more available and to try and capture a more complete picture of where Vermont stands. In that regard, both Governor Phil Scott and Health Commissioner Mark Levine, MD, said the data supports results from last week showing guarded optimism. The governor said the state could peak as early as the end of this week. However, he said Vermonters must maintain the sacrifices they've been enduring and remain vigilant to keep themselves and others safe. They recommend wearing a face mask when out in public.

Vermont Business Magazine The 2020 Best of Business Awards (BOB Awards) winners were revealed today by Vermont Business Magazine. This awards program celebrates the best Vermont companies in more than 100 business-to-business categories.

Vermont Business Magazine A key component of ReArch Company’s corporate mission is giving back to our communities. In keeping with their mission statement to support the community through being "engaged, involved and philanthropic," ReArch Company, Inc. has committed to donating a substantial percentage of our profit each and every year to local charities and organizations that are working towards bettering the lives of people in our communities. This year $11,000 was available for the employee-driven portion of ReArch’s employee-driven philanthropy program, and they have announced that they were able to make contributions to all 8 employee submission requests.

Vermont Business Magazine The Upper Valley Business Alliance (formerly the Hanover and Lebanon NH Chambers of Commerce) announces the launch of the Upper Valley MedTech Collaborative (UVMTC). The purpose of UVMTC is to broaden awareness of the many companies located in the Upper Valley region of Vermont and New Hampshire that are researching, developing and manufacturing medical devices.

Vermont Business Magazine Community organizations and small businesses in New Hampshire and Vermont will receive $330,000 in funding as part of a previously announced initiative through which Citizens Bank will direct more than $5 million to support relief and recovery across communities it serves, including $280,000 that will go directly to small businesses across New Hampshire and Vermont.

“We believe our approach strikes a strong balance between rapid aid to community partners addressing immediate needs and longer term support for small business recovery,” said Joe Carelli, New Hampshire and Vermont state president, Citizens Bank. “Our small business customers are a vital engine of the local economies so it is critical that we both give them an immediate leg up and bolster their long term viability.”

Citizens Bank and the Citizens Charitable Foundation will direct $330,000 in New Hampshire and Vermont as follows:

by Melinda Moulton I first met Joyce Marcel when she interviewed me for a profile article in Vermont Business Magazine. She arrived with her husband of 20 years, Randolph T Holhut, the cover photographer for Vermont Business Magazine and news editor of The Commons. Joyce pulled up a chair to the front of my desk leaned in and unabashedly stated, “I was once a topless dancer.” I knew we were going to hit it off. She is a little woman with a strong stature and a head of graying curly hair that frames her face full of laugh lines and sad lines. Her eyes twinkled with curiosity. It did not take long for me to know that I wanted to write a story about Joyce Marcel – Vermont’s Biographer.

The University of Vermont Health Network The COVID-19 pandemic has made all of us more thankful for the basic, important things in our lives – things like the health and safety of our families, and the support of our communities. So many people have come forward to say “thank you” and offer words of encouragement to health care workers all across the region. These simple acts mean so much. Our #ThanksHealthHeroes gratitude campaign, detailed in this newsletter, is a way to keep those messages coming during these difficult times.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health on Sunday afternoon reported 52 more cases of COVID-19. This brings the total to 512. They also reported two more deaths, for a total of 22 in Vermont. Chittenden County is still reporting by far the most cases, with 271, but there has been a recent increase in the number of cases from southern Vermont. Windham County now has 31 cases and Rutland County has 27. Just on Wednesday there were only 16 cases in Windham County and 10 in Rutland, out of a statewide total of 321.

by Jack Hoffman, Public Assets Institute Let’s all take a deep breath. Before we jump to the conclusion that $600-a-week federal unemployment checks on top of state benefits are going to destroy the work ethic and wipe out the labor force, let’s remember why we’re doing this.