Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Richards Group is pleased to announce that it has reached an agreement to merge with IPG Employee Benefits, based in Keene, NH. The two firms have long been leaders in employee benefits consulting across the twin state region, and the merger further strengthens their collective offering to clients.

“We’re delighted to have Walter Rohr, John Round and their team join The Richards Group. IPG has an excellent team, strong client relationships and a terrific reputation”, said Drew Richards, Vice President of The Richards Group. “We’ve had clients in Keene for years and have had considerable growth in Cheshire County over the past decade. We’re thrilled to be part of the vibrant community in Keene and joining with IPG certainly deepens the commitment we’ve already made to the area.”

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets is now accepting applications for two grant programs that provide support to Vermont schools and early care providers who want to establish or expand their farm to school programs. Both the Infrastructure Grant program and the Farm to School Child Nutrition grant program are open to any Vermont licensed and registered early care provider or Vermont school, including consortiums of schools or early care providers

Vermont Business Magazine Rutland Regional Medical Center Cardiac Rehab Program recently announced the expansion of available sessions in their cardiac rehab gym for Phase II patients. Phase II refers to patients who are in the acute phase of their recovery after a cardiac event.  According to the American Heart Association, patients with certain conditions and procedures will benefit from a cardiac rehab program. These include a heart attack, heart failure, angina, coronary artery disease (CAD), coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery,percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), and valve replacement.

Vermont Business Magazine A discussion on "invisible" diversity and identity has led Castleton University faculty and staff to launch an initiative called CU/See Me.

Peter Kimmel, Dean of the College of Health and Sciences, said this home-grown initiative serves as a way for members of the Castleton family to get together to recognize diversity and identity in a positive way.

Vermont Business Magazine The removal of Mill Pond Dam on Indian Brook in Colchester is now complete. The new stream channel and floodplain have been graded and seeded. Indian Brook will gradually be restored to a free-flowing stream, to the benefit of aquatic ecosystem and public safety. 

The Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC) began the dam removal in August following a two-year design and permitting process after the dam owner, Kim Scofield, requested assistance to remove it, citing it as a “financial burden I can live without.”

“The river will continue to adjust and regenerate, but we are already seeing tangible results,” said B.T. Fitzgerald, Dam Project & Vermont Dam Task Force Coordinator at VNRC. “Most importantly, 30,000 cubic yards of phosphorus-containing sediment has been removed.”

Vermont Business Magazine The Winooski City Council voted affirmatively to enter a negotiation phase with Nedde Real Estate (Nedde), a developer who met the response requirements for the City’s Lot 7D Request for Proposals issued in July 2019. The negotiation phase would explore the terms of a public-private partnership to create a 100-room boutique hotel, a municipal parking structure for more than 300 cars, and a new 36,000sf office for VEIC, a nonprofit sustainable energy company.

By Christine McGowan, Forest Program Director, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund
When most people think about world-class athletes from Vermont, they think of Olympic skiers and snowboarders like Kelly Clark, Hannah Kearney and Sophie Caldwell. And while it’s true that Vermont is a breeding ground for snow legends, it’s also home to one of the world’s most highly ranked competitive lumberjacks, Calvin Willard.

Vermont Business Magazine In 2019, OneCare Vermont (OneCare) Accountable Care Organization (ACO) has awarded $1,065,181 in competitive grant funding, over two funding cycles, to providers in the ACO Network and their partners, with the goal of improving the quality, cost, and experience of healthcare for Vermonters.

In May 2019, OneCare released the request for proposals (RFP) for the second round of funding for the Innovation Fund. In July 2019, 36 proposals were submitted from across ten of Vermont’s 14 health service areas. The selections were made by OneCare’s Board of Managers’ Population Health Strategy Committee. This committee includes representatives from throughout the state and the full spectrum of care providers. In the first round of funding, three proposals were selected, and in the second round of funding five proposals have been awarded.

by Christine McGowan Skiing backcountry terrain in Vermont is hardly a new idea. Originally a mode of transportation for Vermonters stranded by unpassable, snow-covered roads, skiing in the woods dates back to the early 1900s when visitors from Norway introduced the novel idea of strapping long, wooden slats to your boots to move more easily through the snow.

Vermont Business Magazine On Wednesday, November 6th, Superintendent Obeng emailed District staff and parents regarding his decision to step down at the end of our current school year.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont Health Network has begun a pilot project to offer Genomic DNA Testing to patients as part of their clinical care. The pilot program is the beginning of an effort to increase the integration of genetic disease risks into routine medical care, which holds promise for providing Vermonters with valuable information to guide their health decisions

Vermont Business Magazine A dozen non-profit organizations were awarded grants from VEC’s member-supported Community Fund recently.

Grants supported literacy, public safety, and addiction treatment, among other needs.

The Community Fund is a program voluntarily funded by VEC members who round up their electric bills, from members’ donations to the fund of patronage capital dollars, as well as one-time donations. The fund makes grants to local organizations that support economic security, energy education, emergency and disaster relief, and community development.