Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Over 270 climate justice activists today began a five-day walk of more than  60 miles from Middlebury to the State House in Montpelier, where they will call for rapid action on climate change. Organizers from 350Vermont are calling the event ‘Next Steps: A Climate Solutions Walk’. Over the next five days, walkers will highlight the climate consequences of the buildout of the Vermont Gas pipeline; celebrate and promote examples of climate solutions; and bring local and state attention to the climate crisis.

Since the United Nations IPCC report last year, grassroots activists have been building momentum across the country for what they say is essential action to match the scale of the threat. As governments across the United States and the world are starting to take more meaningful steps to slow climate change, 350Vermont activists say that Vermont needs to follow suit.

Vermont Business Magazine The OneCare Vermont (OneCare) Board of Managers has appointed six new members—Dan Bennett, President and Chief Executive Officer, Gifford Health Care; Thomas Dee, President and CEO, Southwestern Vermont Health Care; Dr. Joseph Haddock, Independent Primary Care Physician, Thomas Chittenden Health Center; Tomasz Jankowski, President and CEO, Northeast Kingdom Human Services; Dr. Sally Kraft, Vice President of Population Health, Dartmouth-Hitchcock; and Grant Whitmer, Executive Director, Community Health Centers of the Rutland Region. The OneCare Board has responsibility for oversight and strategic direction of OneCare and provides guidance to OneCare’s management team on the accountable care organization’s day-to-day activities.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets (VAAFM) hosted the Northern Tier Dairy Summit April 1-2, 2019 at Jay Peak Resort. The Dairy Summit, which focused on actionable next steps to help a dairy industry impacted by a fifth year of record low prices, a volatile export market, and oversupply of milk, attracted more than 240 attendees, 115 of them dairy farmers. Attendees came from Vermont, New York, New Hampshire, Connecticut, representing farms, technical service providers, government, lenders, nonprofits, and a diverse array of other dairy stakeholders.

Vermont Business Magazine More than 70 Vermont students who completed the 2018 Good Citizen Challenge gathered at the Statehouse in Montpelier on March 27 to be recognized for their accomplishment. The Challenge invited K-12 students to earn points by doing a variety of activities related to civics, history, advocacy and media literacy — all crucial elements of being an informed citizen. These activities included attending city council meetings, picking up litter, reading local news articles, writing a letter to an elected official and naming the five freedoms specified in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the Vermont House of Representatives gave preliminary approval to H.107, the Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance bill, on a vote of 92-52. Governor Phil Scott opposes the mandatory aspect of the plan and along with Governor Sununu of New Hampshire has proposed a plan that's voluntary and presumably less expensive. The legislative plan did not receive the 100-vote veto proof majority, though Scott has not said whether he would veto the bill or not if it reaches his desk as is, which is probable. The legislative plan will cost at least $95 million and workers will pay a 0.55-percent payroll tax. It would provide 90 percent wage replacement on the first $27,000 of wages and 50 percent on rest up to $116,538.

Vermont Business Magazine The 2019 Best of Business Awards (BOB Awards) winners have been announced by Vermont Business Magazine. This awards program celebrates the best Vermont companies in more than 100 business-to-business categories. VBM readers choose the winners! Starting on January 1, 2019 and closing on March 1st, VBM surveyed its magazine and digital subscribers. We asked our readers – the business leaders of Vermont – who they trust to provide their services in over 100 different categories. After nearly 13,000 votes, we compiled the go-to list in the state for everything from Best Bank and Best Public Relations Firm to Best College for an Online Degree. Some of the questions and answers were based on a regional perspective while most of the categories were looking for statewide winners.

Vermont Business Magazine It is unfortunate that the Senate reached an impasse on the emergency disaster supplemental appropriations bills.  For months, I repeatedly urged Senate Republican leadership to take up and pass the House bill, H.R. 268, and for nearly 3 months they did nothing.  During those three months, American communities suffered, and new disasters struck the Midwest and Southeast.  The new criticism from Republican leadership became that Democrats pushing for more comprehensive aid to Puerto Rico in H.R. 268 must not care about these American communities affected by more recent disasters.

by Brandon Arcari The Vermont Senate has passed a proposal, Prop. 5, which would amend the Vermont constitution to guarantee "personal reproductive liberty" to Vermonters.

The proposal, in conjunction with a House bill already passed this year, would protect abortion in the state both legislatively and constitutionally, making removing those protections much more difficult. Both the bill and the amendment are in reaction to the appointment of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, due to concerns over his stance on Roe v. Wade case that protected abortion nationally. 

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General T.J. Donovan today announced a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), accusing them of illegally weakening key federal nutritional standards for school breakfasts and lunches. In Vermont, 46,000 children participated in the school lunch program and 25,000 children participated in the breakfast program last year. The coalition contends that the USDA’s rollback of sodium limits and whole grain requirements for school meals, lacks legally-mandated scientific basis, and was adopted without public notice and opportunity to comment.  

by Brandon Arcari, Vermont Business Magazine Three Vermont energy efficiency utilities announced a partnership with the state department of Public Service and the Agencies of Natural Resources and Human Resources to offer a $500 incentive to Vermont households for weatherization projects. The incentive is available for households that bring in less than 120% of the area median income.

Vermont Business Magazine Batteries are now eligible for state energy efficiency incentives in Massachusetts, and this first-in-the-nation policy should be considered by other states, according to a new report published today by Clean Energy Group (CEG). The report details how Massachusetts, a national leader in energy efficiency, recently became the first state to formally incorporate energy storage as an active demand reduction measure in its energy efficiency funding program, and it explains the simple steps other states can take to do the same.

The state’s January 2019 action was supported with original economic analysis provided by CEG.

Vermont Business Magazine Sivan Cotel of Vergennes, VT has joined the University of Vermont Health Network Board of Trustees.  He is Co-Founder and Director of Operations for Stonecutter Spirits in Middlebury and serves as Chair of the Board of Directors at UVM Health Network – Porter Medical Center. Cotel was previously the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of WhistlePig Whiskey, and provides counsel to new craft spirits companies on operational and business planning.

Cotel spent the first part of his career in financial services at Bear Stearns, JPMorgan Chase, and Bank of America Merrill Lynch, after graduating with honors from Wesleyan University with a Bachelor’s degree double-majoring in Psychology and Music and a Master's degree in Psychology.