Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Stephen F Kenney, MBA, CPA, was recently named chief financial officer for Central Vermont Medical Center (CVMC) after an extensive nationwide search, President and Chief Operating Officer Anna T Noonan announced November 9. Kenney, a native of Maine, returns to New England and brings to CVMC more than 25 years’ experience in health care, finance and enterprise resource planning. His most recent role was senior director for Weill Cornell Medicine in New York.

Kenney’s experience also includes prior service as chief administrative officer for Weill Cornell Medicine operations in Qatar and as chair of Weill Cornell’s Strategic Planning Committee, developing its current five-year strategic plan (2014-2019). His direct reports were responsible for business services, environmental health and safety, facilities management, finance, human resources, information technology services, process improvement and risk management.

Vermont Business Magazine Managers of the Bennington McDonald's have presented the Learning Tree Child Care Center, part of Southwestern Vermont Health Care in Bennington, a $4,423 grant for new classroom furniture courtesy of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Capital Region.

Vermont Business Magazine This week Vermonters across the state will participate in Hunger Free Vermont’s 8th Annual 3SquaresVT Challenge as part of National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. Challenge participants have been asked to eat on the average 3SquaresVT budget for the full week, a day, or a meal - approximately $37 for the week for one person, $5.22 for a day, or $1.74 per meal. The purpose of the Challenge is not to emulate the reality of food insecurity for Vermonters - many of whom may rely on a variety of programs and resources to meet their families’ needs - but to instead draw attention to the experience of living on a strict food budget and how that may or may not change your daily life both physically and psychologically as a participant.

WHAT: Vermonters take the 3SquaresVT Challenge and eat on a SNAP budget for a week to learn about hunger in their community

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont Grossman School of Business’ Sustainable Innovation MBA program has once again been named the No. 1 “Best Green MBA” program by The Princeton Review. This 2019 distinction marks the second consecutive year in which the program has topped the annual list. With its first-place ranking, the UVM program led Ivy League schools including Cornell University and Yale University, which ranked second and third on Princeton’s list, respectively.

Vermont Business Magazine Facebook will host an event in Burlington on Monday, November 12 at 5:30 pm. Facebook employees are traveling around the country to hear from people about what the company can do to improve the Facebook News Feed experience. The company chose Burlington as one of the first stops on their listening tour.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today issued the following statement: “Today is an important day in history. One hundred years ago, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, the first World War came to an end. “So, today, we honor those who fought bravely in that war, and all wars since...

by Jeb Spaulding, Chancellor, Vermont State Colleges System It’s true: not everyone needs to go to college. But consider this: over 95 percent of the jobs created since the Great Recession ten years ago have gone to workers with at least some college education, according to Georgetown University, while those with a high school diploma were left behind. The recession decimated low-skill, blue-collar and clerical jobs; the recovery added primarily high-skill, managerial and professional jobs.

Consider this too: last month the national unemployment rate was double for those with only a high school diploma as opposed to a bachelor’s degree. And, as a group, citizens who do not continue their education beyond high school are much more likely to live in poverty, have more health problems, and to have children who also do not pursue education beyond high school.

by Kate E Harbaugh, Communications Strategist and Elena Bertrand, Health and Wellness Manager In support of this vision, this fall Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont has partnered with a diverse group of employers, health care and community partners in three regions of the state – Central Vermont, Northern Vermont and Southern Vermont. The focus of this collaboration is to uncover and address health issues particular to each region, identify resources and programs available to the community at large and in the end, create healthier communities.

by Bill Schubart In the criminal justice system, three groups have agency: the victim, the offender, and society at large. Our ability to balance these interests will determine the efficacy of our criminal justice system. Getting it right relies on the probity and shared values of police, prosecutors, judges, and corrections officials as the offender migrates through the criminal justice system.

Today, our outcomes couldn’t be worse. We jail more people than any other world power, including Russia and China, at a cost this year of more than a trillion dollars. Our national five-year recidivism rate is 76%. Vermont’s prison population has doubled in twenty years even though we’re one of the safest states in the country. The battle cries that got us here are cultural – “lock ‘em up”, and political – “tough on crime”. Neither are sustainable or make us safer.

Vermont Business Magazine Lamoille Housing Partnership (LHP) and Butternut Mountain Farm (BMF) have teamed up to celebrate #GivingTuesday, happening November 27th, 2018. BMF has pledged to support affordable housing in Lamoille County and Hardwick by matching up to $500 in donations to LHP.

“Our goal at Butternut Mountain Farm is to support local organizations that create and support a stable, prosperous and healthy community. We are pleased to partner with Lamoille Housing Partnership for this year’s #GivingTuesday. Donations will support their mission and commitment to creating and preserving affordable housing for low and moderate income residents of our community,” said Emma Martin, Butternut Mountain Farm’s owner.

Vermont Business Magazine Join the Sullivan Museum and History Center at Norwich University for a Lunch and Learn program, “The Railroad History of the State of Vermont,” featuring Jim Murphy, on Thursday, November 15, at noon. This free event, sponsored by the Associates of the Sullivan Museum and History Center, includes a light lunch and is open to the public.

Vermont Business Magazine Green Mountain Power is alerting customers that wind speed forecasts for Saturday afternoon and evening have increased to 30 to 50 MPH and outages are possible. GMP closely tracks the weather and is prepared to respond if gusts take down trees and lines, which may be more likely due to saturated ground following recent rain storms.