Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Campaign Workers Guild on Monday announced the ratification of a collective bargaining agreement with Christine for Vermont. The contract was unanimously ratified Tuesday night by workers for Christine Hallquist, the Democratic candidate for governor.

Vermont Business Magazine E4H Environments for Health Architecture, an architecture firm based in Williston and focused exclusively on healthcare, today announced its latest expansion effort with the opening of its Nashville office and the appointment of Brian Willer, Managing Partner, to lead the office. With 16 years of experience, Willer will oversee services to major healthcare provider clients with headquarters in the South, where demand for experienced healthcare design professionals is on the rise.

Vermont Business Magazine Norwich University's Counseling and Wellness Center has been awarded a grant of $88,000 from a private philanthropist working with the JED Foundation to participate in a strategic planning initiative for mental health and suicide prevention on campus through collaboration with “JED Campus” over the next four years. Norwich was one of six Vermont schools to receive funding, along with Middlebury College, Landmark College, Castleton College, Green Mountain College, and Vermont Technical College.

The Jed Foundation (JED) is a leading nonprofit organization that exists to protect emotional health and prevent suicide for teens and young adults through JED Campus. This is a nationwide initiative designed to help colleges and universities assess and enhance their policies, programs and systems to help support the emotional well-being of their students and look for ways to reduce suicide and serious substance abuse.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Specialty Food Association (VSFA) has aannounced that Gary Hirshberg, chairman and co-founder of Stonyfield Farm, the world’s leading organic yogurt producer, will be the keynote luncheon speaker at their spring annual meeting. Hirshberg serves on several corporate and non-profit boards and has received 12 honorary doctorates and numerous awards for corporate and environmental leadership. Hirshberg will present, “Tales from the Trenches,” about the lessons he has learned from 35 years of building Stonyfield Farm.

Vermont Business Magazine On Tuesday evening, May 1, the Burlington Education Association and the Burlington Board of School Commissioners reached a tentative contract agreement with paraeducators in the Burlington School District. Board Chair Clare Wool took a break during an active board meeting on Tuesday night to address the agreement, saying to board and community members present, “as Chair and on behalf of the School Board, I highly value and deeply respect the work of our Paraeducators here in our Burlington School District, it is with that sentiment I am pleased to announce we were able to reach a tentative agreement today. I want to thank the Para-Negotiations team and our District Directors who worked very hard to accomplish a settlement.”

Vermont Business Magazine Dartmouth-Hitchcock and members (formerly known as affiliates) have committed to increasing diversity in their workforces by signing statements of support, the cornerstone for the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) program. Five member CEOs gathered in March at a monthly system CEO meeting at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, where all signed their Statement of Support. CEOs present at the meeting included Dr. Susan Mooney, Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital; Bruce King, New London Hospital; Dr. Don Caruso, Cheshire Medical Center; Dr. Joe Perras, Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center; and Jeanne McLaughlin, Visiting Nurse and Hospice for Vermont and New Hampshire. Dr. Joanne Conroy, President and CEO, signed for Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health.

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General TJ Donovan announced today that Vermont has joined a coalition of 17 states and the District of Columbia in suing the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to preserve the greenhouse gas emission standards currently in place for model year 2022-2025 vehicles. The standards, the suit claims, save drivers money at the pump, reduce oil consumption, and curb greenhouse gases.

“The EPA’s rollback of emission standards is bad for Vermont’s environment and public health,” said Attorney General Donovan. “The rollback will also hurt Vermont consumers. My office is committed to protecting the clean air that Vermonters deserve. We are going to do our part in the fight to preserve the current standards.”

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) announced Tuesday that Vermont will receive more than $16 million in new affordable housing and community development funds from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and NeighborWorks America. Earlier this year, as Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Leahy successfully negotiated a bipartisan deal to lift the budget caps on discretionary funding to allow Congress to fund the nation’s domestic priorities, including significant increases in infrastructure, community development, and affordable housing construction, rehabilitation and rental assistance programs for low-income individuals and families.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott and his Administration today presented a five-year plan that intends to revitalize Vermont's education system by generating nearly $300 million in savings that can be used to provide tax relief, expand educational opportunities like early care and learning and technical education, while improving overall quality – without raising tax rates. Further, it would reverse deficit growth and stabilize education tax rates for five years. Of the savings, most will come from reducing student-staff ratios, Special Education and health insurance.

by C.B. Hall Vermont Business Magazine With cautious and sometimes unwelcome statements coming from Amtrak, the possible suspension of the passenger rail provider's two Vermont trains at year's end continues to worry advocates intent on preserving the trains: The New York-to-Rutland "Ethan Allen Express" and the Washington, DC-to-St Albans "Vermonter." Parties to the discussions are, however, expressing optimism that service will remain intact.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s Killington Resort, the largest mountain resort in Eastern North America and a POWDR company, today announced the 2018 Summer Event Schedule including the Fox US Open of Mountain Biking August 1-5, 2018, and the Under Armour Mountain Running Series August 25, 2018. In addition to more than 20 events this summer, Killington’s summer operations continue to expand. A Woodward WreckTangle and additional summer attractions will be added to the Adventure Center. Inspired by Woodward, WreckTangle is an outdoor ninja obstacle challenge course designed to encourage kids and adults to overcome challenges by using skill, strength, creativity, imagination and determination while igniting spatial awareness, athleticism, agility, and amusement.

Vermont Business Magazine Recently Vermont Mutual Insurance Group held its 191st annual meeting at its home office in Montpelier. Over the course of 2017, Vermont Mutual Insurance Group increased its direct written premium by 7 percent to $464,285,033, grew policyholders’ surplus by more than 10 percent to $464,866,549 and was recognized as a top insurance company nationally for the ninth consecutive year.

President and CEO Dan Bridge commented, “I am pleased with the accomplishments of the Group in 2017 as we continued to strengthen the Company by achieving consistent underwriting profits and superior policyholder surplus growth. In addition, our performance was again recognized by Ward Group as best-in-class on a national level and we again earned a Best Places to Work distinction in Vermont. Importantly, we distributed more than $300,000 to organizations in need through the Vermont Mutual Charitable Giving Fund.”