Current News

Vermont Business Magazine In the fall of 2016, Nancy Cathcart was preparing for long-needed bilateral knee replacement surgery when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The Board and staff accommodated her leave of absence and part-time status through treatments. As she approached another extended leave of absence for knee replacement surgery, she made the decision to resign her position to focus on her healing and recovery.

Vermont Business Magazine The Green Mountain Care Board (GMCB) announced this week its premium rates for Blue Cross and MVP, as well as releasing its list of prescription drugs that have risen the most over the last year. The GMCB cut the rate requests for both insurers, but Blue Cross was granted a 9.2 percent increase and MVP a 3.5 percent increase.

The GMCB announced on Thursday its decision on Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont’s (BCBSVT) requested rate increase for insurance plans offered on Vermont Health Connect (VHC), Vermont’s online health benefit exchange. The rates were filed by insurers on May 12 and were subject to a 90-day technical analysis and review by the GMCB. The review process included two days of rate hearings open to the public, input from the Office of the Health Care Advocate, a public comment forum, and the Board received public comment from over 500 Vermonters.

Vermont Business MagazineThe University of Vermont is one of only 24 universities nationwide to make the Princeton Review's “Green Rating Honor Roll” in recognition of sustainability-related practices, policies and academic offerings. "The schools on our Green Rating Honor Roll demonstrated a truly exceptional commitment to sustainability across critical areas we looked at -- from course offerings and recycling programs to plans for reducing greenhouse gas emissions," said Robert Franek, the Princeton Review's editor-in-chief. "We salute their administrators, faculty and students for their collective efforts to protect and preserve our environment."

Vermont Business Magazine Weekly unemployment claims increased last week but remain at a low summer-time level. Claims had been falling steadily since early July. Claims also are lower than they were the same time last year, which has been the usual case for most weeks in 2017. For the week of August 5, 2017, there were 392 claims, up 72 from the previous week's total and 131 fewer than than they were a year ago. Altogether 3,860 new and continuing claims were filed, an increase of 7 from a week ago, and 509 fewer than a year ago.

Vermont Business Magazine GlobalFoundries employees were treated to a picnic to celebrate the plant that was founded by IBM in Essex Junction. Sanjay Jha, CEO of GlobalFoundries, with Governor Phil Scott, Senator Patrick Leahy, Congressman Peter Welch and other dignitaries, later joinedthem. But the plant needs more workers.

Vermont Business MagazineGovernor Phil Scott and USSenator Patrick Leahy(D-Vermont)were in HardwickThursdayto announce a $250,000 Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC)granttotransform the former "Greensboro Garage" on Route 15 into a new agricultural enterprise center.The grant is one of ten NBRC grants totaling $2,228,801 announcedThursday, which will make vital infrastructure improvements, invest in job-creating technical assistance programs,andhelp businesses and organizations from Franklin to Caledonia Counties.

Vermont Business MagazineToday, Lisa Ventriss, President of Vermont Business Roundtable (VBR) and Jeffrey Carr, President, Economic & Policy Resources (EPR), announced the Q3 2017 outlook results of their joint initiative, the VBR-EPR Business Conditions Survey and Index.

Overall Finding

The latest survey, which was conducted during the first two weeks of July 2017, achieved a response rate of 71 percent overall and included a 50 percent or greater response rate from 12 of 15 represented sectors within the membership. Survey results show that:

• Three-quarters of respondents (71%) shared negative outlooks specifically with ease of hiring for available positions, similar to the previous survey (74%);

Vermont Business Magazine Lyndon and Johnson state colleges have received a grant from theDavisEducational Foundation in Yarmouth, Maine, for $224,646 over three years to support the revision of the general education curriculum for both campuses. As the colleges work toward unification as Northern Vermont University (NVU) July 1, 2018, faculty are revamping Lyndon and JSC’s separate general education curriculums —interdisciplinarysets of required courses outside students’ majors — into one program for both campuses.The colleges will maintain separate campuses after they unify. The new general education program will be launched the fall 2018 semester for the first NVU entering class.

Vermont Business MagazineHaving recently secured Vermont Works Management Company, LLC as an anchor institutional investor,Packetized Energyhas been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant for $225,000 to conduct research and development (R&D) work on coordinating large numbers of distributed photovoltaic (PV) solar panels and battery storage systems in a way that provides value to consumers and increases grid reliability.

Vermont Business MagazineGrassland-nesting bird populations continue to decline in numbers in Vermont, according to recent surveys conducted by the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department and the USFish and Wildlife Service. Also, an F&Wbotanist and his wife were out for a weekend hike at Raven Ridge Natural Area in Monkton recently when they discovered a flowering plant that has not been seen in Vermont in decades and was thought to be extirpated, or locally extinct. And, theEnvironmental Careers & Opportunities (ECO) AmeriCorps program is finishing up its second year of guiding young people through 11-month placements in environmental service in Vermont.

Vermont Business MagazineAgri-Mark, a cooperative of 1,100 dairy farm families and maker of Cabot® cheddar and dairy products, is proud to announce their selection by Governor Phil Scott as a receipt of the Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence.Working with Efficiency Vermont and their Continuous Energy Improvement Initiative (CEI), the Middlebury facility assessed and optimized the energy usage required to make compressed air and improved overall efficiencies in plant-wide air usage.

The optimizations and upgrades to current systems realized a 542,000 kWh reduction in electrical usage. Cabot’s multi-year CEI Initiative is now reducing energy operating costs by over $250K annually.

Vermont Business MagazineSeven Days, Vermont’s free, independent newsweekly based in Burlington, won three first-place awards at the annual Association of Alternative Newsmedia conference last month in Washington, DC.The AAN Awards recognize the most artful, compelling and courageous journalism produced each year by the alternative newsmedia. AAN member publications vary in size and circulation, and are based in cities across the U.S. and Canada; the annual awards contest gives these publications the opportunity to compete against their peers.