Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Jay Peak Resort announced Tuesday it has been named among the Top 10 (#5 on the list) Best Ski areas by Liftopia, which operates the largest consumer marketplace and resort technology platform for ski lift tickets and other mountain activities. Voters in Liftopia’s 2016-17 Best in Snow Awards specifically touted Jay Peak Resort’s “tremendous amount of back country” with “New England-style skiing at its best including tight, twisty runs and challenging glade skiing that is far enough from the coast and gets tons of snow.”

Vermont Busness MagazineNational Life employees pumped nearly $289,000 into local nonprofits through their own payroll deductions and a matching program offered by the company’s charitable foundation in 2016. In its annual Community Giving Campaign, National Life gives employees the option of donating to nonprofits through payroll deduction. And for the second year, the National Life Group Foundation matched donations up to $1,500.

Employees responded by donating to more than 200 organizations in amounts ranging from $15 to $1,500. The organizations were primarily in central and northern Vermont and in the Dallas region, where National Life’s primary offices are located.

by John McClaughry Six years ago a Democratic Congress and President enacted ObamaCare. Whatever one may have thought about its merits, after six years it is unmistakably clear that it cannot continue without heroic, disruptive interventions in 2017, costing many billions of dollars. Congressional Democrats, who have taken serious beatings at the polls for championing the act, argue that its salvation consists of creating the government-run “public option” health insurance company. President Obama rejected that idea in 2009, telling Congress that “My guiding principle is, and always has been, that consumers do better when there is choice and competition.”

The Democrats also want billions of new tax dollars for larger premium subsidies and more multibillion dollar insurance industry bailouts. Their too-clever new slogan is that the Republicans will “make America Sick Again.” None of that will fly.

Vermont Business Magazine Across the country, students, and families are increasingly focused on the job opportunities available to students after graduation. Based on its most recent Job Outcome Survey, Vermont Tech’s students achieve at a uniquely high level. Vermont Tech recently conducted its 6-Month Job Outcome survey for the class of 2016. Out of the total 575 graduates, 477 students responded to the survey, giving an 83% response rate. The results of the survey reported that the overall placement rate in advanced education or employment of Vermont Tech’s Class of 2016 is 100%. The percentage of graduates employed within their field is 96% as well.

Liquor, Lottery and IT also see changes

by Timothy McQuiston Vermont Business Magazine While this is not, initially anyway, a way to save money, Governor Phil Scott's realignment of several important departments should improve efficiency and provide better service to the people of Vermont. The governor today announced that under Executive Order 05-17, he will merge the Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD) with the Department of Labor (DOL) to create the Agency of Economic Opportunity (AEO).

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Technical College, as the educational partner of the SBA's Emerging Leaders program, is seeking 20 entrepreneurs throughout the state to participate in a free business course starting in April. Emerging Leaders is a free executive-level training program for established business owners poised for growth. Over the course of seven months at Vermont Tech's Williston campus, each participating entrepreneur will learn immediate ways to improve their business and will create a three-year strategic growth plan to build a sustainable business of size and scale.

Vermont Business Magazine Community Bancorp, the parent company of Community National Bank, has announced that Kathryn M Austin, President and Chief Operating Officer of Community Bancorp and Community National Bank, has been named as the Chief Executive Officer of both corporations as of January 11, 2017. Stephen Marsh, who recently retiredas CEOfrom Community Bancorp and Community National Bank, will continue to serve as the Board Chair for both the Community Bancorp and Community National Bank boards.

Kathryn M Austin, President and Chief Operating Officer of Community Bancorp and Community National Bank

Vermont Business Magazine Michael S Pieciak, commissioner of the Department of Financial Regulation, announced today that MVP Health Insurance Co has paid the state of Vermont an administrative penalty of $70,500 and reimbursed 470 Vermonters a total of $158,915 plus interest. An investigation conducted by the department revealed that between October 2013 and October 2016 MVP had overcharged a number of its insured members for colorectal screenings and services associated with the screenings, such as removal of tissue, laboratory or physician services, facility services and anesthesia.

MVP has acknowledged the errors and has agreed to conduct an internal audit to ensure future compliance with Vermont laws.

Pieciak said he appreciated the cooperation the department received from MVP during the investigation and is pleased with the corrective measures the company has taken to adhere to Vermont insurance regulations.

by Secretary of State Jim Condos Protecting election integrity and security is one of my most important duties of the Secretary of State. It’s a sacred responsibility and is something I take seriously. This includes cybersecurity. My office has been taking steps to prepare for growing cyber threats for some time. We hired independent experts to perform cybersecurity assessments of all of our systems. Based on those results, we further fortified our defenses and put appropriate proactive protections in place. We continually monitor, assess and secure all of our systems, including our elections systems.

Deputy Secretary Winters attended the first ever conference of the National Cybersecurity Center in November to help raise awareness about the seriousness of the problem and to stay on top of the latest threats. Cybersecurity discussions must come out of the server room and into the board room for all state agencies.

Vermont Business Magazine The Burlington Electric Department and the Vermont Technology Council today announced the formation of an exploratory team to assess the potential for a Vermont energy startup accelerator – PowerUp Vermont – to help businesses focused on innovating in the power industry and driving the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. The 12-week program would be designed to provide growing energy businesses with a competitive advantage through a mentorship program and seminars that would address a variety of topics, including venture capital, fundraising, sales training, marketing, branding, business development, client acquisition, and power industry-specific advice.

Energy entrepreneurs are invited to complete a survey found by visiting www.PowerUpVT.com that will gauge interest in and expectations from this type of program.

Vermont Business MagazineTightly related to obesity, pediatric type 2 diabetes diagnoses have climbed rapidly in the US.But Vermont and New Hampshire continue to be among the states with the lowest rates in the nation. Private health insurance claim lines with a type 2 diabetes diagnosis more than doubled in the pediatric population (ages 0 to 22 years) from 2011 to 2015, increasing 109 percent, according to data fromFAIR Health, a national, independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing transparency to healthcare costs and health insurance information. Boys were diagnosed with type 2 more than girls, while girls have a higher incidence of obesity.

Veront Business MagazineOne in nearly 15 homes contain high levels of radon, a naturally occurring, radioactive gas that is the second-leading cause of lung cancer, according to the USEnvironmental Protection Agency. An estimated 21,000 people die in the US each year from lung cancer due to exposure to radon in homes and other buildings. Dangerous levels are found in homes in every state, including Vermont.

January is Radon Action Month and the American Lung Association of the Northeast encourages all Vermont residents to take these simple steps to protect their health from this invisible threat: