Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Community-based, employee-owned Kinney Drugs continues its partnership with Vermont Health Connect to help inform local communities about their options in the insurance marketplace. Kinney Drugs will host a free event at 308 Shelburne Road in Burlington, to educate the public about their health insurance options on Tuesday, December 6 from 10 am-2 pm.

As part of this event, Vermont Health Connect certified navigators will provide answers to questions about the Marketplace and will help the public find the health plan that is right for them.

“Helping our customers make informed decisions about their health and their healthcare coverage is extremely important to us,” said Jim Spencer, president of Kinney Drugs stores.  “We are pleased to partner with Vermont Health Connect to connect customers with informative and accessible resources about the health insurance options and help them find insurance plans to fit their needs.”

by John McClaughry A lot of serious long-term national issues simply weren’t addressed in the recent national election. That’s not surprising. Issues like the alarming growth of the national debt, the rising consequences of opiate addiction,  and unprecedented changes in demography don’t fit easkily into  political campaigns and their 30 second ads.

One such neglected issue is what the President’s Council on Economic Advisers , in a June report, calls “The Long Term Decline in Prime-Age [25-54] Male Labor Force Participation”. American Enterprise Institute demographer Nicholas Eberstadt offers a more concise title in his new book  “Men Without Work”.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont's largest telecommunications company will be sold to an Illinois firm. Consolidated Communications Holdings, Inc (NASDAQ: CNSL) announced today it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire FairPoint Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: FRP), a business and broadband communications provider, in an all-stock merger transaction valued at approximately $1.5 billion, including debt ($887 million), which accounts for more than half the total value of the deal. The agreement and the proposed merger have been unanimously approved by the boards of directors at both companies.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Lisa Ventriss, President of Vermont Business Roundtable (Roundtable) announced the recipient of the 2016 New Medallion Award, which recognizes exceptional school leadership and progress toward the goals inherent in Act 46 of equity, access, and quality of educational experiences for all Vermont students: Rachael Potts, Internship Coordinator and Employment Specialist from Harwood Union High School.

Vermont Business Magazine Dr James N Weinstein, CEO and President of Dartmouth-Hitchcock (D-H) and the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health (D-HH) system, will retire from that position at the end of his term, June 30, 2017, Anne-Lee Verville, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Boards Chair, announced today. In a letter to Dartmouth-Hitchcock employees, she said: “The Board of Trustees accepts Jim’s decision with great admiration and appreciation for all he has done during his many years of service to Dartmouth-Hitchcock, not only in his current role, but in past leadership roles including President of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Clinic, Director of The Dartmouth Institute, and the inaugural Chair of the Department of Orthopaedics.”

Vermont Business Magazine KSE Partners, now Leonine Public Affairs, launches its new brand today. KSE Partners, based in Montpelier, has been a leading Vermont premier government relations and public relations firm for nearly 30 years. Now, KSE Partners is retiring its original identity and launching its new look, office space, and name, Leonine Public Affairs.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Teddy Bear Company has revealed that its 4-foot Giant Bear is featured with Oprah Winfrey on the cover of the December issue of O Magazine. The 4-foot Giant Bear has been a best-seller for a number of years and is available at Amazon. Hand-stuffed in Vermont, using 100 percent recycled material, the Giant Bear is a big hit each holiday season, and as year-round gifts for ages 1-100.

“It is such an honor to have our 4-foot Giant Bear featured next to Oprah Winfrey on her magazine,” says Bill Shouldice, CEO. “This is very exciting for all of us at Vermont Teddy Bear.”

Vermont Business Magazine Leaders of unions representing telecom workers in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont responded in a statement today to the announcement by Consolidated Communications Holdings Inc that it plans to purchase FairPoint Communications in 2017. The sale is subject to approval by both companies’ shareholders and state regulators.

Vermont Business Magazine WPTZ-TV meteorologist Tom Messner, WCAX-TV weather anchor Sharon Meyer and the late radio and TV personality Dean Slack were all inducted into the Vermont Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame December 3 at the Hilton Burlington. Sharon Meyer became director of WCAX’s weather department upon the retirement of VAB Hall of Fame member Stuart Hall. Sharon is known not only for her forecasting skills but also for sharing her love of Vermont’s natural beauty with her viewers. Sharon is regularly featured on NESN Red Sox broadcasts.

Sharon Meyer and Tom Messner. VAB photos.

by Mike Smith Recently, Democrats announced their new leadership team in the U.S. Senate. This new team included Sen. Bernie Sanders. His new assignment is to try and convince those working-class Americans who abandoned Democrats in the recent election to support Democratic candidates in the future. The hope is that a populist senator like Sanders will be able to identify and address the core concerns of middle-income Americans. But, as Sanders embarks on his new assignment, he needs to recognize the mistakes the Democrats made during the last election.

by CB Hall Vermont Business Magazine The State Transportation Board has wrapped up its annual fall series of public forums in mid-November, and this year's theme for the sessions – Vermont's railroads – has sparked considerable interest in a mode of transportation that, some Vermonters say, is very much underused. Each year, the autumn events focus on a different aspect of transportation in the state. This year, according to the board's executive secretary, John Zicconi, attendance at the seven forums was “above our normal attendance in the last five years.”

Vermont Business Magazine Bartenders are one of the most common jobs in America and Vermont is the best state in which to be one, according to Zippia. In fact, Vermont is by far the best bartending state in the Northeast. A significant number of people work as bartenders in every state in the union. Zippia ranked the states based on available jobs and wages. While Vermont has the second fewest number of jobs overall, bartenders in Vermont have a very high relative wage.

Since bartenders are such a prominent occupation, the national employment resource Zippia wanted to look at where bartenders have it the best: where there are plenty of jobs to go around, and people get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.