Current News

Vermont Busness Magazine On September 9, 2016, the United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA) awarded the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets $500,000 to develop a Vermont State Produce Safety Program. The award will support Vermont in its collaboration with FDA to cooperatively implement the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule. The $500,000 is the first award of a planned five-year, $3.625 million investment in Vermont’s program by FDA, pending congressional budget allocation.

Vermont Business Magazine Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet, head of the US Small Business Administration, today announced $18.85 million to support export growth among American small businesses. Vermont is getting over $250,000. The funding was awarded through SBA’s competitive State Trade Expansion Program (STEP).

Vermont Business Magazine This year’s Con Hogan Award for Creative, Entrepreneurial, Community Leadership, presented by the Vermont Community Foundation, will go to Michael Monte. Monte serves as Chief Financial and Operating Officer of Champlain Housing Trust. He has more than 30 years of experience in the community and economic development field. The award will be presented at a celebration at Vermont College of Fine Arts in Montpelier on Wednesday, October 5 at 4 pm.

Michael Monte, Champlain Housing Trust.

Vermont Business Magazine New England Federal Credit Union is donating $100,000 toward completion of the Robert E and Holly D Miller Building at the University of Vermont Medical Center in Brlington, which will contain 128 new single-patient rooms. The hospital says patients in the Miller Building will experience enhanced quality of care due to the privacy, space for families, and healing environment single-bed rooms provide. The hospital says studies show that rooms designed with the needs of patients and families in mind result in better outcomes and a better experience overall. Currently, only 30 percent of patient rooms at the UVM Medical Center have one bed. 

by Timothy McQuiston State Auditor Doug Hoffer today released a report on Vermont’s statewide health information network. Hoffer concluded that despite millions being spent on it, the state has no idea whether or not the network has improved health outcomes. The Vermont Health Information Exchange (VHIE), is managed by the Vermont Information Technology Leaders, Inc (VITL). The state has paid VITL over $38 million since 2005. Almost one-third of this amount ($12.3 million) was expended in fiscal years 2015 and 2016 through grants and contracts with the Department of Vermont Health Access (DVHA).

The objective of Hoffer’s audit was to assess whether and how the state evaluated VITL’s activities and measured VITL’s performance in fiscal years 2015 and 2016 grant and contract agreements executed by DVHA as of June 30, 2016. For certain agreements, DVHA shared oversight responsibilities with the Agency of Administration (AOA).

Vermont Business Magazine Thanks to the efforts of the Montpelier Energy Advisory Committee, the City of Montpelier is getting a significant portion of its electricity from the sun. Partnering with Novus, a Montpelier-based firm specializing in the development of solar powered projects, the city government has entered into a 20 year Power Purchase Agreement for municipal electrical use.

Last month the first 500KW array located in Sharon came on line and the power produced is shared by the city and the Montpelier school district. A second 500KW array will be built off Log Road in Montpelier. Still in the permitting phase, this project will come on line in the fall of 2017. 100% of the energy produced from the second array will help to offset municipal power consumption.

Vermont Business Magazine Poultney Mettowee Natural Resource Conservation District (PMNRCD) has been awarded a $28,000 grant as part of Vermont’s Clean Water Fund to identify sources of stormwater runoff and propose high priority stormwater mitigation projects. PMNRCD will work with the Rutland Regional Planning Commission (RRPC), the Town of Castleton, and the Town of Hubbardton to conduct Stormwater project identification and ranking within the Castleton River headwaters. Additional outreach will be provided to the towns of Ira, West Rutland, and Pittsford.

“Everyone we’ve worked with on this project so far has been very supportive and positive. We look forward to implementing the projects identified through this grant with the help and support of the communities in the watershed” said Hilary Solomon, District Manager, PMNRCD.

Vermont Business Magazine Commissioner Michael Pieciak announced today that the Department of Financial Regulation will launch a number of initiatives designed to combat elder financial abuse in Vermont. In conjunction with National Senior$afe Training Week, October 2-8, DFR has compiled a number of resources aimed at raising awareness and establishing procedures for reporting possible financial abuse. Elder financial abuse has been termed the “Crime of the 21st Century.” According to the Investor Production Trust, it is estimated that one of every five citizens over the age of 65 has been victimized by a financial fraud, totaling a loss of approximately $2.9 billion annually.

Vermont Business Magazine Weekly unemployment claims rose slightly last week but remain low. Overall, claims have been static and are running marginally higher in 2016 than in 2015. For the week of September 24, 2016, there were 353 claims, up 3 from the previous week's total and 67 more than they were a year ago. By industry, claims were nearly unchanged from last week, with Manufacturing accounting for the small increase in claims, as Services, the usual leader, led the way with 50 percent of all claims. 

Altogether 2,9991 new and continuing claims were filed, a decrease of 22 from a week ago, and 65 fewer than a year ago.

The Department processed 0 First Tier claims for benefits under Emergency Unemployment Compensation, 2008 (EUC08).

by Mike Smith This past week Governor Peter Shumlin surprised many when he announced that he would select and appoint a replacement for retiring Vermont Supreme Court Justice John Dooley. Here’s why it was a surprise: Justice Dooley will be retiring from the bench at the end of March, almost three months after Shumlin has left office.    

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Lottery Commission (VLC) announced today the resignation of Executive Director, Greg Smith, effective October 14. Smith is pursuing another opportunity after running Vermont's Lottery for over four years. A statement from the Lottery Commission said he is pursuing a new opportunity in Chicago, but did not say exactly where he is going or what the position is.

Greg Smith. Vermont Lottery Commission photo.

During Smith's tenure, Vermont Lottery sales and profits have grown by almost 20 percent, resulting in over $26 million being contributed to Vermont's Education Fund in the last fiscal year.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Chamber of Commerce announced Friday the selection of Bill Stritzler as its 2016 Citizen of the Year. Stritzler’s contributions to Vermont will be celebrated at an awards dinner on Wednesday, November 16 at Smugglers’ Notch Resort. Stritzler was selected by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce for the Citizen of the Year Award for his extensive community involvement and continual devotion to the betterment of Vermont.

A Cambridge resident, Stritzler is the owner and managing director of Smugglers’ Notch Resort. Stritzler currently serves on the advisory board of Butternut Mountain Farm and the Vermont Business Roundtable (where he is past chair). He is past chair of the Nature Conservancy of Vermont, Vermont Public Television, Vermont Economic Progress Council, the Lamoille Economic Development Corporation, and Copley Health Systems. He is also a past board member of the School for Northern Studies.