Current News

Vermont Business Magazine ECFiber, based in Royalton and now officially known as the East Central Vermont Telecommunications District, announced plans to activate 110 miles of network in 2016 and build an additional 250 miles in 2017. “Working with bond underwriters, we believe ECFiber has reached the point in its financial development that allows us to access institutional capital markets for the first time in 2016,” says Irv Thomae, District Chairman. “Since 2011, we have relied on 450+ local investors, some state-provided dark fiber, and VTA and Connectivity Fund grants to build the first 340 miles of network. By the end of 2016 we will be in parts of 21 of our 24 member towns, but many neighborhoods that desperately need ECFiber service cannot afford to raise the $30,000 per mile to complete a build. Outside financing would finally allow us to build to those towns that need us the most, not just those where we can raise capital.”

Vermont Business Magazine Penn State Milton S Hershey Medical Center has joined the growing family of organizations leveraging Mach7 Enterprise Imaging Platform to manage VNA archiving, communication, exchange and sharing of medical imaging data. Penn State Hershey, one of the leading academic medical centers in the US, provides a range of fully-integrated patient care services to the people of central Pennsylvania and to a growing care network. 

“We are thrilled to collaborate with Penn State Hershey,” said Eric Rice, chief technology officer, Mach7 Technologies. “Our advanced healthcare IT platform allows Penn State Hershey to own, manage, and share their unstructured clinical media. Mach7 enterprise imaging technology simplifies scalability, and expands clinical data access helping Penn State Hershey achieve their key business and care delivery goals.” 

by Jon Reidel, UVM The plan for Michael Schirling (UVM '92, G '05) following his retirement in June of 2015 as chief of the Burlington Police Department was to take a little time off, do some consulting and plot his next career move. That lasted two months. A call from local officials looking to hire Burlington’s first executive director of BTV Ignite, an organization that encourages public, private and academic institutions to capitalize on the city's massive high-speed gigabit infrastructure and to grow the tech economy, was too good to pass up.

Vermont Business Magazine As Vermonters move their clocks AHEAD an hour this weekend the Vermont Division of Fire Safety wants everyone to remember to also change the batteries in all smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. While changing the battery, it is also important to check the date on the alarm.  Most smoke alarms have an effective life span of around 10 years, and carbon monoxide alarms work for approximately 5-7 years depending on manufacturer.  If you do not have smoke or carbon monoxide alarms in your home, it is strongly recommended you install them as soon as possible to increase your chance of escaping a home fire.

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), approximately 60-percent of home fire deaths between 2009 and 2013 were in homes with non-existent or inoperable smoke alarms.  Failure to maintain or replace dead batteries was the leading cause of the failure.

Vermont Business Magazine The Center for Women & Enterprise(CWE) is proud to have been selected by the US Small Business Administration (SBA) to establish and operate the Women's Business Center (WBC) in Vermont and provide services to the growing number of women entrepreneurs. CWE is a nationally recognized non-profit organization dedicated to helping women (and men) navigate the world of business ownership with education, training and technical assistance.  CWE also operates centers in Boston and Westborough, MA, Nashua, NH and Providence, RI, and serves over 7,000 clients each year.

by Jon Reidel As America continues to adopt more children internationally than any other country, hundreds of thousands of children in the US – most of whom are children of color – sit in foster care awaiting adoption. Though some Americans express a desire to adopt non-white children, even they have limitations when it comes to adopting children of certain races, especially African Americans, according to a new University of Vermont study.

Vermont Business Magazine Thanks to a grant from the Fanny Holt Ames & Edna Louise Holt Fund, Grace Cottage Family Health in Townshend has nearly doubled the capacity of its Community Health Team (CHT.) The three-year grant allows for additional staffing for the team of skilled healthcare professionals who work with patients to address chronic health concerns and help individuals reach attainable goals for physical and mental health and wellness. Their services are free of charge, no insurance necessary.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Peter Shumlin today applauded the Senate Health and Welfare Committee’s passage of S243, legislation aimed at limiting the prescription of opiates in Vermont. The governor called for the legislation in his State of the State Address in January. In that speech, Shumlin placed the blame for America’s opiate crisis at the feet of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and pharmaceutical industry, which together have enabled pain management practices that in 2010 and 2012 resulted in the issuing of enough opiate prescriptions to keep every adult in America high for an entire month and to give every American their own bottle of pills, respectively.

Vermont Business Magazine The US Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly, in a vote of 94 to 1, approved major legislation backed by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) that addresses the opioid/heroin crisis that has gripped Vermont and states across the nation. Leahy on Thursday praised the Senate’s passage of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), a bill which aims to tackle opioid and heroin addiction through the same kind of community-based approach that has made significant improvements in Vermont.  “Vermont’s experience and Vermont’s solutions have informed the writing of this bill,” Leahy said.  As Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Leahy helped shepherd the legislation through the Judiciary Committee and through the Senate.

Vermont Business Magazine US Senator Bernie Sanders today announced the Department of Health and Human Services awarded $1,240,794 to four community health centers in Vermont. The health centers will use this new federal funding to expand access to substance abuse treatment. The Vermont awards are part of $94 million to improve and expand the delivery of substance abuse services announced today by HHS for 271 community health centers in 45 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The funds were authorized by a Sanders provision in the Affordable Care Act that provided $11 billion in funding for community health centers across the country.

Vermont Business Magazine Republican Lieutenant Governor Phil Scott landed two high profile endorsements today in his campaign for governor. Former Republican Governor Jim Douglas and Democratic state Senator Dick Mazza (Colchester) sent a letter to supporters through Scott's campaign email listserve. The letter is penned by Douglas with both signing. Scott leads in early polling to win the election. A recent VPR poll has him ahead in the GOP nomination against businessman Bruce Lisman and in the general election against either of the two leading Democrats, former Transportation Secretary Sue Minter and former state senator and Google executive Matt Dunne. The letter also asks people to donate to the campaign and includes pictures of Douglas and his wife Dorothy and one of Mazza.

Vermont Business Magazine During the first official visit by a sitting Canadian Prime Minister in nearly two decades, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Thursday endorsed the US-Canada preclearance agreement to expedite travel and strengthen trade and national security between the two countries. The endorsement signals support of US implementing legislation introduced last week by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), joined by chief Republican cosponsor Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska).  Prime Minister Trudeau’s endorsement also includes his intention to support bringing ratification legislation before the Canadian Parliament for approval.