Current News

Vermont will receive over $717,000 of a settlement reached between 49 Attorneys General and Amgen Inc. Amgen will pay a total of $71 million to resolve allegations that it unlawfully promoted its Aranesp® and Enbrel® drugs, and must adhere to specific restrictions with respect to future drug promotions.

“Promoting drugs without the required scientific evidence or FDA approval exposes consumers to enormous health risks, particularly those consumers whose health is already compromised. This settlement directly addresses that dangerous practice,” said Attorney General Bill Sorrell.

Mayor Miro Weinberger and Aviation Director Gene Richards, joined by other airport officials and stakeholders, today celebrated the first non-stop air service from Burlington International Airport (BTV) to Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) serviced by American Airlines. The 80-seat Embraer E-175 aircraft featuring First Class and Main Cabin seating, complete with in-flight Wi-Fi service, took flight at 8:05 am, marking the inaugural flight from Burlington, Vermont to Charlotte, North Carolina.

“Today’s start of non-stop service to Charlotte is another step in the right direction for the Burlington International Airport and our region’s economy,” said Mayor Weinberger. “We welcome American Airlines’ Burlington to Charlotte service to our Airport and encourage the region to use this great new travel option.”

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Chamber of Commerce announced Tuesday the selection of Janette Bombardier as its 2015 Citizen of the Year. Bombardier’s contributions to Vermont will be celebrated at an awards dinner on Thursday, October 29 at The Essex Resort & Spa. Bombardier was selected by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce for the Citizen of the Year Award for her extensive community involvement and continual devotion to the betterment of Vermont.

A Colchester resident, Bombardier is currently the Senior Location Executive at GLOBALFOUNDRIES Fab 9 in Essex Junction, and has served on the Governor’s Council on Economic Advisors and Congressman Welch’s Business Advisory Board. She also serves on the Boards of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, Merchants Bank and the Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies as well as the Vermont Workforce Development Advisory Board.

Vermont Business Magazine Gifford Medical Center in Randolph was notified last week that it has earned the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) ENERGY STAR certification. The national certification signifies that the building meets strict energy efficiency performance levels set by the EPA and performs in the top 25 percent of similar facilities nationwide for energy efficiency.

Gifford’s Director of Facilities Doug Pfohl notes that while this EPA ranking does not include buildings outside of the main medical center campus in Randolph, energy efficiency has been incorporated into all improvements and new building projects at Gifford since the 1980’s. The hospital has previously ranked high in the national Healthier Hospitals Greenhealth program.

Vermont Business Magazine Howard Center’s Safe Recovery program recently received a $12,500 contribution from the City of Burlington for continued operation of its syringe exchange program. The program support was recommended by City Councilor Selene Colburn and was funded under City Council initiatives in the City’s FY16 budget. The contribution from the City comes at a time when the demand for services outweighs Safe Recovery’s available resources and helps to offset other recent funding cuts.

“The Safe Recovery program is a critical link in our broad effort to address Vermont’s opiate addiction crisis,” said Mayor Miro Weinberger. “We are pleased the City’s support has helped continue these life-saving services.”

The new Vew-Do “Love Your Brain” Balance Boards Provide Multi-Step Progression to Better Balance.

The LoveYourBrain Foundation announced today that it has partnered with Vew-Do Balance Boards to provide a fun and innovative way for people with traumatic brain injuries to improve their balance, and their lives.

“I have been using Vew-Do balance boards ever since I started snowboarding and they have been very beneficial in my recovery from a traumatic brain injury,” said Kevin Pearce, co-founder of the LoveYourBrain Foundation. “After a TBI, everything becomes unbalanced. Not only your mental state but also your physical state. I am really excited about developing new balance boards tailored specifically for the TBI community.”

Vermont Rural Ventures provided New Markets Tax Creditfinancing to Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA), bringing $3 million of new funds to the nonprofit graduate education institution.

This financing and new capital allows VCFA to expand programming and complete several capital improvement projects. Low-cost and long-term financing from Vermont Rural Ventures will conserve working capital and help stabilize VCFA for the future.

This project is the first significant construction at the campus since 1966. Alumni Hall, a gymnasium built in 1932, will become a new multi-purpose exhibition and gathering space for the community, students, faculty, and visiting artists. Schulmaier Hall will be renovated into leased office space for the State of Vermont Human Resources Training Center. And a garage and two other buildings will be converted into a new faculty and alumni retreat center for use during VCFA program residencies.

Vermont Business Magazine On August 20-21 (Thursday-Friday), Brand USA, the United States destination marketing organization established by Congress in 2010, brings its global travel campaign to Stowe and Smugglers’ Notch as part of its partnership with the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing to produce four innovative, in-language videos to attract international visitors from the United Kingdom. Brand USA’s mission is to grow the United States’ share of the global travel market through critical partnerships with cities, states and destinations around the US.

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Erin Mansfield vtdigger.org Vermont’s senior senator is hoping the state will lead the way in how companies protect themselves from cyberterrorism. US Senator Patrick Leahy, D-VT, told a convention of 1,000 captive insurance industry executives Wednesday that he is working with U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC, to pass a law that would help large companies put money aside as insurance for cyber attacks.

The bill, the Captive Insurers Clarification Act, is one page long. If passed, it would change a section of federal insurance law to allow more companies to insure their risks through captive insurance companies in Vermont.

“We have to strengthen our lines of defense against cyber attacks,” Leahy said. “It’s a common-sense bill, and I think we can do something with it.”

Vermont Business Magazine Nearly sixty Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont (BCBSVT) employees participated in the 10^th Annual Lake Champlain Dragon Boat Festival, hosted by Dragonheart Vermont, on Sunday, August 2^nd, 2015. BCBSVT has sponsored the festival for many years, as well as bringing two teams to compete, have fun and support a good cause. All participants worked hard and brought their team spirit! BCBSVT employees also staffed the Green Team, which keeps contestants and visitors hydrated with a water truck and managed the waste and recycling generated by the festival goers – helping the Dragon Boat festival become one of the greenest in Vermont.

“I am honored to work with such a wonderful group of people and am proud to work for a company that supports this great event,” said Megan Peek, community relations and health education manager at BCBSVT. “We look forward to this festival every year – paddles up!”

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General William H Sorrell, the Department of Public Service, and two utilities filed a Petition yesterday in the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit challenging a decision by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). NRC regulations state that the Vermont Yankee decommissioning trust fund (VY trust fund) can be used only for decommissioning expenses. The regulations prohibit using the fund for managing spent nuclear fuel at the site. Nevertheless, the NRC recently approved an exemption from those regulations.

“This is a fund that was set up for one purpose—to clean up the Vermont Yankee site,” said Attorney General Sorrell. “The NRC’s own regulations make clear that any other expenses Entergy might be facing, including the costs of managing spent fuel, cannot come out of this fund. The NRC should not have exempted Entergy from those regulations.”

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Labor (VDOL) announces the start of the fall semester plumbing and electrical apprenticeship classes. The Vermont DOL provides a grant to Vermont Technical College for the related classroom instruction, test preparation and other activities related to this program.

“Apprenticeship is an excellent opportunity for Vermonters who are interested in the electrical and plumbing trades to enter those professions with an employer-sponsor. The apprenticeship program, with structured on-the-job training and related technical instruction, allows apprentices to learn while earning a competitive salary1 Vermont’s Labor Commissioner Annie Noonan.