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Vermont Business Magazine “There are pictures in the hospitals, but none in the patients’ rooms.” Those words, spoken by Susan Sebastian to her mother during one of her many lengthy hospital stays, brought about the Susan Sebastian Foundation. After Susan’s death in April 2009, Elise Braun decided to honor the memory of her daughter by providing art for patient rooms in Vermont hospitals. The art chosen, all created by Vermont artists, is intended to transport the patient beyond the hospital walls that confine them.

Vermont Business Magazine In a vote of 65 to 34, the US Senate Thursday afternoon approved a comprehensive six-year authorization for transportation programs and the Highway Trust Fund. The House has not yet drafted or acted on a long-term bill. Because the six-year bill is only partially funded, the Senate today passed a stopgap fix to replenish the Highway Trust Fund for three months before its funding would have been depleted Friday at Midnight. The House is expected to also pass the stopgap measure.

US Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont), who has long pushed for long-term solutions for funding infrastructure investments and the Highway Trust Fund, voted for the six-year bill, while expressing concerns about some of its provisions.

Vermont Business Magazine Kevin W Donovan, CEO of Mt Ascutney Hospital and Health Center (MAHHC) was recently selected to join the inaugural class of Arthur Vining Davis Fellows at the 2015 Aspen Ideas Festival. Fellows were selected from a competitive field of national nominees who are emerging leaders with diverse backgrounds and who represent the entrepreneurial spirit, intellectual curiosity and leadership qualities of Mr. Arthur Vining Davis, the longtime CEO of the Alcoa Corporation and supporter of the Festival.

Vermont Business Magazine The Committee for the Vermont Agricultural Hall of Fame is pleased to announce the inductees for 2015. Recipients are chosen based on their accomplishments and significant contributions to Vermont agriculture. These nominees will be honored on Wednesday, September 2, 2015, during the invitation only luncheon at the Champlain Valley Exposition. Also during that time, the black and white photographs of the 2014 inductees will be revealed. These photos will feature Joseph E Carrigan, Ronald Greenwood, Richard Moore, Harry Morse, Sr, and Lucien Paquette.

They are:

Vermont Business Magazine Forbes has debuted a new list of colleges touted for their entrepreneurial programs, and Middlebury College has landed very close to the top. In its list of “America’s Most Entrepreneurial Colleges 2015,” Forbes ranks Middlebury second out of 50, just behind first-place Cooper Union. Bennington College was fourth on the list. In the past, Forbes has ranked universities that support entrepreneurism, but the new list recognizes a growing trend among liberal arts colleges.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Peter Shumlin announced today that he will appoint attorney John Valente, a shareholder and director at the Rutland law firm of Ryan, Smith, and Carbine, Ltd., to the Vermont trial bench. Valente fills the seat left open by the retirement of Judge David Suntag. John Valente’s practice currently centers around workers’ compensation, employment, and business disputes. He also has a mediation practice and has previously handled property, contract, and civil claims. He is the current Chair of the Vermont Municipal Bond Bank, and a member of the Vermont Capital Debt Affordability Advisory Committee. He also serves on the Rutland Economic Development Corporation board, and is a prior chair of the boards of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce and the Rutland Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Vermont Business Magazine General Joseph Dunford, confirmed by the US Senate Wednesday as the top officer in the US military – chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff -- is a 1977 graduate of Saint Michael’s College who now serves as commandant of the Marine Corps. In early May, President Barack Obama named Dunford as his nominee for the post. At that time, Saint Michael’s President Jack Neuhauser noted that General Dunford has maintained a proud and fond identification with Saint Michael’s since the general graduated as a political science major in 1977.

By Deb Markowitz, Secretary, Vermont Agency of Natural Resources When Vermonters see a problem, we work to fix it. That is why earlier this year Vermont signed onto two historic climate agreements which will strengthen our state’s resolve to combat carbon pollution and transition to a new clean energy economy. In April, Governor Shumlin joined leaders from around the world to sign California’s bold “Under Two Memorandum of Understanding.” This agreement aligns our goals to reduce carbon pollution to the level of seriousness of the climate crisis.

Scientists broadly agree that we must not increase global temperature more than two degrees centigrade to avoid devastating climate impacts for our communities and our economies. Under this MOU, we are committing to the level of emissions reductions needed across the globe to do just that.

Vermont Business Magazine J Michael “Mike” Smiles joins Lake Champlain Maritime Museum (LCMM) as the new Executive Director. "Mike brings a breadth of experience that will broaden the Museum’s impact in reaching and serving diverse audiences through our collection of historic replica vessels, innovative education programs, hands-on rowing programs, publications, research, and permanent and traveling exhibits," said Board Chair Bob Beach. "We’re delighted to have him join our team of highly dedicated staff, committed volunteers, and engaged members and donors as we begin our 30th year of operation."

Mike Smiles Photo © Brett Simison

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Historical Society announced today that Jim Douglas, the former four-term governor of Vermont, has agreed to serve as the VHS’s part-time interim Executive Director while a national search is undertaken to replace Mark Hudson, who recently announced his fall departure. Douglas will begin his duties shortly and will overlap for a time with the departing Hudson.

Vermont Business Magazine After an exhaustive assessment of damages caused by the July 19-20 storm in Vermont, state officials have determined there does not exist enough loss for the state to request a federal disaster declaration. However, state resources could be available to communities to help cover the cost of repairing roads. The Vermont Division of Emergency Management & Homeland Security (DEMHS), Agency of Transportation (VTrans), Agency of Natural Resources (ANR), and Regional Planning Commissions (RPCs) worked with communities since the storm to determine the monetary value of damages to public roads, bridges, and other infrastructure. The total eligible damage is tallied at approximately $750,000 - short of the $1-million minimum damages the state is required to meet in order to request federal assistance.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Peter Shumlin announced today that he will appoint attorney Tom Carlson, presently of the Burlington and Middlebury law firm Langrock, Sperry, and Wool, LLP, to the Vermont trial bench. Carlson fills the seat left open by the retirement of Judge Linda Levitt. Tom Carlson has worked at Langrock since 1984, where his practice has ranged from family law and general litigation to business matters of all kinds, and to mediation. Carlson has trained as a mediator at both Harvard Law School and the Center for Dispute Resolution in Washington, DC.