Current News

Vermont Business Magazine A new collective bargaining agreement between the University of Vermont and UVM Staff United has been approved by the UVM Board of Trustees and ratified by the union’s membership. The new three-year agreement includes updates to compensation and classification, enhanced and clarified employee benefits, and other improvements to the previous contract from 2022.

Vermont Business Magazine Citizens is recognizing 25 small businesses as winners of its eighth annual Small Business Community Champion Award based on their commitment to support their communities. Among the winners is Vermont Womenpreneurs in Burlington. Applicants proposed strategies for growing their business in tandem with supporting their local community and are now able to bring them to life. This year, 25 honorees received $10,000 each in addition to a one-year membership to Luminary, a global education and networking platform that uplifts and upskills professionals and entrepreneurs. Upon learning that they won this award, business owners have shared the ways it will support their business missions and local communities.

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health reported last week that the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations remains low, at under 5 after a spike in January. Wastewater testing indicates that virus levels edged up last week but have fallen steeply after a spike in January. The Vermont pandemic death total stands at 1,286 as of April 14, 2025, with 1 reported death from the previous week (the most recent data available from the CDC). Vermont has the second lowest state fatality rate in the US (146.7 per 100K; Hawaii 112.8/100K). Mississippi (464/100K) and Oklahoma (459.9/100K) have the highest rates. The US average is 307.2/100K (CDC data). There has been a total of 1,226,126 COVID-related deaths to date in the US (CDC) and 7,093,267 globally (WHO).

Vermont Business Magazine The Green Mountain Care Board (GMCB) announces the appointment of former Agency of Human Services (AHS) Secretary Mike Smith as the Independent Liaison to the University of Vermont Health Network (UVMHN).  On April 4, 2024, GMCB voted unanimously to approve a settlement with the University of Vermont Medical Center (UVMMC) that required, amongst other things, the appointment of an independent liaison to review and opine on UVMHN hospital budget submissions and material operations and management decisions, including funds flow to New York-based UVMHN hospitals.  The settlement additionally required the independent liaison to serve as a member of a workgroup that directs and oversees independent third-party efforts to evaluate and reform UVMHN operations to ensure cost-effective management and operations. 

Vermont Business Magazine Over 100 tourism and hospitality industry leaders gathered at the State House on April 10 to engage with legislators and raise awareness of the collective contributions of these industries to the Vermont economy. Tourism Economy Day, convened by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, Ski Vermont and Vermont Speciality Food Association, brought businesses together to advocate for a thriving Vermont visitor economy. The Vermont visitor economy has a $4 billion annual economic impact and represents 10% of our workforce. In 2023 alone, 15.8 million visitors spent $4.0 billion across lodging, dining, retail, entertainment, recreation, and more. Their spending also contributed $282.3 million in state and local taxes—equivalent to approximately $1,039 per Vermont household. 

The Vermont State Police has continued investigating the January 2024 death of Stephen Nuciolo Sr., 44, of Bridport. Recent developments over this past weekend led detectives on Monday, April 14, 2025, to arrest his son, Stephen Nuciolo Jr., 18, on a charge of second-degree murder. Nuciolo Jr. was arrested without incident Monday afternoon and brought to the New Haven Barracks for processing. He was ordered jailed Monday night without bail and is scheduled to be arraigned at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 15, 2025, in the Criminal Division of Vermont Superior Court in Middlebury. The Vermont Attorney General’s Office is handling this prosecution. 

Vermont Business Magazine In light of recent concerns regarding the suppression, censorship, or misrepresentation of scientific information relevant to medical care by the federal government, organizations representing Vermont physicians and physician assistants wish to reassure the public that Vermont clinicians are dedicated to providing honest, accurate, science-based information to help patients make informed decisions about their health. The physicians and PAs affiliated with our organizations are dedicated to providing the highest quality medical care grounded in the most current and reliable scientific research. 

Vermont Business Magazine Between June and October 2024, the Vermont Department of Labor brought together experts from 27 healthcare, government, employment, and non-profit organizations across Vermont to address and prevent work disability in Vermont collaboratively.  Commissioner Harrington’s charge called for a solution to meet the needs of Vermont’s workforce, employers, clinicians, and other return-to-work professionals after VT RETAIN’s federal funding ends in May 2025. Work disability is a limitation in working ability due to a physical or mental health condition. It can often be prevented and mitigated through Stay-at-Work and Return-to-Work strategies, such as care coordination, early communication, job modifications, retraining, access to work-health services, education, etc. Work disability is a major cause of economic and health inequality. Only 55% of Vermonters with disabilities ages 18-64 years are employed versus 82% of those without disabilities. 

Vermont Business Magazine Newly released data from the Department of Health shows that most adults in Vermont report they are in good health, but that education and income levels, disabilities and other factors can lead to stark differences in people’s health. This data helps state officials and partners monitor trends and prioritize efforts to improve the health of all Vermonters. It is collected in the 2023 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Report, an annual Health Department survey of adults that tracks health-related behaviors, chronic health conditions and use of preventive services. Overall, most Vermont adults report good to excellent general health, with only 14% of people reporting fair or poor health – similar to the previous year. Vermonters report better health than the U.S. overall, where 19% report fair or poor health.  

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General Charity Clark today led, along with Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell, and Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, a coalition of 39 state and territory attorneys general in formally urging congressional leadership to pass an act that would prohibit pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) from owning or operating pharmacies. PBMs are third-party administrators of prescription drug programs for health plans. Over the past few decades, horizontal consolidation and vertical integration have transformed PBMs from useful administrative service providers into market-dominating behemoths that control the industry. 

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR), the statewide, nonprofit business association with a mission to leverage the power of business for positive social and environmental impact, has named Chelsea Bardot Lewis the organization’s new executive director. Bardot Lewis will take leadership of the organization on June 1. She brings over 15 years of experience in Vermont’s private, public, and philanthropic sectors, with roles spanning business development, operations, impact capital, and workforce development. Bardot Lewis takes over leadership from Roxanne Vought, who departs on May 30, 2025, after a total of 10 years with VBSR.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont), and Representative Becca Balint (D-Vermont) today released the following statement on the illegal detention of Mohsen Mahdawi by the Trump Administration: “Earlier today, Mohsen Mahdawi of White River Junction, Vermont, walked into an immigration office for what was supposed to be the final step in his citizenship process. Instead, he was arrested and removed in handcuffs by plainclothes, armed, individuals with their faces covered."