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Businesses have been committed to customer experience (CX) as a primary differentiator for years. And in the CX arena, our eyes have been trained on the “big wow” moments—memorable experiences designed to spur excitement and create lasting brand memories. And those moments are still vital for brand awareness and affinity. But the calculus is changing. As the business landscape evolves, so too does our understanding of what truly drives customer loyalty and growth. And it’s not just the “big wows” that matter. The “little wows” do, too. 

Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets The Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation’s Forest Health Program has unveiled a new tool to empower residents in the fight against invasive forest pests. The newly launched Vermont Forest Invasive Pest Status Map offers an interactive platform to track the spread of invasive species such as beech leaf disease, elm zigzag sawfly, elongate hemlock scale, emerald ash borer, and hemlock woolly adelgid across the state. The map provides users with a comprehensive overview of town infestations and detection years for each invasive pest. One of the key features of the map is its user-friendly interface. Users can select a pest to learn where it has been identified, basic information about it, and how to report sightings. 

Vermont Business Magazine RunVermont, the non-profit organization dedicated to producing premier running events across the state, announces that M&T Bank has renewed its title sponsorship agreement for the Vermont City Marathon & Relay. The new contract, signed on Thursday, April 18th, extends the partnership for an additional five years, ensuring that M&T Bank will continue to support the event through May 2029. M&T Bank's support extends far beyond just financial backing. The bank contributes anywhere from 50 to 100 volunteers annually and sponsors 30 to 50 runners, depending on the year, making a significant impact on the success of the event.

by Joyce Marcel, Vermont Business Magazine Whenever an institution happily gets a new president, the glowing reports make it sound like the old one was something of a liability. But in the case of the University of Vermont, each president has brought a unique contribution to the university — something that the university needed at that special, specific time. Each new president’s strengths build upon those of his or her predecessor. So it appears with the fascinating and accomplished Suresh Garimella, a mechanical engineer and scientific researcher who took over as UVM’s president in 2019 and has rapidly brought great changes to Vermont’s flagship land grant university. Garimella, 60, is the 27th president of the university.  Since taking office, he has gracefully led UVM through the pandemic lockdown; successfully streamlined, in spite of great criticism, the liberal arts curriculum; recruited at a high level; frozen tuition for five years; coaxed more support from the Vermont Legislature; doubled the endowment; oversaw a 47% growth in admissions applications; and greatly strengthened the research arm of the university.

Vermont Business Magazine On Friday, Representative Becca Balint (D-Vermont) released the following statement on the upcoming vote on H.R. 8034: “To give the Netanyahu government more offensive weapons at this stage is to condone the utter destruction of Gaza we’ve seen over the last seven months and risks fueling a deadly regional war. The United States cannot continue to support the extreme offensive that has caused unimaginable suffering to the Palestinian people. I will vote “no” on sending more offensive weapons and dollars to Israel."

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont) voted Friday evening against reauthorizing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), citing a lack of pragmatic reforms—including a targeted warrant requirement and a Welch-led amendment that would have brought additional accountability to the FISA court. Senator Welch released the following statement: “Section 702 is an important tool for the intelligence community. But the bill we voted on tonight lacked reforms that would have further balanced the need for intelligence gathering with the need to protect Americans’ privacy and civil liberties."

Vermont Business Magazine Norwich University is delighted to announce the upcoming annual Master’s Hooding, Commencement, and Commissioning Ceremonies. The graduation weekend opens with the celebration of the Master’s Hooding Ceremony on Friday, April 26. The subsequent Commencement and Commissioning Ceremonies are slated to occur on Saturday, April 27. This year, Norwich University will proudly inaugurate more than 920 graduates into the next state of their professional journeys. The graduating class of 2024 will have the opportunity to hear from two distinguished four-star Air Force generals. Retired United States Air Force General Lori Robinson will be the keynote speaker for the 2024 Norwich University Commencement. Gen Robinson’s storied 36-year career began through Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) in 1982. Throughout her career she served in a variety of positions up to and including Commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and United States Northern Command (NORTHCOM). 

by Bill Schubart We like to think of ourselves as progressive, pioneering and aware of our neighbors’ needs. Why then do we have some of the worst socioeconomic benchmarks in America? Unsheltered: As of a January 2023 count, Vermont had the second-highest rate of homelessness in the country. Food insecurity: Twenty-seven percent of Vermonters experienced food insecurity in 2022, and families with children are more than five times more likely to be food insecure than those without. Suicide: As of 2021, Vermont ranked among the higher states in the country (13th) for suicides at 20.3 per 100,000 (142 total). As of 2022, the hospital visit rate for intentional self-harm was 366 per 100,000 people aged 15-24. Medical debt: According to a study from the Peterson Center on Healthcare and KFF, Vermont has among the highest rates of medical debt in the country at 12.2% of the population. Drug addiction: As of 2010, 4.57% of Vermont residents reported using an illicit drug other than marijuana in the past month (the national average was 3.6%). The rate of accidental fatal opioid-related overdoses has increased to 33.6 per 100,000 in 2021, and reached 37 per 100,000 in 2022. What are we doing wrong?

Vermont Business Magazine The Friends of the Fletcher Free Library was awarded a FY2024 Cultural Facilities Grant to support fixed audio-visual equipment to improve arts experiences at the library. The newly installed screen and sound bar, as well as a stage and sound-proofing panels, will improve the free programs and discussions offered in the Pickering Room at the Fletcher Free Library. 

by Elizabeth “Liz” Medina (Executive Director, VT AFL-CIO What keeps the few in power over the many? It’s simple: divide and conquer. The “same old rich man strategy” – in the words of the artist collective the Peace Poets – is as old as the institutions of colonization and slavery. The British Empire and the emerging plantation class in the United States stoked racial resentments to prevent landless Europeans and enslaved Africans from standing together across racial lines to demand freedom and justice. 

Vermont Business Magazine Middlebury’s Architectural Studies program focuses on a defining principle: that architecture is for everyone—not just for the privileged few. More importantly, it is for all who use and inhabit individual and communal spaces. Faculty and staff have built the program around that mission by adding programming and partnerships with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, through which students design, secure permits for, and help build affordable, net-zero housing in the local community, according to Pieter Broucke, director of Architectural Studies. The Architectural Studies program is hosting a symposium, “Architecture for All,” April 22-26, at Dana Auditorium and its newly renovated home in the Christian A. Johnson Memorial Building, with the goal of exploring that mission with world-renowned architects who share its philosophy.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), along with Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vermont), on Friday introduced legislation that would take on the greed of the food and beverage industry and address the growing diabetes and obesity epidemics negatively impacting millions of American children and families across the country. The Childhood Diabetes Reduction Act establishes a first-of-its-kind federal ban on junk food advertising targeted to children in the United States, requires the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to implement strong health and nutrient warning labeling, directs the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to investigate the dangers posed by ultra-processed foods, and develops a national education campaign for children and caregivers through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).