Current News

by Kelly Lange, Vice President of Managed Care Contracting for the UVM Health Network In early March, a patient went to Neurosurgery at the University of Vermont Medical Center for testing on her brain for a serious condition. The specialist recommended more advanced imaging and scheduled an appointment. Because it wasn’t an active emergency, the imaging required prior authorization from the insurance company. Two and a half weeks later, when the patient arrived for her imaging appointment – after multiple phone calls and escalation by the UVM Medical Center team – it still had not been authorized. At that point, the hospital either has to perform the procedure and not get paid – contributing to well-documented financial challenges that make it difficult to provide care to all future patients in need – or tell the patient she may receive a bill for tens of thousands of dollars, for a scan her provider told her she needs. In this case, thankfully, the authorization finally came in – an hour after the appointment.

Vermont Business Magazine Burlington Country Club has reached a historic milestone: 100 years! The Club’s season long celebration kicked off with a once-in-one-hundred-years event; on the unveiling of an iconic Centennial Clock in concurrence with the Solar Eclipse on April 8th. This first of many events, also included the release of the limited-edition “BCC Centennial Light” beer; for which BCC partnered with Zero Gravity to create a private label for their newly released Green State Light Lager. BCC Centennial Light will be available throughout 2024 at the Club’s bar and Grill Room to be enjoyed by members and their guests. In the months to come, other Centennial events include a Hickory Stick tournament, a Party for 400 members and their guests, and the publication and book signing of “Burlington Country Club, The First 100 Years”, by author Andy Bigford.

Vermont Business Magazine Join UVM Tony Pipa as one of our keynote speakers for the 2024 UVM Research, Innovation, Sustainability, and Entrepreneurship (RISE) Summit on June 24 – 25. We invite you to attend in-person or virtually as Mr. Pipa addresses topics surrounding this year’s Summit theme of “Partners in Place: Placemaking for Health, Prosperity, and Purpose in our Communities.” Registration is free, and all are welcome! Keynote Speaker Overview: Tony Pipa. Tony Pipa is a senior fellow in the Center for Sustainable Development at the Brookings Institution. Pipa launched and leads the Reimagining Rural Policy initiative, which seeks to modernize and transform U.S. rural policy, and hosts the Reimagine Rural podcast, collecting the stories of rural towns across America that are experiencing positive change.

by Mike Donoghue, Vermont News First, Vermont Business Magazine A 16-year-old gang-affiliated offender, who police say is wanted for a New York City homicide and is a person of interest in two homicides investigations in Burlington last year, was arrested at a home in Enosburgh on Friday evening, authorities said. Christian Concepcion was identified on Saturday as the defendant lodged by the U.S. Marshals Service at the Marble Valley Regional Correctional Facility in Rutland on Friday night. He remained at the prison with no bail on Saturday. It was unknown if, and when, Concepcion will have a hearing in federal court in Vermont before he is returned to New York to face the state charge. He was taken into custody by a massive law enforcement presence of federal, state, county and local police that surrounded a house on Howard Road in Enosburgh, officials said.

Leonine Public Affairs An unprecedented influx of visitors descended upon our state to chase what turned out to be some of the clearest views of the path of totality for the 2024 total solar eclipse. During a year in Vermont marked by catastrophic flooding, waning federal COVID-19 funds and giant property tax hikes, the boon to local businesses as well as state coffers seemed like a cosmic gift. Nearly every sector felt the reverberations of the event, with early Agency of Transportation estimates projecting 60,000 vehicles and 160,000 visitors entered the state leading up to the eclipse. But the reverberations weren't positive for everyone. As hotels prepared for the influx, room rates were pushed significantly higher and some of those previously housed under the motel voucher program were forced to leave their rooms to make space for high-paying guests. The total economic impact from the eclipse is not available yet, but Treasurer Mike Pieciak estimated that the event could bring between $12-50 million to the state. 

Vermont Business Magazine This family-friendly, rain or shine event will be held at VTSU Lyndon’s Stonehenge parking lot on May 3 and 4. With long-range bucolic views as backdrop, Friday’s lineup features Lyndon alumni headliners and rising New England favorites Co-Pilot, a group Wave Magazine described as, “a fun band with tight harmonies that expertly combines rock & pop.” National touring indie rockers Ferdinand the Bull will also be featured along with Chicago’s electronica/shoegaze duo Silver Liz, and old soul VTSU student singer-songwriter Chris Finn opening the festivities.

Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center To help manufacturers better understand the basics of a well-managed supply chain and identify where resources should be focused to bring the most benefit to their organizations, CMTC (California’s MEP Center) and Manufacturer’s Edge (Colorado’s MEP Center) have partnered to develop a three-part “Supply Chain 101” webinar series. VMEC has been invited to partner in this second webinar of the series, Thursday, April 18, 1-2 pm.

Vermont Business Magazine Verizon has reported that East Barre had the most increased cell traffic of anywhere in the US for customers on Verizon’s network. When they compared the number of Verizon customers and traffic data on a typical recent Monday (March 25) with those of Monday, April 8 (the day of the eclipse), East Barre, Vermont was the U.S. city along the eclipse path with both the most dramatic percentage increase in Verizon customers (up 6,936 percent) AND the largest percentage increase in upload change: up a staggering 33,767 percent – reflecting an astounding number of customers streaming and sharing pictures and video of the eclipse in real time.

Saint Michael's College On April 8, 2024, the Saint Michael’s community experienced the solar eclipse together on campus with astrophysicist Alain Brizard, Saint Michael's Professor of Physics, who guided the experience. The surreal, over-powering, jaw-dropping display was captured through multimedia by a team of people. Also, Saint Michael’s College Biology Professor Mark Lubkowitz’s years of corn genetics research with dozens of students was recently recognized through a prestigious international award.  

Vermont Business Magazine Championed by a category-building new brand, single vintage spirits have suddenly shot to prominence. But how does this year’s BHAKTA bourbon vintage release stack up against last year’s surprise industry blockbuster? BHAKTA Spirits, the world’s preeminent House of Vintages, has announced the launch of its second-ever bourbon vintage, BHAKTA 2014 Bourbon (SRP $149) — solidifying the brand’s signature concept of single-year spirits into a new tradition that will see it offer allocated, collectible vintage releases on an annual basis. Curated from the global cellars of Whistlepig Whiskey Founder Raj Peter Bhakta, this year’s annual release is a transatlantic coupling of brash American bourbon and exquisite French craftsmanship conceived to showcase the complexity, variability, and nuance that defines the vintage segment. Critics, collectors, and consumers widely see single-year spirits as the next frontier of hyper-specificity and industry innovation; BHAKTA has positioned itself as both the architect and champion of the category.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health is investigating a measles exposure among 26 people in Vermont who are part of an international program. The 18 teenagers and eight adults were exposed to an unvaccinated person with a confirmed case of measles traveling to the U.S. There are no confirmed cases of measles currently in Vermont. State health officials are working with the individuals to obtain vaccination records and test for the virus and immunity. At this time, none of them have been diagnosed with measles. The group is quarantining during this process, and the risk of transmission to members of the public is low. To protect patient confidentiality, the Health Department will not release individual personal health information. The Department will continue to provide important updates, as well as public health recommendations and guidance.

Vermont Business Magazine The Attorney General’s Office announced that Edward A. Curran, 39, of Rutland, Vermont, was arraigned today on five felony counts of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material. The charges brought against Mr. Curran are the result of a criminal investigation, including the execution of a residential search warrant, conducted by the Vermont Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (VT-ICAC), including personnel from the Attorney General’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations. The investigation was initiated when VT-ICAC received a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The tip was reported by Synchronoss Technologies, Inc. after an individual uploaded files of suspected child sexual abuse materials onto their cloud storage servers.