Current News

Vermont Business Magazine iSun, Inc (NASDAQ: ISUN), a leading solar energy and clean mobility infrastructure company based in Williston with 50-years of experience accelerating the adoption of innovative electrical technologies, today announced the appointment of Robert J. (Bob) Zulkoski as Chief Executive Officer. Effective immediately, Bob Zulkoski is appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer of iSun, Inc. Jeff Peck will remain full-time with iSun in a strategic advisory and operational role to support the CEO. He previously was with Conduit Capital Holdings US (now Infusive) and RuralWorks Partners, LLC in Middlebury.

Vermont Business Magazine NuHarbor Security and Champlain College are launching a first-of-its-kind cybersecurity partnership that establishes a NuHarbor presence on Champlain’s campus for unprecedented access to internships, mentors, hands-on learning, and scholarships for students. Together, the company and the college will create a results-oriented and collaborative workforce development model for the cybersecurity industry. NuHarbor will lend its support and expertise to expand undergraduate cybersecurity programs at Champlain College, already a leader in cybersecurity education. Expert-led experiential learning will accelerate knowledge transfer and skill-building to shape the next generation of cybersecurity professionals. For NuHarbor, the partnership provides access to a proven talent pipeline in a burgeoning industry where demand is widely outpacing supply. NuHarbor Security will establish a co-located presence on the Champlain Lakeside Campus next to the college’s Leahy Center for Digital Forensics and Cybersecurity. The building renovation will be complete in January 2025.  

Vermont Business Magazine Today, Mayor Weinberger provided an update on recent initiatives to combat the drug crisis and announced that the City has seen its first sustained decrease in monthly overdoses since before the pandemic. From January 2021 to September 2023, monthly overdose responses from the Burlington Fire Department (BFD) have consistently increased year over year. They dropped from an all-time high of 67 in September 2023 to only 25 in October and have stayed at that level through February. In the four months before Burlington launched its Community Response Team (CRT), there were a total of 211 overdose responses by the Burlington Fire Department, in the four months since the launch that number dropped by more than half.

by Dr. Erin Forbes, DVM, VVMA Communications Committee Chair April is Lyme Disease Prevention Month. While many people have heard of Lyme disease and know how prevalent it is in Vermont, they may not know much about how it spreads, the signs of disease, and how best to treat and prevent it. Lyme disease is spread through deer tick bites and caused by a bacteria called borrelia burgdorferi. This disease can cause your dog to be lame, lethargic, and not want to eat and can also lead to kidney disease and rarely death. Preventing Lyme disease through vaccines and preventatives is the best way to keep your dog healthy.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Labor’s Workforce Development Division has announced a new partnership with the Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center (VMEC) aimed at increasing Registered Apprenticeships in manufacturing. This partnership, funded by a $225,000 grant from the Vermont Department of Labor, aims to strengthen Vermont’s workforce development and expansion efforts by fostering connections between employers, service providers, and partners to build a sustainable talent pipeline. As a key component of this collaboration, VMEC will take on the responsibility of serving as Vermont's designated Registered Apprenticeship Technical Assistance Center for the manufacturing sector. This designation highlights VMEC's dedication to offering support and guidance to manufacturers as they embark on the journey of Registered Apprenticeship.  

Vermont Business Magazine Alice Hyde Medical Center (AHMC) and Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital (CVPH), northern New York partners of The University of Vermont Health Network, have been featured in the Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS) Member Spotlight for their innovative and collaborative approach to training a new generation of surgical technicians and preserving access to patient care. The Surgical Technician Pathway is part of a series of pioneering initiatives by the UVM Health Network Center for Workforce Development designed to enhance the skills of its existing workforce and increase the overall number of health care professionals in northern New York and Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine Springfield Gynecology is the first clinic in Vermont to introduce the Acessa procedure, an innovative and minimally-invasive, FDA-cleared treatment for women suffering from symptomatic uterine fibroids. Fibroids are painful growths within the uterus that range in size and can cause reproductive health issues.   Some common symptoms include heavy periods, stomach swelling and bloating, leg and back pain, stomach and pelvic pain, digestive changes, anemia, pain during sex and frequent urination. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, fibroids affect up to 80% of women by the time they reach age 50.

Public Assets Institute Total nonfarm payroll jobs increased by 2,000 in January, topping 311,500 for the first time since March 2020. But the mix of jobs has changed. Jobs in the Professional and Business Services sector have increased by nearly 4,000. Meanwhile, the numbers in the Private Education and Health Services and Leisure and Hospitality sectors remain below their January 2020 levels—falling about 2,700 and 2,300 short, respectively.

Vermont Business Magazine The United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Jennifer Stocker, 46, of New Haven, Vermont was sentenced on Friday, March 8, 2024, in United States District Court in Burlington for making false statements to a credit union on an application for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan, and for violating conditions of probation related to Stocker’s 2018 false statements conviction. Chief U.S. District Judge Geoffrey W. Crawford sentenced Stocker to a four-month term of imprisonment for the PPP loan offense, and a consecutive 30-day term of imprisonment for the violation of conditions of probation. After she is released from custody, Stocker will be subject to a three-year term of supervised release. 

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCBB) will kick off Vermont’s state-led Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) challenge process on March 18, 2024. The challenge process will permit local government, nonprofit organizations, and broadband service providers to challenge the service availability at Broadband Serviceable Locations (BSLs) from the FCC's National Broadband Map and Community Anchor Institutions identified by the VCBB. These challenges will determine VCBB’s final list of BSLs that are eligible for BEAD funding. Challenges must be based on whether the BEAD map correctly shows if BSLs are served, underserved, or unserved for purposes of BEAD, not whether a BSL appears or does not appear on the BEAD map.

Vermont Business Magazine During the spring fish spawning season, the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) wants to remind Vermonters that permitted lake encroachment construction projects on public lakes and ponds are typically not allowed from March 15 to July 1. Examples of projects that are not allowed during this period include adding rock or other material to the water for shoreline stabilization (such as riprap or seawalls), boathouse reconstruction, dredging, or other projects that disturb the lakebed. If you have not finished your project before spawning season, you must stabilize the area. You must also make plans to finish the work after July 1 when spawning season ends.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the Vermont Department of Labor reported today that the January 2024 unemployment rate for January was 2.3 percent. This reflects no change from December’s revised estimate. The comparable United States rate in January was 3.7 percent, which also was unchanged from the revised December estimate. The monthly and annual data show strong growth in the labor force and employment, while job losses were relatively minimal. The seasonally adjusted data for January reported an increase of 2,000 jobs from the revised December data. There was an increase of 3,600 jobs between the preliminary and the revised December estimates due to the inclusion of more data. Wholesale Trade (+200 jobs or +2.3%), Accommodation & Food Services (+500 jobs or +1.7%), and Administrative & Waste Services (+200 jobs or +1.5%) showed notable increases. The industry with a notable decrease was Private Educational Services (-200 jobs or -1.6%).