Current News

Vermont Business Magazine On September 14, Addison County was added to the disaster declaration due to the severe storms, flooding, landslides, and mudslides occurring July 7-17, 2023.  Businesses and homeowners that suffered physical damage or economic injury are eligible for: Business Physical Disaster Loans; Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL}; Home Disaster Loans - Loans to homeowners or renters to repair or replace disaster-damaged real estate and personal property, including automobiles.

Public Assets Institute The typical Vermont family saw modest income growth last year, but it was not enough to keep up with inflation. According to new data from the U.S. Census, Vermont median household income1 rose to $73,991 in 2022. That was a 2.2 percent increase from 2021, the second smallest increase in the country. Only New Hampshire had a smaller increase. The picture looks a little bleaker when inflation is taken into account. Vermont median household income actually fell last year, by 5.5 percent, after adjusting for inflation.

Vermont Business Magazine Today State Treasurer Mike Pieciak issued a request for public comment on strategies for financing climate infrastructure including green energy, weatherization, and resiliency in Vermont. The request for public comment is issued in connection with a legislative directive for the Treasurer to consider frameworks that would maximize collaboration and resources among state, federal, private, and nonprofit entities to mitigate the impacts of climate change in Vermont. The Legislature identified a number of specific stakeholders to engage in this work, but Treasurer Pieciak would like to hear from as many Vermonters as possible and incorporate their ideas. Written comments will be accepted through Friday, November 3, 2023

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Humanities is excited to announce that the National Endowment for the Humanities has awarded the organization a Disaster Recovery Grant of $200,000 for ongoing flood recovery efforts for cultural organizations in the state of Vermont. This emergency funding is designed to support non-profit organizations impacted by the historic flooding in Vermont as they seek to return to providing cultural or humanities-based programming to their communities. Vermont Humanities has already raised an additional $165,000 from reserve funds and generous individual donors seeking to offer flexible funding in support of the state’s vital community and cultural resources, and this award from the NEH will empower the organization to extend that help further.

Vermont Business Magazine Senators Peter Welch (D-VT) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) as well as Senators John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Dick Durbin (D-IL), John Fetterman (D-PA), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) filed an amicus brief in Merck & Co. v. Becerra in the District Court for the District of Columbia urging the federal court to uphold the constitutionality of Congress allowing Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices for consumers. 

by Bill Schubart I have grave ethical concerns about the behavior, governance, and board leadership at the UVM Health Network (UVMHN) and its network of Vermont hospitals (Porter, Central VT, and UVM Medical Center (UVMMC). As nonprofits, I believe they’ve betrayed the best interests of those patients they’re appointed to serve, as well as their many committed nurses and practitioners (see moral injury), by focusing solely on competitive expansion, market consolidation and revenue growth rather than on the key mission of population health. As a former chair of 12 statewide and national non-profits, I understand non-profit governance. Nonprofits are by definition driven by a public-good mission not by profits and market share. They don’t compete with one another, they collaborate together to expand their mission impact.

Vermont Business Magazine FLO, a leading North American electric vehicle (EV) charging company and smart charging solutions provider, announced its first sale of the all-new, FLO Ultra fast charger to Green Mountain Power (GMP) in Vermont. Manufactured with a revolutionary flexible design, FLO Ultra provides drivers with a convenient, intuitive, and lightning-fast charging experience. These first chargers, which are Buy America compliant, will be produced at FLO's Auburn Hills facility. FLO's distribution partner, Rexel Energy Solutions, supported the sale to GMP. FLO will deliver four FLO Ultra chargers starting next spring as part of GMP's goal to add 10 fast chargers a year through 2030.

Vermont Business Magazine The Disaster Recovery Center in Wardsboro (Windham County) ceased operations at 6 p.m. Monday, September 18, and will relocate to Ludlow (Windsor County). It will reopen at 8 a.m. September 20, and continue with regular hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, and closed Sunday. The new address is: Ludlow Community Center, 37 Main St, Ludlow, VT 05149.

Vermont Business Magazine Continuing a legacy of humanitarian work, Defender has announced the finalists of the 2023 Defender Service Awards. Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports, a nonprofit organization offering sports and recreational programs year-round throughout Vermont for people with disabilities, has been selected as a finalist in the Outdoor Accessibility and Education Award, Presented by OUTSIDE Interactive Inc. Defender has always embraced the impossible, opening new horizons for humanitarian work on every continent. In the third annual “Defender Service Awards” presented by CHASE, which embraces the Defender inner spirit of heroism and recognizes those who embody this, the 25 U.S. non-profits and Canadian registered charities are recognized for making a positive impact in their local communities and embodying the ethos of Defender as a beacon of liberty. 

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Today, the Vermont Department of Labor released the seasonally adjusted statewide unemployment rate for August as 1.8 percent. This reflects no change from the prior month’s revised estimate, which is the lowest on record for the state. Vermont is tied with New Hampshire for the second lowest rate in the nation; Maryland is lowest at 1.7 percent and Nevada is highest at 5.4 percent. The Vermont civilian labor force increased by 771 from the prior month’s revised estimate (see Table 1). The number of employed persons increased by 670 and the number of unemployed persons increased by 101. No changes were statistically significant in the seasonally adjusted series. The civilian labor force participation rate was 64.0 percent in August, an increase of one-tenth of one percentage point from the prior month’s revised estimate. The comparable United States rate in August was 3.8 percent, an increase of three-tenths of one percentage point from the revised July estimate. 

Vermont Business Magazine The 2023 SHRM Vermont State HR Conference, held in Burlington on September 14th and 15th, achieved a remarkable milestone by shattering all previous attendance records. This year's conference brought together HR professionals from across the state, and beyond, in a two-day event that combined exceptional learning opportunities with memorable celebrity appearances. The #SHRMVT23 Conference, organized by the Vermont State Council of SHRM is the state's premier event for HR professionals and enthusiasts. This year's conference saw an unprecedented surge in attendance, with over 500 participants converging at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Burlington. 

Vermont Business Magazine Vermonters and Vermonters with children who have been to a doctor’s office in the last six months are asked to keep an eye out for a survey about their experience, which is arriving in mailboxes this fall. Every year, the Blueprint for Health and OneCare Vermont conduct a Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) survey. The results of this survey provide the broadest statewide look at patient experience of primary care in Vermont.