Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Curtis Fund, a supporting organization of the Vermont Community Foundation, in partnership with the Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children (VTAEYC), is pleased to announce an expansion of its scholarship program for Vermonters seeking to become early childhood educators. The Curtis Fund Commitment: A Comprehensive Scholarship for Early Childhood Educators is a pilot program that provides scholarships for the full cost of attendance (tuition, fees, and a stipend of up to $12,000 that can be used for housing, food, and transportation) to students who wish to earn a childcare certificate at the Community College of Vermont (CCV).

Vermont Business Magazine Residents and businesses in the Southern Vermont Communications Union District (SoVT CUD) are invited to celebrate being named a “Gig Community” during a ribbon cutting event on Tuesday, August 8. Through a partnership with Fidium, SoVT CUD will reach universal service coverage just 18 months after forming. Construction of the all-fiber network is near completion and will make multi-gigabit service available to every home and business in its 14-town service area: Arlington, Bennington, Dorset, Landgrove, Londonderry, Manchester, Peru, Pownal, Rupert, Sandgate, Shaftsbury, Sunderland, Winhall and Woodford. 

by Ashley Bride, et al, United Ways of Vermont State officials repeatedly urged Vermonters to call 211 to report damages and get connected to resources in the days and weeks following July’s catastrophic flooding. Ten days before the disaster, Vermont 211, a program of United Ways of Vermont, cut back its hours and decreased staff due to lack of funding. Roughly 90 percent of Vermont 211’s budget comes from state contracts and funding has not increased for the past five years despite increased operating costs and high demand for services. As communities grappled with devastating damage and loss in the wake of historic flooding, Vermont 211 staff scrambled to respond to a record-breaking number of calls, emails, and text messages from Vermonters reporting damages and seeking help.  

Vermont Business Magazine Once you apply for FEMA assistance, you should file an insurance claim if you have not yet done so. FEMA may contact you to verify information or complete a home inspection and may refer you to the US Small Business Administration. When FEMA processes your application, you will receive a determination letter, which you can appeal. If you have homeowners’, renters’ or flood insurance, file a claim as soon as possible. FEMA cannot duplicate benefits for losses covered by insurance, so the agency needs to see what your insurance covers before it can process your application. If your policy does not cover all your expenses, you may be eligible for federal assistance.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont Medical Center, the anchor academic hospital for the UVM Health Network, has again earned recognition as Vermont’s top hospital, with 13 high performing specialties and procedures by U.S. News & World Report, which released its annual “Best Hospitals” rankings this week. In addition, two of the health system’s community hospitals in Vermont and Northern New York were recognized for high performing specialties and procedures.

by Michael Del Trecco, CEO, VAHHS This week begins the annual hospital budget hearings for fiscal year 2024. Each hospital will go before their regulator, the Green Mountain Care Board, to present and defend its budget and answer questions from the board and their staff. This is just one part of a months-long process.  As you’ve likely heard me say before, we are a fully non-profit hospital system in Vermont. But you may be surprised to know that this is not the case in most states, where for-profit and non-profit hospitals exist just blocks from one another, competing for the most profitable patients and to perform the more profitable procedures to the detriment of those less desirable.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont have risen to $3.78 per gallon, up 6.2 cents per gallon from last week's $3.71/g. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $3.49/g while the highest was $3.90/g, a difference of 41.0 cents per gallon. The national average price of gasoline has risen 7.8 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.79/g today.

Vermont Business Magazine Businesses and organizations impacted by flooding and severe weather are now able to apply for emergency grant funding through the new Business Emergency Gap Assistance Program (BEGAP). $20 million has been budgeted for this first come, first serve program, which includes $1 million specifically for agricultural operations. Any businesses that suffered physical damage to their land, infrastructure, crops or animals is eligible to apply. Grants are reviewed on a first come, first serve basis. The application portal opened August 3rd.

Vermont Business Magazine The Southwestern Vermont Chamber of Commerce recently conducted its annual State of the Commerce survey, providing valuable insights into the prevailing economic trends and sentiments about the regional economy. The survey, which saw participation from businesses and organizations across various sectors and towns in the region, highlighted both the challenges faced by businesses and their hopes for the future. 

Vermont Business Magazine Sean Diehl, Ph.D., associate professor of microbiology and molecular genetics at the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, has played a significant role in advancing Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) prevention. His innovative methods, approach, and consequential findings influenced the development of a recent groundbreaking RSV antibody treatment, Beyfortus (nirsevimab). RSV, a common respiratory virus with serious implications for infants and young children, has long posed public health challenges. Diehl's collaboration with Amsterdam University Medical Centers (UMC) in the early 2000s led to notable progress in RSV prevention.

Vermont Business Magazine Two captive insurance media publications are now naming Vermont the top captive insurance domicile in the world. The main data point utilized in determining domicile ranking is the number of active captives licensed in a domicile. The data shows that Vermont has been steadily growing at a faster pace than its top competitors, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands, in recent years and has now surpassed these top competitors based on the current number of captive insurance companies that are active in the domicile with Vermont at 639, Bermuda at 633, and the Cayman Islands at 559 captives at the end of 2022. This is a longtime coming, since 1981, when the State of Vermont focused on creating laws to take advantage of this then little-known insurance program. 

by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine Vermont could see a significant transition of its energy management and transmission sources in the coming years. The state’s Public Utility Commission has begun the process of developing the Clean Heat Standard as mandated by the Legislature. Lawmakers overrode a gubernatorial veto to enact the law, which the PUC must now develop. Meanwhile, the weather impacts from the July rainstorms do not appear to have had a significant adverse impact on the electric grid. Regional electric manager ISO New England, in its report in late spring, said the power supply is expected to be sufficient this summer. However, smoke from Canadian wildfires has lessened solar voltaic output in the region. It will take some time to determine the ultimate cost to consumers. The hazy skies also somewhat lower air temperatures, which in the summer would lower demand. The effects of those two competing factors are not yet known.