Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Junapr has been named to Inc. Magazine’s annual Best Workplaces list. Featured in the May/June 2023 issue, which hits newsstands on May 16, and prominently featured on Inc.com, the list is the result of a comprehensive measurement of American companies that have excelled in creating exceptional workplaces and company culture, whether operating in a physical or a virtual facility. Junapr is a Vermont-based communication and public relations firm working across sectors including consumer packaged goods, juvenile, non-profit, higher education, business services, and hospitality. The firm recently acquired the event management company Standing O.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the House of Representatives granted final House approval to S.100, also known as Housing Opportunities Made for Everyone (HOME), with a vote of 135 to 11. This critical legislation increases the availability of affordable housing, promotes homeownership, and expands housing opportunities for all Vermonters. The bill now goes back to the Senate for further consideration. You can learn more about S. 100 - an act relating to housing opportunities made for everyone, here.

Vermont Business Magazine This week, Vermont’s Congressional Delegation announced that the University of Vermont (UVM) would receive a $20 million award through the National Science Foundation (NSF)’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) program. The award will support continued data science research through the Harnessing the Data Revolution for Vermont: The Science of Online Corpora, Knowledge, and Stories (SOCKS) project – a joint initiative of UVM, Champlain College, Middlebury College, Norwich University, Vermont Technical College, and Saint Michael’s College.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont babies born on May 29, 2023 will receive $100 deposits into Vermont 529 college savings accounts opened by the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC). Plus, one lucky Vermonter – baby or not – will be chosen to receive $529 in a college savings account in an online month-long drawing. To enter, visit vsac.org or vheip.org before May 29. The Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems is joining VSAC, which administers Vermont’s 529 college savings plan, to help educate Vermont families about saving for college for their children.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, during Mental Health Awareness Month, Congresswoman Becca Balint (D-Vermont) and Congressman Brian Steil (WI-01) introduced the Protecting Young Minds Online Act, legislation to require the Center for Mental Health Services to develop and disseminate a strategy to address the effects of new technologies, like social media, on children’s mental health. In recent years, there have been a significant increase in mental health disorders in youth, including depression, anxiety, and thoughts of suicide. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth age 15-24. Approximately one out of every 15 high school students report attempting suicide each year. In total, approximately 900,000 youth aged 12-17 and 1.7 million adults attempted suicide and 12.3 million had serious thoughts of suicide in 2021.

by Eleanor Miller, Ellen Kaye and Rachel Wallace-Brodeur Union-busting is a tradition as old as organized labor. Historically, the managerial class attempts to disrupt and divide its workforce through stalling, intimidation and manipulation. The goal is for employees to return to their jobs as quickly as possible without management being forced to improve working conditions. The less impact to the bottom line, the better. So what if workers are unhappy? While union-busting in America is commonplace, it’s traditionally been a tactic in the corporate realm. Under the administration of President Garimella, however, the University of Vermont, a public university, has come to resemble a corporation in its leadership and governance.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Senate voted 20-10 today to override Governor Phil Scott’s veto of S.5, the Affordable Heat Act. The bill, entitled An act relating to affordably meeting the mandated greenhouse gas reductions for the thermal sector through efficiency, weatherization measures, electrification, and decarbonization, now heads to the House of Representatives for another override vote. The Legislature hopes to wrap up business this week. They have already scheduled an override session for June if needed. Other possible gubernatorial vetoes include the budget (H.494) which is typically the last item on lawmakers' agenda.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermonters who were misled by TurboTax into paying for free tax services will begin receiving restitution checks in the mail this week as the result of a multistate settlement. The settlement, announced in 2022, applies to certain consumers who paid TurboTax’s owner Intuit to file their federal tax returns for tax years 2016, 2017, and 2018 when they were eligible to file for free through the IRS Free File Program. More than 10,000 Vermonters will receive checks of $29 or $30. Eligible consumers do not need to file a claim. Instead, they will receive notice by email from the settlement fund administrator, Rust Consulting, and will receive payment automatically. Checks will be mailed out by the settlement administrator over several weeks, beginning this week.

Vermont Business Magazine Today, the Vermont Senate voted 20-7 to advance H.126, an act related to community resilience and biodiversity protection. The legislation is intended to protect Vermont’s forests, wildlife and rural community resilience in the face of climate change, The House already passed a similar version of the bill on a strong 108-36 vote. The Agency of Natural Resources and Vermont Housing and Conservation Board support the bill.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott and the Department of Economic Development (DED), alongside the Vermont Professionals of Color Network (VT PoC), announced a new partnership to provide technical assistance and development services to Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color (BIPOC) business owners and professionals statewide. The initiative, established by Act 183 of 2022, is part of the State of Vermont's commitment to build on local, state, and national efforts to advance equity and to increase meaningful inclusion and representation of BIPOC communities. An appropriation of $250,000 American Rescue Plan Act dollars will provide outreach, support, training, technical assistance, networking, and resource navigation for BIPOC business owners and workers.

Vermont Business Magazine The Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD) and the Vermont Economic Progress Council (VEPC) are pleased to announce the appointment of John Russell as chair of the Vermont Economic Progress Council. John Russell was first appointed to the VEPC Board by Governor Phil Scott in April 2019. Russell represents Rutland County on the VEPC Board and is president of Russell Construction Services, Vermont’s oldest general contractor. Governor Scott has also appointed two new members to VEPC, Kim Gobeille and James (Jamie) Stewart, and has reappointed Thad Richardson for another 4-year term. The legislature has also recently appointed two new members to VEPC: State Senator Thomas Chittenden and State Representative Emilie Kornheiser. VEPC oversees the Vermont Employment Growth Incentive (VEGI) program and the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) program.

Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont Medical Center will expand access to robotic surgical services in response to patient needs with the arrival of a second da Vinci XI robotic surgical system, which began serving patients Monday. Robotic-assisted surgery in areas such as gynecological, urological, thoracic, colorectal, ENT and bariatric specialties can lead to better overall surgical outcomes for patients and reduce blood loss, complications, scarring and length of stay in the hospital. With the second robot delivered and set to begin surgeries starting Monday, UVM Medical Center will have two robots in simultaneous use, more than doubling the number of these types of surgeries that can be performed in Burlington each year, advancing the UVM Health Network’s efforts to improve access to the highest quality specialty care, and supporting efforts to recruit talented clinical staff.