Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Corrections (DOC) today launched its new Vision, Mission, Values statements proclaiming Department philosophy and direction. The new Vision, Mission, Values statements were enacted into Department policy this week. “Corrections best practices are not what they were twenty, ten, or even five years ago” said Nicholas J. Deml, Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Corrections. “The world has changed: we live in a new time; we face new realities. Our Vision, Mission, Values statements embrace the imperative to stay up-to-date with our times and envision the future of our work. Importantly, our new Vision, Mission, Values statements declare our commitment to our staff and their wellness, professional development, and career advancement; define our commitment to equity and removing barriers to success; and demonstrate our important role in supporting safer communities. These statements are essential to the culture of our organization and the direction in which we will go from here.”

Vermont Business Magazine On March 30, 2023, a joint statement from Roman Catholic Church leaders formally acknowledged and took accountability for “the terrible effects” of more than 560 years of assimilation policies and the resulting “pain experienced by indigenous people.” A series of historical decrees from the Vatican, collectively known as the “Doctrine of Discovery,” became the foundation for European colonization of Indigenous peoples and entered into Western legal concepts foundational to private property and racial privilege concepts, still cited today in courts of law. This response from the Church has been adamantly requested by Native communities for many decades and comes at a time of reckoning with the process of reconciliation.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Timber Frames, a leader in timber frame and log homes, is proudly celebrating it’s 30th anniversary in 2023. 30 years ago, the company was founded in Bennington, Vermont by Tom Harrison and Paul Martin in a small woodshop on Bowen Road. Today, Vermont Timber Frames occupies 65, 000 square feet in the Morse Industrial Park with a dynamic team of designers, log and timber technicians as well as a dedicated sales and support staff.

Vermont Business Magazine Beginning April 10, 2023, masks will be optional for patients, visitors, and staff without any respiratory symptoms at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) and its campuses. Individuals with respiratory symptoms will still be required to wear a mask, and immunocompromised patients are encouraged to continue to wear masks. SVMC is the latest Vermont hospital to ease back on its pandemic-related precautions, but like those other hospitals, masks will still be required under certain circumstances. SVMC has had a universal mask requirement in place since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hospitalizations for COVID and other respiratory illnesses have remained low for several months, and the health system vaccinated more than tens of thousands of community members at its widely successful resource center. Both of these factors provided excellent clinical indicators that the risk of COVID to staff and patients is low and that relaxing the hospital’s mask requirement was an appropriate and safe next step.

Vermont Business Magazine State Treasurer Mike Pieciak visited Capstone Community Action in Barre on Thursday, during National Financial Literacy Month, to highlight the financial education programming and resources they offer at their four central Vermont locations: Barre, Morrisville, Randolph, and Bradford. The State Treasurer’s Office partners with Capstone to facilitate the funding of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, which trains volunteers to help prepare state and federal income tax returns for families or individuals who make $60,000 or less. The VITA program helps thousands of Vermonters each year claim refunds and credits. Treasurer Pieciak’s visit coincided with VITA program appointment hours and he was able to meet with both filers and volunteers.

Vermont Business Magazine Norwich Solar has received a Certificate of Public Good (CPG) from the Vermont Public Utility Commission for a 500 kW AC solar array in Newbury, VT. The ground-mounted system will generate enough renewable clean energy to power approximately 135 homes per year and offset the carbon emission equivalent of almost 150 cars per year. This project highlights the opportunity for co-locating solar with other land uses, maximizing the benefits of the property for the landowner and the community. The solar array offers multiple land use opportunities for the landowner, Cassidy Timber Harvesting, who plans to develop much-needed homes for the area. Financial benefits of the array include long-term lease income for the landowner, tax contributions to the town, and reduced energy costs for participating net metered customers. The solar project also contributes to the town’s and state’s renewable energy goals by adding clean energy to the region’s electrical grid.

Vermont Business Magazine Rutland residents will soon be able to enjoy Reimagine Depot Park thanks to a recently launched crowdfunding campaign. The campaign is sponsored by the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development’s Better Places program and led by Come Alive Outside. If the campaign reaches its $10,000 goal by deadline of June 3rd, 2023, “Reimagine Depot Park” will receive a matching grant of $20,000 from DHCD’s Better Places program.

Vermont Business Magazine In a unanimous vote, the Vermont Senate passed VT Saves, a program championed by State Treasurer Mike Pieciak and Senate Democrats, and designed to create greater retirement security for all Vermonters. In Vermont, 45% of employers do not offer retirement benefits. For small businesses with 20 employees or less, 55% do not offer retirement benefits. However, at employers that do offer a retirement plan, over 70% of employees participate. VT Saves would automatically enroll employees into a Roth IRA at businesses not already offering a retirement savings program. This would come at no cost to businesses and with the option for employees to opt out or adjust their contribution rate.

Vermont Business Magazine Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) joined Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Mike Braun (R-IN) to reintroduce the Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow’s Workforce Act, bipartisan legislation to allow the use of ‘529’ education savings accounts for skills training, credentialing, and certification programs. Current law only permits workers and families to use ‘529’ accounts to pay for college, university, and vocational school expenses.