Current News

Representative Robert Dostis has accepted a leadership position with
Green Mountain Power and stepped down from his position as Chairman of
the House Natural Resources Committee. "An affordable and sustainable
energy future has been a top priority of the legislature and
Representative Dostis' leadership has helped move Vermont in that
direction," said Speaker Symington. She continued, "Representative
Dostis' skill of bringing legislators from all three political parties
together to move legislation has been critical to our effort to create a
more secure and affordable energy future for Vermonters."
Representative Dostis will remain as a regular member of the House
Natural Resources and Energy Committee and the Joint Energy Committee.
Representative Tony Klein has been appointed Chair of the House Natural
Resources and Energy Committee for the 2008 interim. Representative

The IBM plant in Essex Junction, which was once the states largest private employer, is laying off 180 employees. 110 of the positions are being eliminated, along with 70 long-term supplemental positions. The state is activating their rapid response system to help the layed-off employees find new jobs. In a released statement Governor Douglas said, To those at IBM who have lost jobs, and other Vermonters who have experienced the same challenge, we will continue to help you with all the tools we have available. Layoffs punctuate the importance of doing all we can in Montpelier to make Vermont a welcoming and supportive place to do business. My administration respects the role that every employer plays in ensuring the economic security and prosperity of our families. IBM currently employs 5,500 in Vermont.

groSolar Signs $175 million Deal for Solar Panels
Sales Contract with Evergreen Solar Helps Drive Company Growth
North American solar energy leader groSolar announced today the signing of a $175 million, long-term sales contract for solar electric panels with leading manufacturer Evergreen Solar, Inc.
The contract will assure fast-growing groSolar a steady supply of solar panels for the exploding commercial and residential solar market.
The contract with Evergreen (Nasdaq: ESLR) continues a relationship that saw the two companies sign a previous contract for $88 million in 2006.
Evergreen Solar is a manufacturer of solar power panels with its proprietary, low-cost String Ribbon(tm) wafer technology. The solar panels will be manufactured at the companys Devens, Massachusetts facility, which will begin panel production in July. The contract will continue through 2012.

Kindred Design Studio of Hinesburg, Vermont has been choosen by Sterling Construction, Inc. of Williston to create the identity and supporting marketing materials for Thistle Hill, the newest project for the developer that's currently being built in Hinesburg.

The Real Estate market is very competitive and it's becoming evermore critical to capture the character of a new neighborhood and portray it in new and unique ways&we need to go beyond location, location, location when asking customers to give these homes a look.

Design work was initiated back in March and will continue during all 3 phases of construction. We need to make sure the message is consistent yet flexible throughtout the project.

Peter Hofstetter, Chief Executive Officer of Northwestern Medical Center, was awarded QHR's first annual "CEO of the Year" award during their annual meeting in Brentwood, TN, Thursday, June 5, 2008. Peter was chosen from among more than 150 of his hospital CEO peers across the U.S. for this great honor.

QHR is one of the quiet partners in NMC's success. Dating back to the hospital merger in the late 1970's, NMC has enjoyed the benefits of management, consulting, and education services provided by QHR, formerly known as Quorum Health Resources.

Orlando, Florida (May 20, 2008) Northwestern Medical Center in St. Albans, Vermont has been named a National Award winner in healthcare service quality for Exemplary Service Overall Best Performer 2007 by Avatar International, a leader in healthcare surveys and consulting.

This is a wonderful recognition of the efforts of everyone in the NMC family, said Peter Hofstetter, NMC's Chief Executive Officer. This is national recognition of what we have each worked so hard to achieve that our entire staff provides incredible care and service to our patients and our community.

Jane Catton, NMC's Director of Process Improvement, and Lynn Desautels, NMC's Process Improvement Specialist, attended Avatar International's Client Symposium 2008 in Orlando, Florida to accept the award on NMC's behalf.

Union Institute & University and Vermont College of Fine Arts Announce Sale of Montpelier Campus & Fine Arts Programs
Sale marks the beginning of Vermont College of Fine Arts; Union Institute & University continues to serve students from the campus
Union Institute & University (UI&U) and Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA) today announced they have completed the purchase agreement for the historic Vermont College campus and the three Master of Fine Arts (MFA) programs located in Montpelier, Vermont. VCFA now owns and will operate the campus and three MFA programs as an independent institution. UI&U will continue to operate its bachelors and masters programs, leasing offices and classrooms from VCFA.

06/23/08
For Immediate Release
Contact: Will Patten
802-862-8347

VBSR Announces the 2008 Terry Ehrich Awards for
Excellence in Socially Responsible Business

Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility recently announced the winners of the prestigious annual Terry Ehrich awards. This year's award winners are as follows:

Terry Ehrich Award: Melinda Moulton, CEO of Main Street Landing Company

Small Company Leader of the Year Award: Nathaniel Group, Inc., Vergennes

Large Company Leader of the Year Award: King Arthur Flour Company, Norwich

The prestigious Terry Ehrich Award was established in 2002 in honor of Terry Ehrich, of Hemmings Motor News in Bennington. In addition to running a successful business, Terry was a founding member of VBSR, founder of the First Day Foundation for public schools, and a tireless advocate for public policies to protect the Vermont environment, workforce, and a sustainable economy.

Governor and Comcast to Announce Additional High-Speed Service to Vermonters
Advances Vermont's e-State Initiative
MONTPELIER, Vt.(June 20, 2008) - Governor Jim Douglas on Monday will be joined by Mary Evslin, Chair of the Vermont Telecommunications Authority, Ruth Wallman, Executive Director of the Lake Champlain Islands Chamber of Commerce and Dan Blakeman, Vice President of Comcast's Vermont System to announce Comcast's proposal to extend its network by another 300 miles in 2009 in communities previously not served by wire line providers offering high-speed cable internet, television and phone service. The focus of the proposal is located in Grand Isle County, which includes South Hero, North Hero, Grand Isle along with other Vermont communities.

VERMONT'S JOB GROWTH REMAINS SLOW, BUT POSITIVE. UNEMPLOYMENT AT 4.9% IN MAY.
Montpelier -- The Vermont Department of Labor announced today that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for May 2008 was 4.9 percent, up five-tenths of a point from the revised April rate of 4.4% and up 1.1 points from a year ago.
"Vermont's continued job growth is insufficient to hold down our growing unemployment rate," said Patricia Moulton Powden, Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Labor. "This is to be expected in a national environment where unemployment is growing rapidly and the national economy continues to shed jobs. In addition, the seasonal transition in Vermont's labor market from April to May can be quite volatile depending on weather. This can lead to rapidly changing labor statistics. We should have a better picture of the State's labor market in the June numbers."

Apple Hill Design~Build, Inc. proudly announces the addition of three new members to the Apple Hill Team. Pam Swatkins joined Apple Hill as a Project Manager/Estimator in late October. With over 28 years of experience in her field, Pam is able to turn an Apple Hill client's visual dream for a new home, or a home improvement project into reality. Peter Bicknell joined Apple Hill's Team in mid-January as a Lead Carpenter. Peter's 20 years of experience in our industry assures each project is performed with attention to time, detail and quality. Kelli Crapo joins the Apple Hill Team as Director of Communications and Marketing, offering over 20 years of experience in the business services arena to Apple Hill and their clients. Pam, Peter and Kelli all contribute to Apple Hill's foundation of integrity and quality and are committed to assisting each Apple Hill client achieve their goal to enjoy the home of their dreams.

Governor Douglas and Coalition of Northeastern Governors Urge Congress to Appropriate $5.1 Billion for LIHEAP in FY09
Waterbury, VT (June 18, 2008)-The Coalition of Northeastern Governors (CONEG) has urged House leaders to support $5.1 billion for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) in the FY2009 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill.
CONEG, which is chaired by Governor Jim Douglas, is requesting that the House fund the LIHEAP block grant program at the $5.1 billion level, authorized by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, in a manner that ensures additional funding to all states so they can continue to address the needs of the most vulnerable low-income households struggling to pay increasingly expensive home energy bills.