Current News

Vermont Business Magazine January is national Learn to Ski and Snowboard month and there are many opportunities for people to learn new snowsports at a discount, or even free. Vermont, being home to several adaptive sport associations, is also providing free adaptive lessons at alpine and Nordic resorts. Resorts nationwide will host the World’s Largest Lesson on Friday, January 8, 2016. Vermont Adaptive is offering free adaptive lessons at 10 a.m.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA) has approved $15.7 million in loan and bond financings for commercial, agricultural and energy projects totaling $37.5 million throughout Vermont. “Manufacturing businesses employing hundreds of Vermonters will continue to grow with the help of VEDA financing,” said Jo Bradley, VEDA Chief Executive Officer.  “In addition, a number of agricultural and renewable energy generation projects were approved, as was an SBA 504 project.”

Projects approved for VEDA financing include:

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Peter Shumlin announced four judicial appointments today. Burlington attorney John Pacht will fill a judgeship recently funded to help address increasing caseloads related to child protection and opiate-abuse across Vermont. Chittenden County Deputy State’s Attorney Mary Morrissey will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Michael Kupersmith. Windsor County State’s Attorney Michael Kainen will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge John Wesley. And Burlington attorney Michael Harris will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Amy Davenport.

John Pacht

by Timothy McQuiston Vermont Business Magazine Vermont moved up to third in the nation and tops in the Northeast again in a national study on migration. According to the study, people are moving here for the same reason they're moving to warmer regions of the country: retirement. Meanwhile, for the third consecutive year, Oregon holds on to the number 1 spot as "Top Moving Destination," as Americans continue to pack up and head West and South. Those are the results of United Van Lines' 39th Annual National Movers Study, which tracks customers' state-to-state migration patterns over the past year. Oregon is the most popular moving destination of 2015 with 69 percent of moves to and from the state being inbound. The state has continued to climb the ranks, increasing inbound migration by 10 percent over the past six years. New to the 2015 top inbound list is another Pacific West state, Washington, which came in at No. 10 with 56 percent inbound moves.

by Mike Smith Senator Bernie Sanders has a beef with the Democratic Party, and his complaint has merit. Sanders is miffed at party officials for rigging the nominating system to favor Hillary Clinton. As an example, he cites the number and timing of debates. There is no doubt party stalwarts are firmly behind Clinton. According to National Public Radio, Clinton is trouncing Sanders in so-called “super-delegates” — party leaders and elected officials — by an astounding 359 to 8. And in Vermont, top Democrats, including Sen. Patrick Leahy, Gov. Peter Shumlin and former Gov. Madeleine Kunin, have come out strongly in favor of Clinton. Even Rep. Peter Welch has been noticeably noncommittal regarding the Sanders candidacy.

To national party officials a challenger like Sanders ensures the nomination process doesn’t appear to be a coronation for Clinton. It is useful that Sanders is vying for the nomination, but they certainly don’t want him to win.

Vermont Business Magazine A historic spike in weekly employment claims resulted in the highest weekly total in memory last week. Claims were also higher than the same time last year, for the last week of the year. Generally claims in 2015 were lower than in 2014. For the week of December 26, 2015, there were 2,150 claims, a phenomenal increase of 1,481 from the previous week's total and 134 more than they were a year ago. By industry, claims were way up in manufacturing and services. As has been the trend, Services led all categories with 47 percent of all claims as holiday hiring came to an end. 

Altogether 6,836 new and continuing claims were filed, an increase of 1,426 from a week ago, and 1,349 fewer than a year ago.

Vermont Business Magazine Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign raised more than $33 million in the final three months of 2015 to rewrite the record books for White House campaigns. The tally for the year-end quarter pushed his total raised last year to $73 million from more than 1 million individuals who made a record 2.5 million donations. The 2,513,665 donations to Sanders’ campaign broke the record set four years ago by President Barack Obama’s re-election committee. Through Dec. 31, 2011, Obama had chalked up 2,209,636 donations.

“This people-powered campaign is revolutionizing American politics,” said Jeff Weaver, Sanders’ campaign manager. “What we are showing is that we can run a strong, national campaign without a super PAC and without depending on millionaires and billionaires for their support. We are making history and we are proud of it.”

Vermont Business Magazine Blake Hill Preserves, producer of gourmet marmalades, conserves, preserves and chutneys, is excited to announce the move of its production facility to Artisans Park in Windsor Vermont. Ground has already broken on Blake Hill’s new production facility and retail store in one of the prime areas of Artisans Park, home to some of Vermont’s leading producers of cheese, beer, spirts and hand-blown glass.

Blake Hill’s new facility is approx. 6,400 square feet, comprising a commercial kitchen housed within a “clean room” environment, a dedicated jar cooling and labelling space, warehouse, loading dock and specialty retail store.  The parcel of land accommodating Blake Hill’s new facility is sufficiently large to enable the business to also double its new space as it continues to grow.

Vermont Business Magazine Two South Burlington high school students got a boost today in their efforts to help Syrian refugees from Governor Peter Shumlin and a number of Vermont ski areas and local businesses. The South Burlington students, Lena Ginawi and Kiran Waqar, were featured on Vermont Public Radio for their efforts to collect fleece blankets and warm clothing for those affected by the violence in Syria. Both are first generation immigrants to Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine Mayor Miro Weinberger and project partners invite the greater Burlington community to attend a presentation on January 5, 2016 at 5:30 pm on the Burlington Town Center Mall’s redevelopment progress and the City’s work on this transformative public-private redevelopment effort. This public presentation is a significant step in the multi-year public process from adoption of planBTV Downtown & Waterfront to the redevelopment of this important downtown Burlington site. This event will take place in the lower level of the Burlington Town Center Mall, just past L.L. Bean.

Vermont Business Magazine “Ideas to Action” is the theme for the second Summit on Vermont’s Climate Economy, to be held at Vermont Technical College in Randolph on February 22, 2016. Anyone interested in the goal of reducing carbon emissions while stimulating economic development opportunities in Vermont is encouraged to attend. Participants will review a platform of actions towards this goal that are being developed by the Vermont Climate Change Economy Council (VCCEC). Breakout groups that day will consider strategies for implementation and the partnerships that will be needed to move them forward.

The Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD) is producing this event to bring together innovative business, non‐profit, and community leaders, elected officials, public policy advocates, students, and interested residents to advance this platform into action.

by Jasper Craven vtdigger.org Lawmakers are looking to reform the Vermont Department of Liquor Control. Revelations of significant lapses in oversight at the department last year have spurred a push to increase accountability and spur modernization. Michael Hogan, the previous commissioner, retired after 30 years in government service last year following revelations by the Burlington Free Press that he approved more than $100,000 in overtime for the department’s enforcement director without proper payroll documentation.

Sen. Dustin Degree, R-Franklin, who served on the Vermont Liquor Control System Modernization Study Committee last summer, said the department needs better oversight and operational improvements.

“I was really shocked to learn about some of the issues the Department of Liquor Control is having,” Degree said. “They have a point-of-sale system that is not being manufactured anymore.”