Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Peter Shumlin today announced the completion of a 500 kilowatt solar net metering project at the Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield, the fifth of seven state correctional facilities to be powered by solar. The project is part of an initiative the governor announced in September of 2013 to deploy 5 megawatts of solar power that will increase the state’s use of renewable energy while saving taxpayers on state energy costs.

“This is a perfect example of how we do renewable energy in Vermont,” Shumlin said. “Local solar that powers our public buildings all while creating and supporting local jobs. I’m so proud of the state for leading by example.”

Vermont Business Magazine David Rees Evans, PhD, was formally inaugurated as the ninth president of Southern Vermont College on Friday, December 4. The ceremony began at 3:30 pm at the Bennington Center for the Arts (BCA) in Bennington and was followed by a reception at the BCA. President Evans came to SVC earlier this year from Buena Vista University in Iowa where he was Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty. He was selected from a field of over 100 applicants for the position of president at the private, liberal arts College, according to SVC Board of Trustee Chair and alumnus Ira Wagner, class of 1983.

by Carolyn Shapiro Veena Graff, MD, loves music; it relaxes her and can boost her mood. The University of Vermont Health Network anesthesiologist – who’s classically trained in piano and violin and is also a DJ – recognized that music could do the same for patients undergoing surgery. Graff first dug up studies and data that supported her theory that music can reduce anxiety pre-operatively and can reduce medication consumption throughout the surgical period. Therefore, she decided to launch a project that allows patients to listen to music during their surgical period.

“It improves the patient’s experience considerably,” she says.

Veena Graff, M.D., Pain Medicine Fellow, UVM Department of Anesthesiology (Photo: COM Design & Photography)

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Public Radio is teaming with 105.9FM The Radiator to bring full versions of the VPR-produced concert series ‘Live From The Fort’ to Chittenden County airwaves. The “Live From The Fort” music video series hosts Vermont-based bands in VPR’s Colchester studios. Performances are featured online at VPR.net and on VPR’s daily public affairs program Vermont Edition. VPR will provide full-length Live From The Fort performance recordings to 105.9FM The Radiator for broadcastto its Chittenden County audience.

“VPR has always been supported by listeners who care deeply about the world around them and the arts that make Vermont a vibrant home,” said Robin Turnau, VPR President and CEO. “Live From The Fort gives listeners the opportunity to see and hear the great musical talent that we have throughout the region.”

by John McClaughry On November 19 Vermont Senator and Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, a self-described “socialist” for fifty years, delivered his long-awaited address on the subject of his political ideology, “democratic socialism.” To put this in some context, there have been hundreds of interpretations of “socialism” by its advocates, not including those who used the word as an epithet. A crucial date in “socialism” was the publication of The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in the 1848 “year of revolution.”

Vermont Business Magazine Seventy-five years to the day after Bove’s Café opened its doors on Pearl Street in Burlington, Lieutenant Governor Phil Scott joined members of the Bove family at the Italian restaurant as they announced plans to open a new 15,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Milton in 2016. Bove’s makes premium pasta sauces, frozen meatballs and lasagna, available for sale around the country. This new facility will allow the Vermont-based company to bring all of its manufacturing back into the state, as well as offer factory tours.

Vermont Business Magazine Shopping for groceries? Now you can charge your car while you get your dinner fixings at the Hannaford Supermarket & Pharmacy in Williston, thanks to a partnership between Green Mountain Power, Hannaford Supermarkets and Taft Corners Associates. The charging station is located at the Williston Hannaford, 78 Marshall Avenue. “The new charging station at Hannaford is part of our effort to build a comprehensive EV charging network across Vermont,” said Dorothy Schnure, Green Mountain Power spokesperson. “More and more people are driving electric vehicles, saving money and reducing their use of fossil fuels, and we are pleased as Vermont’s energy company of the future to help them charge up conveniently.”

JAB Holding to pay total of $13.9 billion, also controls Peet's and Caribou coffee companies

by Timothy McQuiston Vermont Business Magazine Keurig Green Mountain, Inc (NASDAQ:GMCR), a personal beverage system company that has revolutionized the way consumers create and enjoy beverages, and JAB Holding Company today announced that the companies have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which a JAB-led investor group will acquire Keurig Green Mountain for $92 per share in cash, or a total equity value of approximately $13.9 billion. The agreement, which has been unanimously approved by Keurig Green Mountain's Board of Directors, represents a premium of approximately 77.9 percent over Keurig Green Mountain's closing stock price on December 4, 2015. Keurig Green Mountain will remain headquartered in Waterbury. Governor Peter Shumlin said that Keurig has told him that there are no plans for a reduction in workforce as a result of the acquisition. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2016.

by Mike Smith In a recent commentary, Senator Joe Benning, R-Caledonia, advocated for the expulsion of Sen. Norm McAllister, R-Franklin, from the Vermont Senate. In May, near the end of the legislative session, McAllister was arrested and charged with multiple counts of sexual assault and prohibited acts. Authorities say women were coerced to exchange sex for rent to live in a trailer on McAllister’s farm. In addition, shortly after McAllister was charged, the newspaper Seven Days interviewed a young woman who had worked for him, first on his farm in northern Vermont and later in Montpelier as his intern.

Vermont Business Magazine SO Vermont Arts & Living magazine and ViewBoost LLC, dba as ViewBoost—Discover Vermont have announced a strategic partnership designed to benefit the magazine’s advertisers and readers while promoting tourism in Southern Vermont. “SO Vermont Arts & Living magazine is delighted to name ViewBoost its "Official Mobile Travel Application." Our partnership with ViewBoost will enhance travel knowledge for our readers and digital audience. We believe this partnership will help grow both organizations and provide superior service to our customers. Both of us are in the business of promoting Vermont tourism and providing exposure to Southern Vermont’s businesses and tourism venues, says Lynn Barrett, publisher and editor of the magazine.

Vermont Business Magazine Addison County Economic Development Corporation (ACEDC) has announced the five winners of its Green Energy Grant program. Grants were awarded at today’s Annual Meeting. Each grant is valued at $500 and will be used for innovative green energy projects that will have an impact on businesses and residents of Addison County.

The five winners are:

Caroline’s Dream, (East Middlebury) for the purchase of a cargo bicycle for wholesale deliveries and pickup of supplies in Addison County. This company has been a leader in recycling, green packaging, and organic & sustainable ingredients from the beginning. This bike will provide the opportunity to take Caroline’s Dream to the next level of environmental leadership.

Vermont Business Magazine Just in time for the giving season, the Vermont Community Foundation has published Opportunity: 11 Critical Paths for Philanthropy in Vermont, a new resource to help guide potential donors as they consider which organizations or programs to support. Opportunity identifies 11 issue areas that present especially strong opportunities for charitable giving in Vermont right now. These issues are the challenges that Vermonters think about every day and include bringing quality education to all residents, cleaning up our rivers and lakes, expanding affordable housing, and tackling substance abuse, among others. The 40-page publication offers a concise background on each issue and highlights some successful approaches already underway in towns and cities across the state.