Current News

Vermont Business MagazineMobius will celebrate National Mentoring Month by hosting youth mentees, volunteer mentors, and mentoring supporters for its annual Mentoring Celebration at the Statehouse on Wednesday, January 18, 2017 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This event, made possible by support from lead event sponsor Redstone Commercial Group and other business supporters, will publicly recognize the adult mentors, youth mentees, and mentoring supporters in attendance, as well as the year-round service of the more than 140 mentoring programs and 2,300 volunteer mentors throughout the state.

Mobius photo of Emily and Autumn.

Vermont Business MagazineVermont wild turkey hunters had successful spring and fall hunting seasons in 2016, according to the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department. An initial review of hunting results revealed 6,798 turkeys were taken by hunters during Vermont's three turkey hunting seasons - the spring youth hunt, the regular May spring season, and the fall turkey hunt.

Vermont Business MagazineGreen Mountain Valley School (GMVS) today announced acomprehensive training partnership with the United States Ski and Snowboard Association(USSA) that designates GMVS as both a USSki Team Development Site, and as a USSki team High Performance Center. The USSki Team designations are the result of an ongoingUSSA initiative to develop a pipeline of elite skiing talent, while formalizing its partnershipprograms with leading academic and training institutions, of which GMVS is one.

Vermont Business Magazine The Norwich University Regimental Band and Drill Team,will represent the state of Vermont and perform in the 58^th Presidential Inauguration, to be held on Friday, Jan. 20, in Washington, DC, for Donald J Trump. As the oldest collegiate band in the country, the Regimental Band carries on a long tradition of excellence musically, academically and militarily. Founded in 1820,the Band'smotto is “Semper Zoo.”

“The Norwich University Regimental Band and Drill Team is proud to represent the university and the state of Vermont,” Assistant Commandant and Director of Bands Todd P. Edwards said.

Vermont Business Magazine Franklin Foods Holdings, which bills itself as the world's fastest growing cream cheese company, announced today that Hochland SE, a privately-held Bavaria, Germany-based cheese company, has acquired Franklin Foods and its sister companies. Franklin Foods was founded and continues to operatein Enosburg Falls. It was previously sold, along with its brands Hahn's and All Season's Kitchen, and is now based in Florida. Franklin has taken advantage of the popularity of "Greek" style dairy products. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. It will continue to operate its Vermont manufacturing plant, which employs about 100.

Vermont Business MagazineAt its 30^thAnnual Membership Meeting held at The Capitol Plaza, the Vermont Business Roundtable elected one new director to his first three-year term:Tom Dunn, Vermont Electric Power Company.Elected to their second three-year term were the following directors:Jill Berry Bowen, Northwestern Medical Center, Geoff Glaspie, Husky Injection Molding, Bill Shouldice IV, Vermont Teddy Bear, and John Wilking, Neville Company.

Vermont Business MagazineGovernor Phil Scott todayannounced he has appointed Michael Harrington as deputy commissioner of the Vermont Department of Labor.Before joining the Governor’s Administration, Harrington, 35, was a consultant and trainer for his family's firm, New Directions,where he helped to provide national and international companies with employee development and organizational management services. Harrington also served as the economic and community development director for the Town of Bennington.

Michael Harrington, VBM file photo.

Vermont Business Magazine With the naming of a new executive leadership team, Beau Ties Ltd of Vermont has also renewed its commitment to Middlebury. Beau Ties Ltd has named Elizabeth Smith and Cy Day Tall as the company’s new Co-President/CEO. The pair will assume leadership over all corporate functions including merchandising, operations, production, marketing, technology, finance and sales.

David Mutter, co-owner and Chairman, said in an announcement, “This is long overdue recognition of the leadership roles Liz and Cy have brought to Beau Ties over the last decade, and reconfirms our commitment to the Middlebury, VT community.

Vermont Business MagazineWeekly unemployment claims fell nearly 600, as post-holiday employment levels returned to a more stable level. The holidays produce wild swings in these numbers, as retailers, especially, hire then lay off workers in short order. By industry, Construction reported the most claims last week. In an average week, Services usually have the most claims.

For the week of January 7, 2017, there were 940 claims, down 591 from the previous week's total and 215 fewer than than they were a year ago (1,155).

Altogether 7,765 new and continuing claims were filed, an increase of 488 from a week ago, and 483 fewer than a year ago.

The Department processed 0 First Tier claims for benefits under Emergency Unemployment Compensation, 2008 (EUC08).

Vermont Business Magazine The Department of Homeland Security released on Thursday a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that, once implemented, will make significant improvements to the EB-5 Regional Center Program. The proposal would raise the minimum investment levels for the first time since the EB-5 program was created in 1990, and it would restrict the ability of high-end real estate developers to take advantage of development incentives intended for distressed areas.

Vermont Business MagazineThe owner of the shuttered Vermont Yankee nuclear plant in Vernon wants to get out of the merchant power business entirely.The two operating units at the Indian Point Energy Center will close in2020-2021 after poweringNew Yorkformore thanfour decades, according to Entergy Corp. The early and orderly shutdown is part of a settlement under whichNew York Statehas agreed to drop legal challenges and support renewal of the operating licenses for Indian Point, located inthe Village ofBuchanan in northernWestchester County.

The shutdown will complete Entergy's exit from its merchant power business because of sustained low wholesale energy prices. Entergy closed Vermont Yankee in December 2015 because it was losing money on the 605 megawatt plant. Entergy wants to sell the Vernon plant, which could lead to a decades-faster remediation of the site.

Vermont Business Magazine The Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT) has attracted two international giants in the food and farming world to speak at the 35th annual winter conference on February 18-20 at University of Vermont. Dr Fernando Funes Monzote of Cuba and Dr Vandana Shiva of Indiawill both bring a message of resilience, hope, and the power of people to make slow—but radical—change.

This year’s theme, “Beyond Borders: Our Role in the Global Food Movement” is a departure from years past, which have focused on themes such as local food and soil. But Executive Director Enid Wonnacott and board member Mimi Arnstein—who leads farmer-to farmer exchanges in Cuba and elsewhere—felt the time was ripe to break open the boundaries of how we think about the impact of our local food movement in Vermont.