Current News

Keurig Green Mountain, Inc (NASDAQ: GMCR) and Reily Foods Company, New Orleans, LA, announced an exclusive multi-year manufacturing and distribution agreement for New England brand coffee, New Orleans Famous French Market Since 1890 brand coffee, and Luzianne brand iced tea pods for Keurig hot brewing systems in the United States and Canada. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

"Consumers consistently choose the Keurig brewing system for its quality, simplicity, and unsurpassed variety, with over 400 varieties from 60 brands available in the system," said John Whoriskey, president, U.S. sales and marketing at Keurig. "We welcome Reily Foods as a partner and look forward to offering Keurig consumers their favorite New England coffee, French Market coffee, and Luzianne iced teas made with the quality and consistency of Keurig."

On March 9, 2015, New England Federal Credit Union’s (NEFCU) Senior Marketing Executive, Cindy Morgan, presented a symbolic “big check” for $27,058 to Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) representatives at the University of Vermont Children’s Hospital. NEFCU members and staff contributed to the record-breaking donation as part of the annual Big Change Roundup.

Cindy Morgan, NEFCU Senior Marketing Executive, with CMN participants

On March 30, 2015 at 0605 hours Trooper Ben Barton was operating a 2010 Ford Crown Victoria State Police cruiser on the US Route 7 northbound on ramp in Sunderland. While traveling up the ramp, a vehicle traveling southbound on Route 7 lost control and crossed the center line. It was snowing and the road was slippery, according to the VSP report. The vehicle crossed the northbound lane and a grass area before continuing down the off ramp in Trooper Barton's path of travel. Trooper Barton veered to the right and avoided a head-on collision but was struck on the driver's side rear door and fender.

by Joe Carelli, President, Citizens Bank New Hampshire and Vermont You've spent most of your life building your business. There have been highs and lows over the years. Now, you’ve made it through the recent recession and your business is humming again. With nearly 8,000 US baby boomers turning 65 every day, it may be your time to step back and retire. Or maybe it’s time to consider making an acquisition, but you worry about the impact a deal will have on employees and customers whom you care deeply about.

It’s important to remember that you’re not alone.

An improving economy and the retirement plans of baby boomers are two of the driving forces behind merger-and-acquisition activity this year, according to a recent Citizens Commercial Banking survey.

Still, we’re talking about big – often once-in-a-lifetime – decisions.

by Michael Hundt In a recent tweet by Momentum Social Media, a UK-based social media marketing company, former German Chancellor, Willi Brandt, was quoted as saying, “If I am selling to you, I speak your language. If I am buying from you, dann müssen Sie Deutsch sprechen.” What does this mean?

It means that, if you run a hotel or resort and want to attract more foreign guests, you will want to translate your website, your menus, your flyers and more, into other languages.

It means that, if you want to export your products or sell your product internationally on the internet, you will want to translate your website, your marketing materials, your user guides and even your correspondence with foreign clients and partners.

by Public Assets Institute Vermont’s unemployment rate dropped below 4 percent in February, but the state still struggles to turn lower unemployment into more people working. In February, for example, unemployment went down by 433, but the number of people employed increased by just 128. The last time Vermont’s unemployment rate was at this level, in May 2007, there were 5,600 more Vermonters working. Private employers reported 600 fewer jobs in February than in January.

by Anne Galloway vtdigger.org Governor Peter Shumlin has asked the state’s chief financial regulator to probe plans for a massive Northeast Kingdom development after a state agency raised significant and critical questions about the finances for a multimillion dollar biotech project in Newport. State approval for AnC Bio Vermont was suspended in August. At the governor’s behest, the state agency that oversees the EB-5 immigrant investor program has asked the Department of Financial Regulation to determine whether the $118 million biotech project in Newport complies with state and federal securities laws.

The Vermont Agency Foundation held its third annual Casino Night on Saturday March 14^th at the Burlington Hilton. With more than 100 guests in attendance, $5,300 was raised to benefit KidSafe Collaborative. KidSafe Collaborative of Chittenden County has a mission to engage agencies, community groups and individuals to work together to improve our community’s prevention of and response to child abuse and neglect.

Pamela Lambert, Director of the Vermont Agency Foundation said, “I am thrilled with the turnout and the amount of money we raised with this event. These funds will have a direct impact on the lives of children.”

Berkshire Bank is seeking volunteer opportunities for their upcoming Company-Wide Week of Service June 8 – 12. During the week, more than 300 bank employees are expected to participate in a series of service projects to help the communities in which the bank operates. Berkshire Bank is seeking service projects of all sizes, but generally should engage between 5 to 50 employees using a mix of skilled and non-skilled labor. Projects should be able to be completed in one day using largely bank volunteers, and have a tangible impact on both the organization and the individuals served by the organization.

by Elizabeth Hewitt vtdigger.org The budget bill won preliminary approval from the House Thursday with a vote of 96 in favor and 46 opposed. The roll call vote came hours after an accompanying bill that raises $35 million in new income taxes passed the House by a slim margin. Legislators faced an unusual challenge with the budget bill this session. One week after Governor Peter Shumlin presented his budget proposal in January, a revenue forecast found an additional $18.6 million gap between the state’s projected revenue and projected spending in fiscal year 2016.

That left lawmakers scrambling to close a $113 million hole.

The budget bill, which passed out of the House Appropriations Committee with a unanimous 11 to 0 vote on Monday, makes $53 million in reductions to projected spending in FY 2016. New revenue and $24 million in one-time funds fill the remainder of the gap.

Vermont Business Magazine Weekly unemployment claims fell for the third week, which continues a steady decline over the last month. For the week of March 21, 2015, there were 557 new, regular benefit claims for Unemployment Insurance in Vermont. This is a decrease of 125 from the previous week's total, and 61 fewer than they were a year ago.

Graph shows private employment (nonfarm, nongovernment)

Green Mountain Economic Development Corporation (GMEDC) has hired Robert (Bob) Haynes to be its new executive director, replacing Joan Goldstein, who is leaving GMEDC to become Vermont’s commissioner of economic development in late April. Goldstein served six years as executive director of GMEDC. Under her tenure the regional development corporation for Northern Windsor and Orange counties was able to diversify services with real estate investments, brownfields and flood recovery grants, and innovative workforce development projects and programs.