Current News

Groupe Le Duff announced in a press release dated March 17 that it has bought out the café bakery chain Bruegger's from US investment firm Sun Capital Partners for an undisclosed amount.
Founded in 1983 in Burlington, Bruegger's quickly made its mark on the fast casual restaurant segment by popularizing the bagel in the US. It marketed wellness and pleasure on a plate. It has a wide range of breakfast and lunch products and is highly appreciated for the quality of its sandwiches and pastries prepared on the spot. The company has 437 outlets in 26 states in the United States. It will continue to be led by CEO Jim Greco.
The release did not mention Bruegger's Canadian subsidiary, Timothy's World Coffee, which it bought in November 2009. Timothy's and another Canadian affiliate, Michel's Bakery Cafe, operate under the affiliate Threecaf Brands Canada.

Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced Friday that he is renewing his effort to make permanent the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Regional Center pilot program. Vermont’s Regional Center program, established in 1997, has been a highly successful private-public partnership between the State of Vermont and several Vermont businesses.
‘Vermont’s regional center program is an economic engine for the state,’ said Leahy at a news conference in Burlington. ‘In a small state like ours, economic success in one area is inevitably felt in other parts of the state. Making the EB-5 program permanent is just the start. We are working to modernize the program to handle the growth it has seen across the country in recent years. Vermont’s use of the program is a model of success, and other states have taken note.’

RunVermont and KeyBank announced today that the bank will extend its 23-year sponsorship of the KeyBank Vermont City Marathon for an additional three years. KeyBank has been the title sponsor of the race since its inception in 1989. The relationship is the second longest marathon-corporate sponsorship arrangement in industry history, surpassed only by John Hancock’s 26-year sponsorship of the Boston Marathon.
"We are tremendously proud to be part of the KeyBank Vermont City Marathon and Relay,’ said Scott Carpenter President of KeyBank’s Vermont District. ‘Nationally, the marathon has earned a high reputation among elite runners, yet the event maintains a community feel, engaging thousands of local runners, hundreds of volunteers and tens of thousands of spectators. We appreciate the national and local attention the marathon provides our company, as well as the excitement our employees feel participating in the event."

The House Thursday passed a jobs bill that will strengthen the foundation for job creation in the state. H. 287, is a comprehensive package that aids both employees and employers.
‘As we recover from the economic downturn, employees and employers must have the tools they need to enter the workforce in what is a very competitive job market,’ said Speaker Shap Smith. ‘This bill provides many resources for job creation across all sectors of the economy.’
The bill does a number of things to support business expansion and job creation in Vermont, including:
Enhancing workforce training programs to maximize opportunities for employees and provide employers with a well trained pool of applicants.
Incentivizing Vermont businesses to recruit their suppliers and vendors to relocate to the state. Awards $1,000 for each new Vermont job; $500 to the Vermont business and $500 to the relocating business.

This March, Ben & Jerry’s is celebrating the 20th birthday of its Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream. But it took significant innovation to smooth out the manufacturing process that made the ice cream a success in pint containers.
Peter Lind, a longtime Ben & Jerry’s Flavor Guru, was one of the Gurus who worked to develop the flavor.
‘Everybody wanted to roll in the Dough! But we just couldn’t make it fast enough because the process of making it was so labor intensive,’ said Lind.Just over 20 years ago, scoopers at Ben & Jerry’s scoop shops ‘ acting on an anonymous tip from a fan ‘ posed this classic question: what if they put cookie dough into ice cream? It was a revolutionary idea in the world of ice cream at that time, and one that would become one of Ben & Jerry’s best-loved flavors!

Citing the nuclear emergency in Japan, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today pressed the Nuclear Regulatory Commission chairman to re-evaluate whether to issue a new permit for Vermont Yankee.
One day before the massive earthquake and tsunami struck Japan, the commission approved a 20-year license extension for the Vernon, Vt., reactor that is identical to the crippled Japanese plant. That decision was temporarily put on hold yesterday, but Sanders used a briefing for senators about the Japan disaster to ask NRC Chairman Gregory B. Jaczko for a more serious re-examination of the future of 40-year-old Vermont Yankee reactor.

FedBid, Inc, the online reverse auction marketplace, today announced that it has named former Vermont Lieutenant Governor Brian Dubie to FedBid’s Board of Advisors.
Dubie completed four terms as Vermont’s Lieutenant Governor in January 2011. He currently serves as a Captain for American Airlines, a Colonel and Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officer in the US Air Force Reserve and a public policy consultant. He was narrowly defeated in the 2010 election for governor of Vermont.
‘Brian has a unique set of skills, experience and personal relationships across both government and the private sector,’ said FedBid President Glenn Richardson. ‘As we expand this high-growth, customer-oriented enterprise into new markets, Brian’s first-hand insights regarding state and local government, the National Guard, emergency management and other areas will represent FedBid well. Our Board of Advisors is excited to welcome him aboard.’

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) was appointed today to chair the Senate Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging.
‘With more Americans heading into retirement, we need to focus on supporting our seniors and ensuring their quality of life. I look forward to working side by side with Sen. Sanders to protect the benefits that our seniors have worked hard for, from pensions to health care, while also advocating for programs like community health centers and LIHEAP that are vital to families across the country in these tough economic times,’ said Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), the chairman of the full Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions.
Sanders’ panel is responsible for several areas that are among his top priorities, including community health centers, home heating assistance, seniors programs, pensions and dental care.

Building on the success of its Certificate in Nonprofit Management, Marlboro College Graduate School introduces a new Master of Science in Management for Mission-Driven Organizations. Applications are currently being accepted for classes starting in May 2011.
The 36-credit program provides MBA-level coursework tailored to nonprofit organizations, such as fundraising, outcomes and evaluations, budgeting and strategic planning. As a master of science in management, the program can also benefit social entrepreneurs with a mission-driven focus.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today that USDA issued a Notice of Solicitations of Applications and regulations implementing the 2008 Farm Bill for the broadband loan program.
‘Broadband investments are an essential part of Vermont’s future. These investments will increase economic opportunity and enhance community connections.’ Molly Lambert, State Director USDA Rural Development said.
The interim regulation for the Broadband Program requires that certain definitions affecting eligibility be revised and published annually by the agency in the Federal Register. For the purposes of this interim regulation, the agency has amended two definitions: Broadband Service and Broadband Lending Speed and Incumbent Service Provider. The application guide to assist in preparing of applications is available at: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/utp_farmbill.html

There were 1,012 new regular benefit claims for Unemployment Insurance last week, an increase of 275 from the week before. Altogether 12,325 new and continuing claims were filed, a decrease of 266 from a week ago and 2,799 fewer than a year earlier. The Department also processed 2,052 First Tier claims for benefits under Emergency Unemployment Compensation, 2008 (EUC08), 8 more than a week ago. In addition, there were 992 Second Tier claims for benefits processed under the EUC08 program, which is an increase of 3 from the week before. The Unemployment Weekly Report can be found at: http://www.vtlmi.info/. Previously released Unemployment Weekly Reports and other UI reports can be found at: http://www.vtlmi.info/lmipub.htm#uc

Vermont’s small businesses are key to the state’s well-being and account for a significant share of the state’s economic production and hiring, according to the Office of Advocacy’s Small Business Profile for the state, released today. The profile uses the most recent data available to provide details about small business employment, business starts and closings, bank lending, business ownership by minorities, women, and veterans, and firm and employment change by major industry and firm size.
‘Small business is a catalyst for economic growth in Vermont and in our nation,’ said Winslow Sargeant, Chief Counsel for Advocacy. ‘In today’s economic climate, we need to continue to support entrepreneurship and promote policies that help small businesses grow and prosper.’