Current News

With Vermont leading the way, US maple syrup production in 2009 totaled 2.33 million gallons, up 22 percent from 2008 and the highest on record since 1944. The number of taps is estimated at 8.65 million, 4 percent above the 2008 total of 8.33 million. Yield per tap is estimated to be 0.269 gallons, up 17 percent from the previous season. Vermont led all states in production with 920,000 gallons an increase of 30 percent from 2008 and the highest on record since 1944. Vermont produced more than a third of the national total.

The Arno Group today announced the addition of Daniel Smith to their firm in Stowe, Vermont. Dan brings a strong background in public policy, business development and problem solving to the Arno Group. Prior to his service at GBIC, Dan built a legal practice at the law firm of Downs Rachlin Martin, which focused on government relations, environmental law and regulated entities. Dan provided his clients with in-depth service and innovative solutions to complex challenges.

Vermont Pure Holdings, Ltd. (NYSE Alternext: VPS) announced its financial results for the first half and second quarter of its fiscal year 2009 and that it will file these results on Form 10-Q with the Securities and Exchange Commission today. Total sales for the first six months of fiscal year 2009 decreased 4% to $32.3 million from $33.8 million for the comparable period a year ago. Gross profit decreased 11% in the first half of 2009 to $17 million from $19 million in the comparable period a year earlier. Gross profit, as a percentage of sales, decreased to 52% from 56% for the respective periods. Net income decreased to $327,000 in the first six months of fiscal year 2009 compared to $983,000 in the first six months of fiscal year 2008.

The Retirement Division of the State Treasurer s Office has mailed letters to approximately a thousand State of Vermont employees informing them that they are eligible to apply for voluntary retirement under the 2009 incentive program passed in the recent special legislative session and signed into law by Governor Jim Douglas. The letters were mailed June 12.
State Treasurer Jeb Spaulding wants all employees potentially eligible for the program to be aware of the fast approaching deadline to apply. All applications must be received by the Retirement Division no later than July 31.

TransUnion.com released today the results of its analysis of trends in the auto lending industry for the first quarter of 2009. The report is part of an ongoing series of quarterly consumer lending sector analyses focusing on credit card, auto loan and mortgage data that may be found on TransUnion's Web site. Information for this analysis is culled quarterly from approximately 27 million anonymous, individual credit files, providing a real-life perspective on how U.S. consumers are managing their credit health. The largest improvements in delinquency from the previous quarter were found in South Dakota (45.16 percent decrease from 0.62 percent) and Vermont (33.3 percent decrease from 0.99 percent).
Statistics

Dealer.com (www.dealer.com), the leading provider of online marketing solutions for the automotive industry based in Burlington, Vermont, today announced that the company has increased research and development (R&D) spending by over 100% for 2009. In a time of great challenges for the industry, Dealer.com has increased the commitment to keeping their clients two to four years ahead of the competition by investing at this level, at this crucial time. As the rate of change in technology and Internet marketing best practices continues to accelerate, Dealer.com recognizes that continuously increasing R&D investment is the key to staying at the forefront of technology and helping their dealers achieve even more success.

The Vermont Aerospace and Aviation Association (VAAA) will hold an Open House event at the Vermont Army Aviation Support Facility behind the Burlington International Airport in South Burlington on Thursday, June 18, 2009 from 3 - 5 p.m. Join Lt. Governor and VAAA Chair Brian Dubie for an exciting and informative afternoon. Hear updates in the industry from Gary Loftus of the Goodrich Corporation, Jerry Johnson, Chief Engineer at Sikorsky, and Jason Blais of JobsinVT.com.
The VAAA is managed by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce; it was established in an effort to promote and grow aerospace and aviation in the Green Mountain State. Quarterly networking meetings are held at aviation facilities around the state to provide important updates in aviation and aerospace.
Date: Thursday, June 18, 2009
Time: 3 - 5 p.m.
Location: Vermont Army Aviation Support Facility, South Burlington

MyWebGrocer of Colchester, Vermont, and Big in Japan have partnered to bring timely and relevant product data and advertising to the Google Android Platform. ShopSavvy, Big in Japan s popular price comparison application, utilizes MyWebGrocer s grocery data to help consumers find relevant products and pricing at their local grocery retailers.
Using any Google Android phone, shoppers can scan a barcode found on any grocery product and are instantly shown product results from ShopSavvy. These results include prices on the web and at local stores, consumer reviews, an option to save the product to their wish list and to sign up for results when the price changes on the item. As consumers are grocery shopping, from the palm of their hand they will be able to see information that they traditionally had to get from newspaper circulars or direct mail.

Governor Jim Douglas tomorrow will announce that Farm Way has received a $226,000 grant through the Clean Energy Development Fund (CEDF) to construct solar panels at their Bradford, Vermont, store. A computer panel inside the store displays real-time information on how much electricity the solar panels are producing, so the visitors who come from far and wide can learn about the technology and how Farm Way is greening its carbon footprint while they shop. The system is generating 77,000 kW annually which helps the store avoid sending 76,000 pounds of carbon dioxide into the air annually.

Today, Secretary of Administration Neale F. Lunderville released revenue results for the month of May. General Fund revenues exceeded the recently revised target for the month, as compared to the consensus revenue target, due solely to unexpected one-time $13 million Estate Tax receipts. Year-to-date, General Fund revenues of $1,003.78 million (+$10.81 million, +1.09%) were slightly above target. Transportation funds were also up by almost 4 percent. Meanwhile, the non-property tax Education Fund revenues were off 2 percent. The person who died last year was not identified by the Vermont Tax Department, but the value of the estate was worth somewhere between $80 million to $100 million.
General Fund

In recent months, the economic recession has created unprecedented challenges for Vermont’s 200 certified organic dairy farmers. After years of double-digit increases in consumer demand, reliable milk prices and impressive expansion in the number of organic dairy farms in Vermont, sales of organic dairy products nationally have decreased substantially. There is now an oversupply of organic milk in most markets. The two major wholesale buyers of Vermont’s organic milk, Horizon Organics and Organic Valley Cooperative have implemented mandatory milk price or production cuts to address financial and supply-demand imbalances.

The Vermont Agency of Transportation’s District 7 Maintenance Garage in St. Johnsbury has become the first public transportation entity in the nation to achieve a supplemental safety merit from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The ceremony to honor this achievement will take place today at 1 pm at the garage.
District 7 has been working to achieve this merit under the Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) with the Vermont OSHA office for the past three years. The program is intended to promote workplace health and safety through a collaborative effort between the employees and VOSHA.
The program is 100 percent employee driven, and as such can only succeed if it is supported from within. The District 7 employees’ hard work and dedication to improve the safety of their workplace paid off, and this week OSHA announced that District 7 became the very first Public Transportation entity in the nation to achieve VPP STAR STATUS.