Current News

Vermont Business Magazine In 1998, to provide area community organizations with blankets to help Vermonters in need, New England Federal Credit Union (NEFCU) conducted its first Blankets of Hopeä  Drive. Now in its 21st year, the NEFCU Blankets of Hopeä  drive has collected and distributed thousands of blankets to organizations including the Committee on Temporary Shelter (COTS), Spectrum Youth & Family Services, Samaritan House, and others.

This year, as in years past, the drive begins on December 1 and ends on December 31. New and gently used blankets may be dropped off at any NEFCU branch, the addresses of which are available at nefcu.com. Blankets will be cleaned and packaged by Greer’s Professional Fabricare Services.

Source: Williston VT—For more information, please visit nefcu.com

Vermont Business Magazine Last week, news broke that Summit Ventures NE LLC has agreed to sell the majority of its Sugarbush assets to Alterra Mountain Company. While this was no easy decision, President and COO Win Smith and the Sugarbush staff are excited to see where this opportunity takes the Resort and the community. For those who are interested in learning more, Sugarbush will be hosting an open forum where Win and our executive team will be joined by members of the Alterra Mountain Company leadership team. The forum is scheduled for tonight, November 20th, at 5pm in the Gate House Lodge.

Vermont Business Magazine Stowe and Okemo, in Vermont, and Mount Sunapee, in New Hampshire, will each celebrate their opening day of the 2019/2020 ski and snowboard season with First Chair festivities. At each resort, skiers and riders ascending to the summit on the first chairlift of the winter season will have the honor of crashing through a commemorative banner before making first tracks on the slopes. All three resorts, along with Mount Snow, are now owned by Vail Resorts, based in Colorado.

Opening day at Stowe is slated for November 22. A live DJ will help raise the stoke with music at the Four Runner Quad starting at 7:30 a.m. The first chair will load at 8 a.m. Stowe will have a total of 17 trails, 101 acres and 6 miles of terrain open including prominent runs like

Vermont Business Magazine A new study finds Vermont is the Number 11 smartest state in the US. The national firm doing the analysis relied largely on educational attainment and college entrance test scores. Vermont was particularly strong in bachelor degrees awarded, high school graduation rate and ACT scoring. Currently, 65 percent of Americans think they have above average intelligence and 2 in 3 people say they are smarter than other people. Everyone can’t be right.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Labor has announced it is now accepting applications for the 2020 Vermont Internship Program. Funded by the Department of Labor, the program will award $300,000 to eligible applicants. Organizations can receive up to $50,000 in matched grant funds, or up to $25,000 in unmatched funds. Awards may be used to build or administer an internship program or provide participants with need-based stipends during the internship. The Program promotes internships by providing grants to organizations who support or connect Vermont employers with student-interns from regional technical centers or post-secondary educational institutions.

Vermont Business Magazine Steinway & Sons, makers of the finest pianos in the world, have announced the opening of The Piano Gallery, a new piano showroom in North Ferrisburgh, which will carry and service Steinway-designed Boston and Essex grand and upright pianos. The opening of the showroom will be marked with special events during the weekend of December 7-8.

Vermont Research News Vermont Public Radio and Vermont PBS, working with Castleton’s Rich Clark recently conducted a comprehensive survey as part of "This Land" series. About two-thirds of Vermonters were optimistic about the future of their community but half said they would tell an 18-year-old to build their life and career elsewhere. Those in the most rural areas felt some of the biggest challenges.

Vermont Business Magazine Patty Prelock has been appointed Provost and Senior Vice President at the University of Vermont. The Board of Trustees confirmed and President Suresh Garimella announced the expected appointment Monday. She was named the interim provost last April after David Rosowsky stepped down. Prelock was Garimella's choice as interim provost while he was still the president-designate under Tom Sullivan. Garimella took over as president July 1.

Vermont Business Magazine Last week Mammoth was packed with thousands that traveled to ski and snowboard for Opening Day, and Gordini USA celebrated by inviting everyone to a party at the Clocktower Cellar. In addition to giving partygoers a chance to raise a glass and toast the winter season, the Gordini Season Opener party raised money to benefit Protect Our Winters (POW). Shortly after the event kicked off at 7 p.m. the Clocktower was packed, and those in attendance included professional snowboarders and skiers, snow industry, media and many die-hard riders.

Vermont Business Magazine The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center in White River Junction, Vermont is pleased to announce Dr. Daniel O’Rourke as the new Chief of Staff.  Dr. O’Rourke started his VA career at White River Junction in 1996 as a cardiologist and was named the Chief of Cardiology in 2004. Over the past year, he has played a major role as Acting Chief of Staff at the White River Junction VA while leadership recruited a permanent Director. He has extensive experience in clinical care, research and health care administration.

by Suresh Garimella As I begin my tenure as president, I am excited and optimistic about the future of the University of Vermont. Thanks to my predecessor, Tom Sullivan, I inherit a thriving university. UVM is financially sound, its physical campus has grown strategically to meet student needs and, most important, we are on an upward trajectory. Our incoming classes regularly exceed our enrollment targets and have set records for academic quality eight years running; four-year graduation rates are at an all-time high; and 92 percent of our students are employed or continuing their education within six months of graduating.

Vermont Business Magazine The state of Vermont has won two national awards for the newly redesigned state government portal. The Davey Awards named the state of Vermont a gold winner in the Government for Websites category and a silver winner in the Best User Experience for Websites category for the new Vermont.gov that launched in May this year. The Davey Awards annually recognize outstanding creative works in digital and print media. The awards are presented by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts (AIVA).