Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Burlington Telecom has maintained its high level of Customer Satisfaction, according to the results of an annual survey. Overall, 90 percent of customers are satisfied with Burlington Telecom as their internet service provider (ISP). According to the 2018 American Consumer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) Telecommunications Report released in May, the average satisfaction for internet customers saw a 3 percent drop this year and, along with subscription TV, ISPs have the poorest customer satisfaction rankings among all industries tracked, including airlines and health insurance.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont's Community Right-To-Know Program, 20 VSA Chapter 1, Vermont's Rules and Regulations dated October 1995, and the Federal Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) which is a part of 42 USC Chapter 116, require that certain hazardous materials must be reported annually by March 1st for the preceding calendar year. If you have not completed the current year's report, the state urges you to do so as soon as possible.

The Vermont State Emergency Response Commission (SERC) requires facilities to submit Tier II reports by using the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Tier2Submit software program. The EPA provides this software application at no charge.

Vermont Business Magazine Reaction of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) to the White House’s refusal to summarily reject Russian President Putin’s proposal to make former US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul available to the Russian government for interrogation. "It is beyond belief that the White House would even contemplate the ludicrous notion of turning over to Russian President Putin a former US ambassador..."

Vermont Business Magazine Major League Fishing is in Colchester to film the 2019 Challenge Select as the league continues the eighth season of filming. The anglers will be in town until July 22, 2018. Major League Fishing features 52 of the top anglers in the country and includes Bassmaster Classic champions, Angler of the Year winners and title-holders from both the Bassmaster Elite Series and the FLW Tour. Twenty-four anglers will compete across the Malletts Bay area of Lake Champlain in six days of competition, all seeking to make it to the final day’s Championship Round. The show captures the anglers’ efforts as they seek to catch as many fish as possible in seven and a half hours of fishing and weigh all “scorable bass” before immediately releasing the fish back into the water.

Vermont Business Magazine Nexstar Media Group, Inc (Nasdaq: NXST) announced today that Alexander von Lichtenberg has been named Vice President and General Manager of FOX affiliate WFFF-TV and associated mobile/digital services, including MyChamplainValley.com, serving Burlington, VT-Plattsburgh, NY (DMA #97). In his new role, he will also oversee Nexstar’s relationship with WVNY-TV, the market’s ABC affiliate owned by Mission Broadcasting, Inc, under a joint operating agreement.

Vermont Business Magazine Global Partners LP (NYSE: GLP), based in Waltham, MA, announced on Wednesday that it has completed the acquisition of retail fuel and convenience store assets of Vermont-based Champlain Oil Company, Inc. The acquisition includes 37 company-operated gas stations with Jiffy Mart-branded convenience stores in Vermont and New Hampshire, and approximately 24 fuel sites that are either owned or leased including lessee dealer and commission agent locations. The transaction also includes term fuel supply agreements for approximately 65 gas stations, primarily in Vermont and New Hampshire. The 126 stations primarily market major fuel brands such as Mobil, Shell, Citgo, Sunoco and Irving. The purchase price, excluding inventory, was approximately $134 million, subject to post-closing adjustments.

Vermont Business Magazine For the fourth consecutive year, farmers across Vermont will once again open their barn doors and garden gates to welcome the public for a behind-the-scenes look at Vermont’s vibrant working landscapes. Vermont Open Farm Week 2018 will be held Monday, Aug. 13 through Sunday, Aug. 19, and feature 63 events at 43 farms across the state. Events are live and sorted by day and location on DigInVT.com.

Vermont Business Magazine Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc (NYSE: BHLB) reported second quarter 2018 net income of $34 million, which was a 73% increase over 2017 second quarter net income of $20 million. This primarily reflected the benefit of Berkshire's Greater Boston expansion through acquisition and business development, resulting in higher market share, increased efficiency, and record profitability.

by Morgan Hood, Efficiency Vermont Big things are brewing at Magic Hat Brewing Company in South Burlington. That’s where skilled beer makers from five Vermont breweries gathered recently with energy efficiency experts from Efficiency Vermont, Burlington Electric Department, and Loureiro Engineering Associates for a three-day intensive dive into energy use. As Magic Hat’s designated energy advisor at Efficiency Vermont, I was fortunate to work alongside this accomplished group of brewers as they learned how to find and address the causes of unnecessary energy use. The time was well spent; the group identified potential energy savings of as much as $320,000 per year for Magic Hat, preventing power-plant pollution equivalent to a year’s emissions from 167 cars.

Vermont Business Magazine What is the best way to address hunger in the Upper Valley? Well, there might not be a single “best” way, but the fight against food insecurity is getting a big boost with the launch of the national healthy food incentive program Double Up Food Bucks at the Co-op Food Stores of Hanover, Lebanon and White River Junction. Double Up provides low-income Americans who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits with a one-to-one match to purchase healthy, locally grown fruits and vegetables.

Vermont Business Magazine A vision of a different kind of agricultural education takes a step toward becoming a reality this summer when Sterling College begins to offer classes in Henry County, Kentucky, based on the lifework and writing of Wendell Berry. The College has been awarded a three-year grant totaling $156,000 to support the development of a series of field intensives that, as an extension of Sterling’s long-standing Field Studies program, will be the inaugural academic courses in The Wendell Berry Farming Program of Sterling College.

by Bill Schubart My favorite way to recover after a hot afternoon’s hard work has always been to chug down a quart of ice cold water from a Mason jar and then jump into a clear mountain brook or a neighbor’s pond.
It refreshes me both inside and out and reminds me that water is a healer – as well as one of our most fragile natural resources.

In the ‘50s, my family had a camp on Lake Willoughby and every spring we’d run one end of a pipe into the lake to feed the camp’s drinking supply. As kids, we drank from mountain streams when hunting and fishing. And we swam in Lake Elmore, even though it was effectively the local septic system.

Usually, there wasn’t any visible evidence of that.