Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Williston Walmart shoppers got their first look at the newly remodeled store at 863 Harvest Lane Friday morning, as the much-anticipated project is now complete and a grand reopening ribbon-cutting took place. The relatively small store, by Walmart standards, has always been a busy and successful one since it opened in January 1997. By comparison, the Williston store is 114,000 square feet and the new St Albans store is 150,000 square feet. The "multi-million dollar renovation" to the Williston store improves signage and logistics. It also expands grocery, cosmetic and electronic offerings, while less popular, un-named products will be reduced.

Vermont Business Magazine The Burlington Electric Department today is warning customers about an ongoing bill payment phone scam targeting primarily Burlington restaurants and encouraging them to sign up for scam alert notifications from the Attorney General’s Office. In a new wave of calls today, Burlington Electric customers have been receiving calls threatening disconnection if payment is not made immediately.

These calls are not from Burlington Electric, and customers should hang up if they receive a call with such demands. If customers have any questions about their account status, they should call Burlington Electric at 802.865.7300 to let us know.

Vermont Business Magazine US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) will hold two college fairs for Vermont high school students and their families this month. This first college fair is Saturday at 10 am at Lyndon State College. Sanders will speak at 12:30 pm. The second college fair will be held on October 14 at Castleton University. Vermont colleges, universities, and certificate and apprenticeship programs will be on hand to describe post-secondary educational opportunities that are available in Vermont. The Vermont Student Assistance Corporation will explain different financial aid options that students may be eligible for, and will help students complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Saturday, Oct. 7 - Lyndon State College

Vermont Business Magazine The Rutland Region Chamber of Commerce has chosen Tom Huebner, President & CEO of the Rutland Regional Medical Center, the “Business Leader of the Year 2017.” The award will be presented at the Chamber’s Annual Meeting (sponsored by GE-Rutland) on Thursday, October 19 (5pm) at The Paramount Theatre in Rutland. During Huebner’s tenure, the Rutland Region Medical Center has grown into the County’s largest employer with over 1,600 employees.

Vermont Business Magazine The Community and Economic Development Office (CEDO) is partnering with Champlain College to host a “Pathways to College and Career” Fair on Friday, November 3 from 3 to 6 pm at Champlain College. This free event in the Champlain Room of the Center for Communication and Creative Media (CCM) is designed to support high school students’ access to career resources and opportunities. The event will feature a resource fair and workshops on applications and financial aid with refreshments provided.

Vermont Business Magazine After 11 months of negotiations, the South Burlington School Board and the South Burlington Educators’ Association (“SBEA”) agreed to the terms of a two-year contract for the city’s teachers in the early morning hours of October 4. They released terms of the new deal Friday morning. The contract spans the period from July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2019. Salaries and cost-sharing arrangements for healthcare benefits were the most significant proposals still under discussion as the parties entered the final 10-hour mediation session on Tuesday evening.

“We are pleased that we have been able to negotiate an agreement that we believe reflects the needs of all stakeholders, including teachers, children, families, and taxpayers,” said Martin LaLonde, Clerk of the School Board.

Vermont Business Magazine Weekly unemployment claims fell again last week to hold at a historically low level. Claims have been falling steadily since early July. Claims also are lower than they were the same time last year, which has been the case for most weeks in 2017. For the week of September 30, 2017, there were 292 claims, 6 fewer than than they were last week and 36 fewer than they were a year ago.

Altogether 2,482 new and continuing claims were filed, a decrease of 50 from a week ago, and 407 fewer than a year ago.

Claims during the summer usually hold at a relatively low level because of vacation hiring, until the next transition, which typically happens in September when school resumes. But claims this year did not experience that fluctuation, as hiring remains tight and the weather remains unseasonably warm.

Vermont Business MagazineThe Simmering Bone, a Waitsfield company, is recalling approximately 56 fl-ounces of beef and chicken bone broth products that were adulterated and produced without the benefit of state or federal inspection, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture has announced.

Vermont Business Magazine If you're a Patriots football fan living in Vermont, you might have been startled to see a commercial during the game Thursday night featuring one of TV's biggest stars, and an English fella no less, roaming around neighborhoods of middle America early in the morning, getting people out in the street in their jammies to pitch our local coffee company. Keurig Green Mountain, Inc has teamed up with television, theater and film star James Corden to launch the Keurig brand’s new Brew the Love campaign. Charging their way across America, Keurig and Corden are out to show real-life coffee drinkers why they should ditch their drip for a Keurig coffee maker, challenging them to Brew the Love in a fun and engaging series of TV, digital and social media videos, which launched last Monday. But most Vermonters probably didn't see the broadcast spots until they'd settled in to watch Tom Brady and the Pats play on Thursday Night Football.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott on Thursday announced he appointed 55 Vermonters to state boards and commissions in the month of September. Boards and commissions serve an important role in state government, giving Vermonters numerous opportunities to serve their state and communities.

The Governor’s Office is currently soliciting applications to fill vacancies and upcoming term expirations. All those interested in serving on a board or commission should visit the Governor’s website at governor.vermont.gov/boards-commissionsto apply.

Appointments made by the Governor in September are listed below:

Advisory Council on Historic Preservation

• Edward Clark of Rutland

State Police Advisory Commission

Vermont Business Magazine The Adirondacks ACO and OneCare Vermont ACO have formed a stronger working relationship between their accountable care organizations, which are the two largest ACOs in the Vermont and northern New York regions. The approach includes common CEO leadership and sets course for shared services and infrastructure to efficiently meet their missions. This model is not a merger and each ACO retains its own corporate identity, contracts, and governance. OneCare is motivated by getting a lump sum of funding. By reducing treatment costs (largelyby reducing duplication of services) and increasing outcomes, member providers make more money; if they do not, they bear the financial burden of any cost overruns.

Vermont Business Magazine The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), a national non-profit that advances policies and programs for energy efficiency, has, for the fourth year in a row, ranked Vermont among the top five in the nation (this year number 4) for advancement and support of energy efficiency. Massachusetts was first and the coal and oil heavy central plain states were worst. This announcement was made as part of ACEEE’s 2017 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard, which gave Vermont a fourth-place ranking, and as Vermont Governor Phil Scott proclaimed October 5 as ‘Energy Efficiency Day.’