Current News

Vermont Business MagazineAs hunters across Vermont gear up for the 2017 turkey season, Vermont’s Ag Secretary and Fish and Wildlife Commissioner are praising the many farmers and hunters, who work together the steward Vermont’s land. “There’s a strong tradition of partnership between Vermont’s farming and hunting communities, who share a natural appreciation for the rural beauty of our state, and a strong conservation ethic,” according to Vermont’s Ag Secretary, Anson Tebbetts, who is both a farmer, and a sportsman.“We have more than 1.25 million acres of farmland here in Vermont. Many of those acres have been opened to hunters, thanks to the special relationships many hunters and farmers have formed over time.”

Vermont Business Magaine TheChittenden Solid Waste Districthas been awarded a grant worth $79,960 by theVermont Department of Environmental Conservation(DEC)to help cover costs for providing facilities and education for the proper disposal of hazardous waste generated by residents and qualifying businesses. The grant is part ofasolid waste assistance fund provided by the state to help towns and solid waste planning entities implement their solid waste plans, as required by state law. The grant is awarded annually totowns by the DEC, an arm of theVermont Agency of Natural Resources.

Vermont Business Magazine Norwich University in Northfield has been named a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE) by the National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security through 2022. Also, the Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center (DC3) recently certified Norwich as a National Center for Digital Forensic Academic Excellence (CDFAE).

Both federal certifications designate Norwich’s cybersecurity programs as fulfilling the needs of the federal government as well as addressing major concerns of private industry that runs much of the nation’s critical infrastructure, from banking to healthcare. Upon successful graduation from a CDFAE designated school, students will receive a certificate of completion.

Vermont Business MagazineLedyard Financial Group (Ticker Symbol: LFGP) announced today a regular quarterly dividend of $0.48 payable June 2, 2017 to shareholders of record as of May 12, 2017.Ledyard Financial Group, Inc, headquartered in Hanover, New Hampshire is the holding company for Ledyard National Bank, with offices in Vermont. Ledyard National Bank, founded in 1991, is a full service community bank offering a broad range of banking, investment, tax and wealth management services.

Vermont Business Magazine Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz and his wife, Elana Amsterdam, made personal contributions totaling $1.6 million to eight local non-profit organizations in the communities in which the company operates. Among the recipients is the Stowe Land Trust, which will receive $100,000. The contributions buildon the couple'sprevious commitments to those who are most in need in the company’s resort communities. Vail and Stowe Mountain Resort announced in February that Vail would buy the ski operations at Stowe for $50 million.

Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz and wife Elana Amsterdam. Vail photo.

Vermont Business MagazineHouse Republican Leader Don Turner (R-Milton) and the Vermont House Republican Caucus announced today that they will spend the remainder of the 2017 Legislative Session fighting to save Vermont Property Taxpayers up to $26 million annually through proposed VEHI savings. The result is that the Legislature, which is on the fast-track toward adjournment, could linger insession beyond its mid-May target.

Vermont Business Magazine College of StJoseph has announced that former Vermont Governor Jim Douglas will deliver the commencement address at the College’s graduation ceremony onSaturday, May 13.Douglas is a native of Springfield, Mass. and is a graduate of East Longmeadow High School and Middlebury College, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Russian Studies.

He was elected the 80th governor of Vermont in 2002 and was re-elected for three terms, with a majority of the vote. He announced that he would not be running for a fifth term in 2010.

Vermont Business Magazine The end of the ski season has taken its toll. After weekly unemployment claims fell by over a hundred the previous week, claims increased by nearly 500 to push the total over 1,100. This was still lower than the same time last year. As expected, by industry, Services reported the most claims (61 percent of the total), while Manufacturing also increased (148 up from 69). Services typically reports the most claims.

For the week of April 22, 2017, there were 1,141 claims, up 495 from the previous week's total and 27 fewer than than they were a year ago. Claims typically have been running below last year.

Altogether 6,248 new and continuing claims were filed, an increase of 127 from a week ago, and 673 fewer than a year ago.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont State Colleges System Board of Trustees Chairwoman Martha O’Connor announced today that Governor Scott has appointed Janette Bombardier to the system Board. Bombardier joins the system’s 14-member board that is integrally involved with strategic planning, governance and financial matters for the five-college system. Bombardier is Senior Vice President of Regulatory and Financial Affairs for Green Mountain Power and the former Vice President of Site Operations for GLOBALFOUNDRIES (formerly IBM) Vermont and East Fishkill, NY. She started with GMP in mid-April.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Governor Phil Scott, Attorney General TJ Donovan, Senator Dick Sears, and Bennington legislators Senator Brian Campion, Representative Mary Morrissey, Representative Tim Corcoran, Representative Kiah Morris, and Representative Rachael Fields on Thursday issued a joint statement announcing that Saint-Gobain will fund the early-stage design work for extending a waterline to bring municipal water to those whose wells were contaminated by PFOA. Saint-Gobain bought the former Chemfab plant in North Bennington near Bennington College in 2000 and closed it in 2002. The former plastics plant has been blamed for the possible carcinogen PFOA being found in February 2016 in nearby wells. Saint-Gobain is also in court with the state claiming that the state's contamination level of 20 parts per trillion is too low a standard for PFOA.

Vermont Business Magazine The following statement was issued by Vail Resorts Friday morning on behalf of Blaise Carrig, Vail Resorts Mountain Advisor: "As a result of the pending acquisition of Stowe Mountain Resort by Vail Resorts, and in coordination with AIG, the resort’s operations are being divided between the Mountain Operations, Real Estate Development and Lodging segments. To that end, the employee rosters were reviewed to determine which employees would be part of Stowe Mountain Resort’s Mountain Operations segment that Vail Resorts will hire as part of the resort team.

Vermont Business Magazine Vail Resorts, Inc (NYSE: MTN) announced today the appointment of Bobby Murphy as the new vice president and general manager of Stowe Mountain Resort, effective at acquisition close, expected in June. The 2016-2017 ski season marks Murphy’s 30th year in the ski industry. Spanning three decades, Murphy’s career has demonstrated a commitment to the local resorts and communities where he has worked and resided. Notably, throughout the past 14 years he has brought extensive leadership and innovation at the senior management level to the guest experience and ski area operations.