Current News

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin and Ehrmann Commonwealth Dairy in Brattleboro announced today that the State of Vermont and Town of Brattleboro will provide over $2 million in State and Local incentives in return for the Company locating its Headquarters in Brattleboro and undertaking a plant expansion in 2017. The expansion will include the construction of a headquarters to support the company’s USA operations, as well as a facility and equipment expansion at its Brattleboro plant. The company expects to add as many as 50 new jobs in Vermont, including roles in production, management and administration. Commonwealth Dairy will also make facility and equipment upgrades enabling it to process more milk and produce more of its popular strained Greek yogurt, including the Green Mountain Creamery brand.

by Timothy McQuiston Vermont Business Magazine The Jay Peak receiver and his team will finally get paid. The federal court in Miami on Tuesday ordered that funds from the Citibank settlement be used to cover the pay and expenses of $1,953,467.59 for receiver Michael Goldberg and his associates now running Jay Peak and Burke Mountain resorts. Goldberg is also setting up plans to find a resolution for the creditors and immigrant investors caught up in the $200 million, EB-5 fraud case. The SEC has sued resorts owner Ariel Quiros and president Bill Stenger in the case. Stenger has settled his SEC case. The state and US Attorney for Vermont is also considering legal action.

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General William Sorrell led a group of thirteen states and the District of Columbia, and worked with the Federal Trade Commission to enter Consent Judgments today with ruby Corp, which owns the AshleyMadison.com website. The State of Vermont, as the lead state, will receive an immediate payment of $116,000.

Vermont Business Magazine US Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, and US Representative Peter Welch, D-Vermont, on Tuesday called upon the CEOs of FairPoint Communications and the Illinois company that is set to purchase it, Consolidated Communications Holdings, to reverse the planned layoff of nearly 10 percent of FairPoint’s workforce. FairPoint cut pay and benefits in 2014, which led to a strike, and then after settling the union action, it eliminated the South Burlington call center, with the loss of 70 workers. See their letters to FairPoint and Consolidated below.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Peter Shumlin today released a public service announcement video intended to raise awareness about his offer to consider pardons for those convicted of possessing small amounts of marijuana. The PSA was recorded and produced with the help of ORCA Media. Shumlin said he will consider pardoning convictions of marijuana possession up to one ounce for people who do not have violent criminal Vermont convictions or felonies on their records. As of this morning, the governor’s Office has received around 330 applications.

The application can be found at www.governor.vermont.gov.

Vermont Business Magazine With leaders of Vermont’s environmental community at his side, Representative Peter Welch (D-VT) renewed his commitment to reform the federal ethanol mandate in the new Congress that convenes in early January. Joining Welch were representatives of the Sierra Club, National Wildlife Federation (NWF), Lake Champlain International, and Vermont Natural Resources Council. Speakers highlighted the harm to the environment resulting from a federal corn-based ethanol mandate.

by Bill Schubart There are two types of religion in the world today, those inspired by divinities and divinely inspired prophets once living among us such as Christ, Buddha, Mohammed, and Moses and those altered or fabricated by men to their own earthly purposes. We forget that the religious texts outlining a religious canon for each religion were written by men for the most part and that men have continued through the centuries to interpret these moral codes according to their own biases, self-serving belief systems, and aspirations for wealth and power.

Vermont Business Magazine Department of Vermont Health Access officials reminded Vermonters of a key health insurance deadline coming up this week. December 15 (this Thursday) is the last day to sign up with Vermont Health Connect for a health plan that will be effective January 1. Open Enrollment is a time for new customers to sign up for health and dental plans for the coming year. It is also a time for current customers to compare their existing health plan to other options. While Open Enrollment runs through the end of January, customers who sign up for a qualified health plan after Thursday will have a start date of February 1 (if they sign up by January 15) or March 1 (if they sign up between January 16 and January 31).

Vermont Business Magazine Wheels for Warmth, a program that raises funds to help Vermonters heat their homes, announced today that its 2016 tire collection and sale raised $54,717 for emergency fuel assistance programs. Tire collections were held at 15 locations around the state this year. Sales were held at DuBois Construction in Middlesex and, for the second year, at Casella Construction in Mendon. The program sold 2,250 safe, DMV-inspected tires at an affordable cost and recycled 2,630 donated, unsafe tires this year.

Wheels for Warmth photo at DuBois Construction 2015. A DMV inspector sorts tires.

Vermont Business Magazine “‘Implicit bias’ is one factor that may contribute to disparities in the Vermont criminal justice system,” states the final report of the Attorney General’s Working Group on Law Enforcement Community Interactions. Attorney General Sorrell partnered with representatives from other governmental and non-governmental organizations to form the advisory committee and examine the role that implicit bias plays in interactions between law enforcement officers and members of the community. The Working Group’s goal was to make recommendations to the Training Council on how to enhance training that addresses implicit bias. The Working Group met that goal today when it delivered its final report at the Training Council’s quarterly meeting.

Vermont Business Magazine The RE/MAX INTEGRA, New England 2017 Market Outlook Report predicts continued housing market strength in early 2017 across the New England states driven by low interest rates, demand from first-time buyers and a sustained preference for affordable homes close to cities. Vermont has seen mixed results in 2016 after notable improvement in home sale values in 2015. The Burlington, Middlebury and Montpelier have seen prices lag, while Rutland and Manchester have seen them improve. Meanwhile, Days On Market, which is an important indicator of market activity, has shown almost universal improvement. The Burlington area has fallen to only 60 days. A lower DOM is expected to lead to higher prices in 2017.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor-elect Phil Scott today announced the appointments of Thomas D Anderson as Commissioner of Public Safety and Julie Moore as Secretary of the Agency of Natural Resources (ANR). Scott also announced that he would reappoint former state Senator Diane Snelling to chair the natural resources board and Andy Pallito as commissioner of finance and management.