Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The 2nd annual SVHC Foundation Dine to Your Heart’s Delight—a week-long “shop local” week, $10,000 Save a Heart Cash Raffle, and upscale dance party—raised more than $17,000 for heart health programs and education at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, based in Bennington. Twenty local businesses participated in the event by donating a portion of their proceeds from the week of April 1-8. Gold level sponsors included the Taconic Hotel in Manchester, Pangaea Restaurant in North Bennington, The Elm Street Market in Bennington, Time for Yourself LLC, and the Four Chimneys Inn in Bennington.

Vermont Business Magazine On Friday, May 13, 2016, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) filed the Required Agricultural Practices (RAPs) Proposed Rule with the Vermont Secretary of State. This filing represents the start of the formal rulemaking process during which the public will continue to consider the strengthening of agricultural water quality standards for Vermont farms. A public comment period on the Proposed Rule will be open until July 7, 2016, with five public hearings on the Proposed Rule scheduled for the end of June.

Vermont Business Magazine The owners of Phoenix Books, an independent bookstore with locations in Essex, Burlington and Rutland, have purchased Chester's Misty Valley Books. Michael DeSanto and Renee Reiner met with Lynne and Bill Reed - who bought the Chester landmark in 2001 - for the closing this morning. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. "Twenty-one years ago," says Reiner, "as Mike and I embarked on this adventure, we considered buying Misty Valley Books from the original owners, Dwight Currie and Michael Kohlmann. So it feels like we've come full circle. We are so delighted to have Misty Valley as part of our Phoenix family!"

Vermont Business Magazine Sixty-two students passed across the stage at the College of St Joseph’s 57th commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 15. CSJ President Dr Richard Lloyd conferred degrees upon the graduates. Academic Dean Dr Jonas Prida led the processional. Rutland City Chief of Police Brian Kilcullen addressed students, their families, and faculty and staff in attendance, speaking of the importance of dreams, of giving back to the community, and the value of hard work.

Kilcullen spoke of his grandfather, who as a young man immigrated to the United States from Ireland, of growing up in Schenectady, NY, and of his ambition to be a spy during the Cold War era. The story of his grandparents is one that some of the graduates may relate to, he said.

Vermont Business Magazine As Vermont colleges prepare to send off graduating classes, Governor Peter Shumlin is reminding graduates of the excellent employment opportunities in Vermont by highlighting the 3rd Annual Vermont Career Connections recruitment event, which will have 60 great employers with hundreds of open positions. Organized by the Vermont Recruiters Association and the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce, the event will connect vibrant local companies with talented job seekers. It will take place Thursday, May 19th from noon to 6 pm at the Sheraton Burlington Conference Center. Available positions will range across all industries, including healthcare, hospitality, banking, construction, and manufacturing.

“It is incredibly encouraging that right here in Vermont so many businesses are creating good jobs and looking for qualified workers. Those good jobs are vital to the economic future of this beautiful state,” said Shumlin.

​Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Taxes has learned of some errors in the coding of Vermont 2015 tax year personal income tax software impacting some taxpayers who itemized their deductions. The department is working with software vendors and tax preparers to ensure that affected taxpayers receive assistance in filing amended returns and paying any additional taxes. The department is also waiving interest and penalty for amended returns and payments received on or before June 30, 2016. The department’s internal analysis suggests that products from five vendors had software glitches, causing as many as 19,000 taxpayers to file erroneous 2015 returns. The additional tax due ranges greatly, but averages about $160, for a total of about $2 million.

​Vermont Business Magazine Southern Vermont College (SVC) conferred degrees to more than 125 graduates at its 89^th Commencement exercises on Saturday, May 14, on the Greystone lawn of the Everett Mansion. An Honorary Degree of Humane Letters was awarded to Michael Donoghue ’71, award-winning news/sports writer and educator, who recently retired after 47 years with the Burlington Free Press. Donoghue addressed the graduates as Commencement speaker.

Vermont Business Magazine Champlain College President Donald J Laackman conferred 562 associate and bachelor degrees to one of the largest graduating class in the College’s history on Saturday, May 14 under an enormous tent spanning the entire Edmunds School athletic field adjacent to the college. More than 4,000 people attended the 138th annual Commencement ceremony with even more watching the simulcast in the Champlain Room of the CCM Building or online. The college’s 138th Undergraduate Commencement presented honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degrees to Vermont musician Grace Potter of Waitsfield and noted author Katherine Paterson of Barre.

Vermont Business Magazine Burlington College announced today that it will discontinue its academic programs as of May 27, 2016, because of its ongoing financial struggles. In the statement below, the college said its lender has pulled out and acknowledged that it would likely lose its accreditation this summer. The college began as a mostly film-related institution in Burlington's Old North End before buying the former Catholic Diocese headquarters in 2010 and moving the college farther up North Avenue. However, it could never reconcile the cost of that move. Burlington College celebrated its 35th, and apparently final, commencement on Saturday, May 14. Burlington College founder Dr Steward LaCasce gave the commencement address to the class of 2016. He was also president of the college for 22 years.

Vermont Business Magazine Fast Company today announced its annual ranking of the 100 Most Creative People in Business for 2016. Green Mountain Power CEO and President Mary Powell was selected to be on the list for her transformational leadership, helping customers transition away from the traditional grid. The magazine cited GMP’s innovation work, becoming the first utility to offer customers the Tesla Powerwall battery. Powell is No. 32. The No. 1 spot on the list this year is Lin-Manuel Miranda, the composer, lyricist, and star of Broadway’s Hamilton.

Vermont Business Magazine Dr Frederick M “Skip” Burkle Jr. ’61, a dauntless and massively productive global humanitarian, scholar and scientist for many decades, never has let long odds turn him from epic challenges. Burkle, the featured speaker for Saint Michael’s College’s 109^th Commencement Sunday, May 15, in the Ross Sports Center, told the Class of 2016 how he managed to enroll at Saint Michael’s despite the twin challenges of severe dyslexia and a severely resistant father. But it only was possible with help from a few “personal humanitarians,” something we all need, he said. His were a generous principal-priest supporting his application, two kind Saint Michael’s alumni doctors he’d met as an orderly at a hospital in Connecticut, his home state, and the supportive girlfriend from 8^th grade on who became his wife.

by Mike Smith Now that Donald Trump is the presumptive presidential nominee he, and his supporters, are seeking to unify the Republican Party. But “unification” has a very different meaning to Trump than it does to many Republicans, especially those seeking election. For Trump, a unified party is one that falls in line behind him and supports his positions. After all, in his view, he is now the leader of the party and the Republican Party is there to serve him.