Current News

by Mike Faher/The Commons It isn’t cheap to maintain an insurance policy on a nuclear power plant. But, as of this month, Entergy Vermont Yankee is getting a big break on premiums: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission says the company can cut its onsite proper-damage insurance coverage from $1.06 billion to $50 million. Citing the fact that the Vernon plant has been shut down for more than 15 months, the federal agency says a much smaller insurance policy still will be adequate to cover cleanup and decontamination work resulting from any accident.

Vermont Business Magazine AllEarth Renewables, the award winning Vermont-based solar tracker manufacturer, has announced the company will donate a portion of every tracker sale in North Carolina to the repeal effort of HB 2, the state's new discriminatory law. HB 2 overturned protections for LGBT people and sanctioned discrimination across North Carolina. Until the discriminatory law is repealed, AllEarth will donate 1 percent of every sale in NC to Equality NC, an organization leading the HB 2 repeal effort.

Vermont Business Magazine Coming this fall is the Way to Go! Challenge, a two-week event encouraging everyone to travel smart, September 26 - October 7. Registration is open for individuals, businesses and schools to sign-up online at http://www.waytogovt.org. Top performing businesses, schools and individuals will be awarded with recognition and prizes. Designed to encourage a culture of shared mobility, Way to Go! seeks to get people moving, support cleaner air and reduce fossil fuel consumption.

Vermont Business Magazine Lisa Ventriss, President of Vermont Business Roundtable (VBR) and Jeffrey Carr, President, Economic & Policy Resources (EPR), have announced the Q2 2016 results of their joint initiative, the VBR-EPR Business Conditions Survey. For this reporting period, the diffusion index shows a decline in optimism from Q1 2016 to Q2 2016, indicating that Vermont CEOs continue to feel neutral to mildly pessimistic about the business climate for the coming three months. The survey, which is conducted quarterly, provides both a look back at the previous quarter and a predictive index going forward. The data for both the backward and forward-looking questions are weighted to the Vermont economy by sector employment and turned into “diffusion indices." These diffusion indices provide a tool for analyzing and presenting insight into the Vermont economy over time through the sentiments of the Roundtable members.

Vermont Business Magazine The House Energy and Commerce Committee today approved an initiative by Representative Peter Welch (D-Vermont) that would help law enforcement gain access to real-time information on drug overdoses. The Examining Opioid Treatment Infrastructure Act (HR 4982), as amended by Welch’s initiative, was unanimously approved by the committee and will now head to the floor of the House of Representatives for a vote.  

by Bruce Parker Vermont Watchdog The Vermont House gave unanimous approval to S230 on Tuesday to a bill that aims to give towns a say over where renewable energy projects are sited. Wednesday the House passed the bill on a third reading and moved the amended version back to the Senate. While some Vermonters hoped the Legislature would let towns make siting decisions, lawmakers created a complex statewide planning process that involves local, regional and state planners.

Vermont Business Magazine After recent successful actions against foreign counterfeiters, Revision Military, a world leader in protective eyewear solutions based in Essex Junction, was invited to share testimony with a US Senate Judiciary Committee investigating the impact of foreign counterfeiting. Gregory Maguire, Revision’s Senior Director of Legal and Government Affairs, provided a comprehensive analysis of the current and future challenges facing American manufacturers, and outlined the dangers to consumers presented by illegal counterfeit ballistic products. Several recommendations were offered to the committee for consideration, including proposed steps for Federal government action that would strengthen efforts to curtail the sale of inferior counterfeit products.

Vermont Business MagazineVMEC is offering three different training opportunities appropriate for organizations considering ISO 9001 and to those already certified to ISO 9001:2008. ISO 9001 is a process-based approach to documenting and reviewing the structure, responsibilities and procedures required to implement an effective quality management system in any organization. A new revision of the ISO 9001 quality management system standard, ISO 9001:2015, was released in September of last year.   Some of the key changes include an increased focus on alignment of the quality system to business strategies, an emphasis on risk-based thinking and improved applicability of the standard to services.  Companies currently certified have three years from last September 2015 to align their quality management systems to the new ISO 9001:2015 edition standard.   

Vermont Business Magazine Ski Vermont’s new Marketing Manager, Adam Rowe, comes to VSAA from Connecticut where he worked in marketing for the off-road industry. There he specialized in sales and marketing, content management, trade show coordination and community building. He also worked closely with industry partners to help cross promote and strengthen brands on multiple levels. Rowe grew up in Connecticut and while traveling to the Ludlow area often as a child he fell in love with Vermont. He is a 2014 graduate of Champlain College in Burlington where he earned his BS in Marketing Management. Throughout college Rowe worked at Stowe Mountain Resort, which instilled a passion for winter outdoor recreation and hospitality.

Adam Rowe

Vermont Business Magazine Lyndon State’s News7 has again been recognized by the Boston/New England Chapter of the National Association of Television Arts & Sciences. The organization selected Lyndon State College's daily student newscast and two stories that appeared on those newscasts for awards in their 2016 College/University Awards programs.

The November 19, 2015 newscast, anchored by Camille Delongis ’15 and Dominic Amato ‘16, directed by Adam Donnelly ‘16 and produced by Ryan Jenot ’16 received the Best College/University Newscast Emmy Award. This is the second year in a row News7 @ 5:30pm has won the regional NATAS student award for excellence in the college/university newscast category. Lyndon’s News7 has won seven of the NATAS student awards for excellence in all.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Mutual Insurance Group recently presented Central Vermont Habitat for Humanity with a donation of $15,000. The grant is part of the Charitable Giving Fund that was established by the Group back in 2014. “Central Vermont Habitat for Humanity builds affordable, decent, energy-efficient homes in partnership with families in need” stated Debbie Goodwin, Executive Director, Central Vermont Habitat for Humanity, Inc. “We are thrilled to be sponsored by Vermont Mutual Insurance Group for our upcoming local building projects. We look forward to working with the community to ensure more affordable housing.”

Vermont Business Magazine The City of Rutland, in the midst of a socio-economic turnaround that has boosted downtown, reduced crime and improved quality of life, is looking to make compassion the latest tool in its ongoing revitalization. Mayor Chris Louras, flanked by a host of community and business leaders, announced plans Tuesday to resettle up to 100 refugees – including families from war-torn Syria – in Rutland starting this fall.

Rutland Mayor Chris Louras