Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Housing Foundation, Inc (HFI), based in Montpelier, has announced the appointment of Tim Palmer as the organization’s Executive Director. He is the first director in HFI’s 30-year history. HFI is a Vermont non-profit corporation that develops, secures, and operates affordable, quality, low-cost housing for the elderly, persons with disabilities, and families with low and limited incomes. It makes full use of opportunities to preserve existing housing stock, develop new properties, and improve the quality of Vermont‘s existing mobile home parks.

Tim Palmer

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont manufacturing employment was little changed over the past year, reports the 2016 Vermont Manufacturers Register. According to MNI’s database of manufacturers, Vermont lost 256 manufacturing jobs from December 2014 to December 2015, a half percent decline. Vermont is now home to 1,343 manufacturers employing 40,711 workers. According to MNI’s database of manufacturers, the state lost 3,750 jobs between December 2007 and December 2010, and has since struggled to recover those losses, with jobs falling a net 1 percent since December 2010.

Vermont Business Magazine The Greater Upper Valley chapter of Trout Unlimited has received a $10,000 grant through the Trout Unlimited national Embrace-A-Stream grant program to help pay for the removal of an old dam on the 3rd branch of the White River in Randolph. The chapter will use the funds to help restore and open 98 miles of the river to fish passage so that Brook trout and other species can find cooler water temperatures in the hot summer months and spawning grounds in the fall.

“We are thrilled to receive this Embrace-A-Stream grant from TU national to help restore and improve the White River,” said Ken Grecsek, Greater Upper Valley chapter president. “This grant will help our chapter work with the White River Partnership, American Rivers, US Fish and Wildlife Service and the State of Vermont to improve this local fishery.”

Vermont Business Magazine As people everywhere strive to understand the challenges we face with climate change, educators in Vermont are coming together to explore ways to promote "climate resilience" in our schools. On Saturday, April 9, Vermont SWEEP (Statewide Environmental Education Programs) will host Cultivating Climate Resilience: An educational summit for empowerment and action from 8 am to 4:30 pm at Montpelier High School in central Vermont. Registration is $75 for non-SWEEP members, $55 for members, and $40 for co-presenters and students.

Designed for the K-12 grades and all disciplines, this event will convene teachers, environmental educators, representatives of state and local agencies, and others interested in climate change education to share best practices and launch new initiatives. Interested students are also urged to attend.

Vermont Business Magazine As part of statewide efforts to clean up Lake Champlain, the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (VTDEC) this year is updating the Tactical Basin Plan for the South Lake Champlain Basin that includes the Poultney-Mettowee River watersheds. A meeting will be held March 29, 2016 beginning at 6 pm at The Meeting House, 348 Bentley Avenue, Poultney (just across from Green Mountain College). The Rutland County towns of Danby, Pawlet, Tinmouth, Wells, Middletown Springs, Poultney, Castleton, West Rutland, Pittsford, Fair Haven, Hubbardton, West Haven, Benson, and Sudbury are part of the South Lake Basin (as are a handful of towns in Addison County).

Vermont Business Magazine Keurig Green Mountain, Inc today announced the appointment of Robert J "Bob" Gamgort as Chief Executive Officer effective May 2, 2016. Bob is currently serving as Chief Executive Officer of Pinnacle Foods Inc (Birds Eye, Duncan Hines, Vlasic), where he generated industry-leading shareholder returns by building a diversified portfolio of iconic consumer brands recognized for innovation. He will replace Brian Kelley, who will continue to support Keurig and become vice chairman of the board. Keurig was acquired for $13.9 billion by a JAB Holding Company-led consortium earlier this year. Keurig reported revenue of $4.5 billion in 2015. Pinnacle's revenues were $2.7 billion.

Vermont Business Magazine FirstLight Fiber, a leading fiber-optic bandwidth infrastructure services provider based in Albany, NY, and operating in Vermont, New York and Northern New England, announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Oak Hill Capital Partners. Under the terms of the agreement, Oak Hill will acquire the company from its current private equity owner, Riverside Partners. At the conclusion of the transaction, Riverside Partners is expected to continue as a minority investor in FirstLight. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General William Sorrell wants businesses to be on the alert for a scam which has begun to emerge in Vermont and nationally has cost thousands of businesses millions of dollars and resulted in security breaches. It involves an email “spoofing” or pretending to be from the business’s CEO to an employee, requesting the employee to wire funds, supply sensitive information, or attach employee W-2 forms.

The email might request the information as soon as possible or otherwise impart a sense of urgency. Unlike many phishing emails, which often contain grammatical errors or strange usages, the fraudsters crafting these emails may be more sophisticated, and the emails often look legitimate.

Vermont Busness Magazine Green Mountain Power today announced it is opening up its state-of-the-art, open concept workspace in Colchester, Vermont to the world’s most inspiring energy innovators. The fun competition will allow entrepreneurs and energy pioneers the opportunity to share their cutting-edge ideas for a chance to locate their companies at GMP’s Inspire Space.

by Sarah Wojcik, Ski Vermont Skiers and riders can save on next season’s turns by purchasing 2016-17 season passes this spring. Some deals include free skiing and riding for the rest of this season and other perks like discounted summer access, lessons, equipment and more. 

by Lieutenant Governor Phil Scott Before the days of modern technology, miners brought canaries into the mines for safety. If there were deadly gases collecting in the shafts, the canaries would collapse – a sign to the miners that they should evacuate to fresh air and natural light. Recently, another canary signaled the need for fresh thinking in Montpelier. It came as a late-day statement from a regional chamber of commerce in Bennington County. The organization’s mission is to promote its local businesses. But it announced it was facing closure, and would need to shut down immediately. A last-minute effort may have saved this Chamber, but it’s another indication that the priorities of legislative leaders and Governor Shumlin have been misplaced.

by President Barack Obama Just six years ago, the reality in our country was that millions of Americans were locked out of our health care system because they couldn’t afford insurance or because they had pre-existing conditions. Women were charged more than men simply because they were women. People who needed coverage the most were too often denied it. (See Vermont Fact Sheet issued by the White House below).

At the same time, rising health care costs posed a significant threat to our economy, eroding workers’ paychecks and adding to our deficits. And while costs were high, the quality of care often wasn’t.