Current News

by Governor Peter Shumlin On Christmas Day, I burned brush on my farm in Putney – in a t-shirt. My experience was not unlike that of many Vermonters as we all lived through Vermont’s most tropical Christmas in memory, capping off the world’s warmest year on record. Climate change is here, and it is affecting the Vermont that we love, from our ski areas to our lakes. Now is the time to take every sensible action to combat it if we’re to have a shot at preserving a livable planet for our kids and grandkids.

by Gus Seelig, Executive Director, Vermont Housing & Conservation Board Last summer, US Senator Patrick Leahy helped break ground in Brattleboro for Red Clover Commons - 55 new apartments to replace housing for seniors and persons with disabilities that was severely damaged by Tropical Storm Irene and remains in harm’s way. In the fall, Governor Peter Shumlin was in Waterbury to hand keys to Tim and Aimee Smith along with their two young sons. Mr. Smith works in Vermont’s growing energy sector and was delighted to find an affordable home at the new South Main Apartments. These developments, along with 28 new homes in Woodstock, 14 new units for seniors in a historic building in Rutland, 28 renovated apartments in the heart of Lyndonville, 23 apartments under construction in Hinesburg and 24 units planned in Bennington, have much in common.

Vermont Business Magazine ANEW Place has announced that the 22nd Annual Helping Hands Gift Wrap Fundraiser, sponsored by North Country Federal Credit Union at the University Mall, was a rousing success. The Helping Hands Gift Wrap Booth was open every day from December 4th through December 24th during mall hours with wonderful volunteers ready to wrap Christmas presents for the community. More than 150 volunteers joined together for this Christmas tradition to work shifts at the booth and many volunteers generously worked multiple shifts. This fundraiser raised $12,500, all to benefit ANEW Place! This was a spirited community-wide effort that raised funds allowing for new beginnings for the homeless men and women in Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine This Martin Luther King Day, when members of the college and local communities gather in Middlebury College’s Mead Chapel to celebrate King’s legacy, they will also celebrate the return of guest director Keith McCutchen and his powerhouse MLK Today Choir. The event on January 18 will mark McCutchen’s second appearance at Middlebury as conductor of the group, a community choir of students and townspeople. Last year’s performance featured a five piece jazz combo, which – together with the choir and fiery words from Dr King’s Selma speech – had the audience leaping to its feet several times. This year McCutchen, who is director of the Appalachian State University Gospel Choir, will present a brand new selection of spirituals, gospel tunes, jazz and contemporary music.

by Bill Schubart As the new legislative session ramps up, I’d like to offer some thoughts. Don’t micromanage complex issues. We already have too many laws and administrative statutes, many poorly drafted, ambiguous, or conflicting. Some actually confound good behavior. Our problems can’t be enacted away. They’re substantial and demand clarity of vision, courage, and leadership. A good captain looks over the bow of his ship, not the stern, and our two-year terms for governor and legislators confine us to short-term fixes for long-term issues. Senator Snelling is introducing legislation to move to a four-year term like the rest of the country —  except New Hampshire, which shares our fealty to the past and insouciance about the future. This issue surfaces every few years and ends up being torpedoed by nostalgic reasoning.

Vermont Business Magazine The Orchard has acquired all worldwide media rights to the documentary, The State of Marriage, from Floating World Pictures. The film will be available on iTunes and On Demand beginning May 31, 2016. The film chronicles the epic, two-decade struggle in Vermont that built the foundation for the entire marriage equality movement. Three extraordinary lawyers featured in the film - Susan Murray, Beth Robinson and Mary Bonauto – forged the legal, social, and political path in the 1990's that ultimately led to the US Supreme Court establishing the freedom to marry for same-sex couples nationwide.

Vermont Business Magazine Ten Johnson State College students completed internships and field experiences with area businesses, schools and nonprofit organizations during the fall 2015 semester with financial support from the Union Bank of Morrisville. The students received grants of $200 to $500 each from the JSC Student Internship Fund, which was launched one year ago with a $3,000 grant from Union Bank. Funds were allocated to students with financial need to cover expenses associated with these experiences due to the expenses associated with them, including transportation to and from work sites, fees for background checks and conferences, and the cost of necessary equipment.

Grant recipients included students majoring in biology, education, professional studies, psychology, sociology, and wellness and alternative medicine.  Intern job titles and host sites associated with the Union Bank grant this fall were:

Vermont Business Magazine AM Best Company has affirmed its A (Excellent) financial strength ratings for National Life Insurance Company and Life Insurance Company of the Southwest, the two insurance companies of National Life Group, based in Montpelier. This is the third highest of AM Best’s 16 ratings. “Our mission is to deliver on our promises,” said Mehran Assadi, president and CEO of National Life Group. “I am very pleased that AM Best has reaffirmed our excellent rating, which reflects our financial strength.”

In a news release (see below) announcing the ratings, AM Best cited a number of factors, including National Life Group's competitive strength in the marketplace.

Vermont Business Magazine At its 29^th Annual Membership Meeting held at The Essex Resort and Spa, the Vermont Business Roundtable elected eight new directors to their first three-year term, including: John Brumsted, The University of Vermont Health Network; Dimitri Garder, Global-Z International; Scott Giles, Vermont Student Assistance Corporation; John Killacky, Flynn Center for the Performing Arts; Stephanie Mapes, Paul Frank + Collins; Paul Ode, Downs Rachlin and Martin; Tom Sullivan, The University of Vermont; and Larry Williams, Redstone.   Elected to their second three-year term were the following directors: Renee  Bourget-Place, KPMG; Pierre LeBlanc, Engelberth Construction; Leslee MacKenzie, Coldwell Banker Hickok Boardman Realty; Paul Millman, Chroma Technology; and Michael Seaver, People’s United Bank.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD) has released its statutorily-required report on the impact of the Vermont Enterprise Fund, showing that in addition to creating hundreds of direct and indirect jobs, the $1.7 million in investments will more than pay for themselves by returning $3.5 million in state revenues over the next five years. According to the report, the allocation of funding from the Enterprise Fund for three projects will help retain Vermont’s largest private sector employer and one of Central Vermont’s largest employer’s, as well as recruit a new employer to the Northeast Kingdom.  

Vermont Business Magazine After historic highs and spikes and dips, weekly unemployment claims held steady last week but remained at a relatively high level. In recent weeks claims also are running higher than for the same time last year. In contrast, claims in 2015 generally were lower than in 2014. For the week of January 9, 2016, there were 1,155 claims, three more than the previous week's total and 134 more than they were a year ago. By industry, claims were down slightly for most categories except for Construction, which were up for the week, but lower than last year. Construction claims (38 percent) also surpassed Services (29 percent), which nearly always leads all categories. 

Vermont Business Magazine US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) today announced the winners of his annual State of the Union essay contest for Vermont high school students. Nearly 800 students, a record number, from 39 high schools participated in the contest this year. A panel of five Vermont teachers served as volunteer judges and selected Meredith Holbrook, a senior at Milton High School, as the winner of the contest. In her essay, Holbrook focused on the need to address domestic economic issues, such as hunger, homelessness and strengthening Social Security in the United States. See winning essay below.

“We have many issues we must address, domestic and foreign. We cannot expect to properly address issues overseas, until we fix the home we live in. We must fix America from within,” Holbrook wrote in her winning essay. “Once we do this, we will truly be able to call ourselves the greatest nation in the world.”