Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Atmospheric Sciences program at Lyndon State College will be awarded the 2016 New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) Vermont State Merit Award at an award ceremony March 4 in Boston. “We are very proud of this award,” said Lyndon President Joe Bertolino. “LSC’s atmospheric sciences program has evolved to be one of the top programs in the nation. This award speaks to the caliber of the program’s students, faculty, and alumni as well as the excellence of the program itself.” Students choose among concentrations in broadcasting, national weather service/military, private industry, and climate change. The rigorous and modern curriculum makes Lyndon State a leader in New England and around the country in undergraduate meteorology/atmospheric sciences education.

Vermont Business Magazine Northern Power Systems Corp (TSX: NPS), a next generation renewable energy technology company known for its stand-alone wind power systems, today announced that its flagship distributed generation wind platform is available to businesses, farms and other property owners with a compelling financing solution. Northern Power Systems is now offering a lease program to allow users to take advantage of wind energy with 100 percent financing, and no increase of payments during the lease period. According to the US. Energy Information Agency (www.eia.gov), US electricity prices are forecasted to increase every year by at least 2.7% in the next 20-30 years, surpassing the expected rate of inflation.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont is seeking 15 small business owners to participate in the Small Business Administration’s Emerging Leaders Initiative that will give them a three-year, tailored strategic growth plan for their businesses. The SBA’s Emerging Leaders Initiative is free and its the only federal training specifically tailored for small business executives poised for growth. The program provides firms with the organizational structure, resource network, and assistance needed to build a sustainable business of size and scale. It begins in April 2016 at Vermont Technical College in Williston and class is held in the late afternoon every other week through October.

Vermont Business Magazine Valener Inc (TSX: VNR)(TSX:VNR.PR.A) has announced that it has requested a withdrawal of its Standard & Poor's corporate credit rating following a methodology change that resulted in what it views as an unjustified downgrade by the rating agency. Valener is the investment vehicle for Gaz Metro, which owns Green Mountain Power and Vermont Gas Systems. As a result of the application of new criteria set forth by S&P when rating companies with one or two non-controlling equity interests ("NCEI"), Valener's corporate credit rating was downgraded from BBB+ to BB+ earlier today.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Youth Conservation Corps just received a $3,500 grant from International Paper Foundation in support of youth development and conservation programming. VYCC has been offering employment and training to youth, ages 16-24, since 1985. Young people work in small crews on public lands across the state. They learn to work as a team, to take personal responsibility for their actions, and to value the importance of environmental conservation through high-priority projects. Many of these projects improve the health of Vermont’s watersheds. The International Paper Foundation has consistently supported VYCC programming since 1997, as a result of the Ticonderoga Mill operation on Lake Champlain’s western shore. Frequently, funds go towards projects that directly improve the health of Lake Champlain. 

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont wild turkey hunters had safe and successful spring and fall hunting seasons in 2015, according to the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department. A total of 5,874 turkeys were taken by hunters during Vermont’s three hunting seasons – the spring youth hunt, the regular May spring season, and the fall hunt. Young turkey hunters mentored by experienced hunters took 510 bearded turkeys, which are almost always males, during the youth turkey hunt on the weekend before the regular spring season. Hunters took 4,460 bearded turkeys in the May 1-31 regular spring turkey season. Fall turkey hunting during October and November produced 904 male and female turkeys. 

Vermont Business Magazine The next generation is embracing electric vehicles! Students in the Money Energy Power class at Champlain Valley Union High School came up with the idea as a class project to put in an electric vehicle charging station at CVU. The students worked with Green Mountain Power to install the station that is now in service. “We were thrilled when the CVU students approached us about the benefits of installing an EV charging station,” said Kristin Carlson at Green Mountain Power. “This will be available to students, faculty and the public and will be an important part building a comprehensive EV charging network across Vermont. As Vermont’s Energy Company of the future, it is so exciting to partner with the next generation on projects like this, as we transition to a low carbon, low cost, reliable future where energy is generated and used closer to where it is needed.”

Vermont Business Magazine VSECU, a statewide credit union based in Montpelier, today released new data detailing 2015 holiday spending trends amongst Vermonters, finding that Vermont consumers were more likely to finance holiday spending with cash than with credit. VSECU’s analysis showed that 2015 holiday spending via cash and debit increased compared to 2014, while credit card spending decreased by 8.8 percent. Analyzing more than 5.6 million anonymized account transactions in 2015, VSECU also found that both number of purchases and average monthly spending increased in the months of November and December, compared to all other months. However, the majority of those spending increases were financed with consumers’ cash on hand, rather than amassing greater debt on credit cards. Average monthly debit spending increased nearly 10 percent in November and December, while average credit card spending rose only 5.9 percent for those same months.

Six-episode series to be released January 19, 2016, on youtube.com/VermontPublicTV and on vermontpbs.org/innovate

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s culture of creativity, do-it-yourself attitude and innovation is renowned – and the world of high-tech and web-based entrepreneurship is no exception. In the new Vermont PBS web series “InnoVaTe,” hosted by Victoria Taylor and produced by Velocity Media, that innovative culture so uniquely associated with Vermont will be explored and celebrated. The six-part series will be available in its entirety on January 19, 2016 at vermontpbs.org and at youtube.com/VermontPublicTV.

Vermont Business Magazine Stephen F Christy, President and CEO of Mascoma Savings Bank, has announced his plans to retire on January 1, 2017 after almost 27 years at the helm of the local institution he first joined as a teller in 1973. Headquartered in Lebanon, New Hampshire, Mascoma Savings Bank is a $1.4 billion mutually owned bank established in 1899 with 27 branch locations in western New Hampshire and eastern Vermont, and two loan production offices in Vermont. Christy has held the top post at Mascoma Savings Bank since February of 1990. He also serves on the executive committee and the board of directors, which will embark on a search for his successor with the assistance of Kaplan Partners of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Vermont Business Magazine Howard Center recently received $5,000 from Key Bank for Career Connections, a supported employment program for Chittenden County adults (ages 18 years and older) who live with a severe mental health challenge and have a desire to pursue employment. “As a company that is committed to helping our communities thrive, we’re excited to be partnering with the Howard Center in working toward a stronger and more inclusive workforce by investing in projects such as Career Connections,” says Don Baker, Market President of KeyBank in Vermont. Career Connections focuses on client strengths while helping each client obtain competitive employment in jobs that they choose. The program provides support as needed, including employment assessment and pre- and post-employment support. Additional help is offered through other Howard Center clinical and case management programs as needed.

Vermont Business Magazine Campbell Soup Company (NYSE: CPB) announced last Thursday its support for the enactment of federal legislation to establish a single mandatory labeling standard for foods derived from genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Vermont House Speaker Shap Smith and Congressman Peter Welch offered their reaction to the news that one of the country’s largest food manufacturers will disclose the presence of genetically modified ingredients in its products.