Current News

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. 

Vermont Business Magazine Citizens Commercial Banking’s fifth-annual Middle Market M&A Outlook released Tuesday shows more than half of mid-sized US companies are looking for transformative deals to help them jump-start revenues in the stabilized, but slow-growing US economy. The Citizens study takes a look every year at the appetite for mergers and acquisitions among middle market companies – companies with annual revenue between $5 million and $2 billion – that are key creators of jobs and drivers of economic activity in the United States. Citizens Commercial Banking serves thousands of middle market clients in a wide range of industries across the country.Citizens Bank has branches in Vermont.

Vermont Business Magazine With the state now boasting that solar generates more local peak energy than any other source, Governor Peter Shumlin and the Department of Public Service today released the state's updated Comprehensive Energy Plan (CEP). The plan, first adopted by the Shumlin Administration in 2011 after over a decade without an update, provides an overall direction and sets goals for the state's energy future. The plan re-affirms the overall goal of achieving 90 percent of Vermont’s total energy needs from renewable sources by 2050, adds interim goals (including reaffirming the statutory goal of 25% by 2025), and provides greater detail on Vermont’s pathways towards achieving these goals.

Vermont Business Magazine Secretary of State Jim Condos announced today that, following yesterday’s 5 pm deadline, 14 candidates have qualified to be placed on the ballot in Vermont’s Presidential Primary. Ten candidates have qualified for the Republican ballot and four candidates for the Democratic ballot. Vermont law requires any candidate seeking to have his or her name printed on the ballot of a major party presidential primary to file petitions signed by no fewer than 1,000 registered Vermont voters, along with a $2,000 filing fee. Vermont’s primary will be held on Tuesday, March 1, 2016. The deadline to register to vote in the primary is Wednesday, February 24.

The Republicans qualifying for placement on the ballot in Vermont were:

by Timothy McQuiston Vermont Business Magazine The "Health Impact Assessment" was released today by the Vermont Department of Health on the regulation of marijuana in Vermont. The report identifies the impacts of marijuana on the physical and mental health of users. It also calls for what would be stricter control of marijuana than there is for alcohol and in some ways for cigarettes. It also intones many of the sentiments of Governor Shumlin and Speaker of the House Shap Smith. Shumlin and Smith support strict regulation of legalized marijuana and oppose attempts to make it a tax revenue windfall.

Vermont Business Magazine Special thanks to the more than 250 members of the central Vermont community who gathered in October at National Life in Montpelier for the 16th Annual Seasons of Life Fashion Show. Guests included donors, staff and members of the board and community, as well as generous sponsors. With your support, CVHHH raised approximately $40,000 (net) to support our programs and services to those individuals who are underinsured or have no health insurance.  “I am proud of the individuals on the fashion show committee and the effort the team made to pull off another successful year,” says Kim Farnum, CVHHH’s Community Relations & Development manager. “With a new committee and rebranding to further incorporate the depth of services that we provide, we were able to raise $40,000, the same amount that was raised during this event’s largest year.” 

Vermont Business Magazine Southwestern Vermont Health Care understands that everyone could use a little guidance and encouragement in their efforts to make healthy choices.  To support community members, SVHC has launched a new service that sends healthy and inspiring text messages to participants’ cell phones three times per week.  Each one offers a health-related timely, friendly tip or reminder.

“We hope the messaging service encourages members to make healthy choices while also showing that we care about their long-term health,” said James Trimarchi, SVHC’s director of planning.  “We want our community to know that we care about them all the time—not just when they visit their doctor’s office.”

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Foodbank’s Veggie VanGo, a mobile food pantry, will deliver its first round of healthy groceries to the University of Vermont Health Network – Central Vermont Medical Center in partnership with Hunger Mountain Coop on Friday, Jan. 22. All families and individuals in need are invited to pick up free, fresh produce and other groceries from 9 to 11 a.m. in Conference Rooms 1 and 2 on the lower level of the hospital in Berlin. Veggie VanGo will distribute food at the hospital on six Fridays throughout the winter and spring: Jan. 22, Feb. 26, April 1, April 29, May 27 and June 24. In addition to the Veggie VanGo distribution, Hunger Mountain Coop representatives will be available to provide nutritional information and sign people up for their Coop Cares program, a 10% discount supplemental program for patients receiving 3SquaresVT (formerly Food Stamps) or who participate in WIC.

Vermont Business Magazine Ledyard National Bank has been recognized by the American Heart Association as a Gold Level Fit-Friendly Worksite. Ledyard has been working towards this achievement over the past few years as they have taken steps to encourage, motivate, and educate their employees and clients about the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle. With leadership from their Wellness Committee, Ledyard met criteria across the lines of physical activity, nutrition, smoking policy, and workplace culture to accomplish this recognition. 

Vermont Business Magazine The ZabCab Taxi App, which makes summoning a taxi a snap for passengers, announced Monday that it has completed its 10,000^th ride in Burlington, a city it has served since last year. To celebrate this milestone, ZabCab said all new customers who signup for the app using code “VT” will get their first ride for free through January 31. Today, ZabCab also announced it is now the exclusive technology provider of Dunwright Taxi Company, and is providing ZabCab technology to independent drivers in Burlington as well. ZabCab introduced its app in Burlington as a national pilot for other small U.S. cities. In major markets where the smartphone app operates, ZabCab is credited with dramatically reducing customer-taxi wait time--nearly 80% in Miami—down from an average of 20-30 minutes to just 4-6 minutes on average.