Current News

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.

Vermont State Police Jan 11, 2016, 4:41 pm Interstate 89 north in the area of mile-marker 91 is blocked by a jack-knifed tractor-trailer. This is just north of Exit 16 in Colchester (Costco exit). Traffic is currently backed up to at least exit 15.  Currently there is no time estimate for the roadway to be reopened.  Updates will be provided when available. No injuries have been reported. On 1/11/16 at approximately 1612 hours, a white Ford Superduty towing a trailer with steel beams was traveling Northbound on I89 North of exit 16. The tow-hitch on the vehicle snapped off, causing the vehicle to fishtail and slide sideways into the guardrail. The vehicle came to rest blocking the right-hand lane for a few hours while wreckers removed the vehicle and trailer. No other vehicles were involved and there were no injuries. There was minor damage to the vehicle and the guardrail.

Vermont Business Magazine Southeastern Vermont Economic Development Strategies (SeVEDS) has announced the projects submitted for inclusion in the 2015 CEDS (Comprehensive Economic Development Strategies) along with the list of 14 projects ranked at Vital Projects at a Press event held at the New England Center for Circus Arts at the Cotton Mill Hill studio. Vital Projects are the top ranked projects in terms of alignment and potential to advance the goals and objectives of the CEDS.   

Vermont Business Magazine In January 1987, VBM ran its first Vermont 100, predicated on 1986 revenues. Since then there have been only four companies that have been Number One: C&S Wholesale Grocers, National Life Group, Fletcher Allen Health Care (now The University of Vermont Medical Center) and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc (now Keurig Green Mountain). Keurig Green Mountain has pulled away from the field with over $4 billion in revenues. It also boasted revenue growth of 62,000 percent over the last 25 years. You read that correctly. But because in our first year we asked for 1985 revenues also, we can now produce a 30-Year Growth Chart (see page 26). Keurig’s growth over that period of time? 146,178 percent. Yes, that cup of coffee Bob Stiller once had has certainly turned into something. And now his company is being sold to a European holding company for $13.9 billion).

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont licensed 33 new captive insurance companies in 2015, according to data released by the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation. The new captives were made up of 12 pure captives, 7 Risk Retention Groups (RRGs), 7 sponsored captives, 4 special purpose financial insurers, 2 industrial insured captives, and 1 association captive. There were 11 "redomestications," which is when an existing captive moves from another captive domicile to Vermont. That is the largest number ever to occur in a single year in Vermont. The redomestications came from the following jurisdictions: South Carolina (3), Arizona (3), Bermuda (2), Cayman Islands, Nevada, and Kentucky.