Current News

by Brian Dubie It was my honor to serve as Vermont's Lieutenant Governor for eight years. While I was in office, I was invited to tour the site of a proposed industrial wind turbine complex in Ira, Vermont. My tour guide was a commercial pilot. He explained his concerns about the project’s impact on Southern Vermont Regional Airport in nearby Rutland. Being a commercial airline pilot myself, I understood and shared my colleague’s concerns. We were not alone—the airport manager expressed grave concerns about the project and the “operational safety and the economic impact it has on the airport.” As a result of what I learned I joined with them to oppose the project.

Impacts on aviation were not the only problem with the Ira project. It was too close to neighboring homes, and it was opposed by most of the towns that it would have affected. The project was never built.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Peter Shumlin has launched a website dedicated to the State of the State Address that he will deliver on January 7, 2016. The website can be found atwww.2016stateofthestate.com. The site currently features information on the Governor’s five previous addresses to the legislature and statistics about the significant progress Vermont has made since Governor Shumlin came to office in January 2011.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Peter Shumlin announced today that he has tapped Executive Director of the Department of State’s Attorneys and Sheriffs, David Cahill, to serve as State’s Attorney in Windsor County. Cahill will replace current Windsor County State’s Attorney Michael Kainen, who Governor Shumlin has appointed to be a trial court judge. Prior to his current post, Cahill was a deputy state’s attorney and chief deputy attorney in Windsor County from 2006 to 2014. Cahill also teaches courses in the Criminal Law Clinic at Vermont Law School. Cahill has prosecuted numerous serious felonies ranging from embezzlement to homicide. He has also served as a dedicated prosecutor for the Windsor Special Investigations Unit, which handles sex crimes and serious child abuse cases. Cahill graduated from Dartmouth College, Highest Honors, in 2001, and received his JD from the University of Minnesota, Cum Laude, in 2005.

Vermont Business Magazine Exterus Technology for Business, located in Shelburne, has announced it is merging their Xerox copier, printer and IT business with Usherwood Office Technology, located in Williston. Terms were not disclosed. Effective January 1, the merged entity will be known as Usherwood Office Technology. Under the merger, all Exterus employees will be retained and relocated to Usherwood’s new offices and showroom at 1193 South Brownell Road. Usherwood is an independent family owned authorized solutions provider for Canon, Xerox, Microsoft and Samsung. In addition, Usherwood offers services for managed IT, managed print and mailing solutions.

Vermont Business Magazine January is national Learn to Ski and Snowboard month and there are many opportunities for people to learn new snowsports at a discount, or even free. Vermont, being home to several adaptive sport associations, is also providing free adaptive lessons at alpine and Nordic resorts. Resorts nationwide will host the World’s Largest Lesson on Friday, January 8, 2016. Vermont Adaptive is offering free adaptive lessons at 10 a.m.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA) has approved $15.7 million in loan and bond financings for commercial, agricultural and energy projects totaling $37.5 million throughout Vermont. “Manufacturing businesses employing hundreds of Vermonters will continue to grow with the help of VEDA financing,” said Jo Bradley, VEDA Chief Executive Officer.  “In addition, a number of agricultural and renewable energy generation projects were approved, as was an SBA 504 project.”

Projects approved for VEDA financing include:

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Peter Shumlin announced four judicial appointments today. Burlington attorney John Pacht will fill a judgeship recently funded to help address increasing caseloads related to child protection and opiate-abuse across Vermont. Chittenden County Deputy State’s Attorney Mary Morrissey will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Michael Kupersmith. Windsor County State’s Attorney Michael Kainen will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge John Wesley. And Burlington attorney Michael Harris will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Amy Davenport.

John Pacht

by Timothy McQuiston Vermont Business Magazine Vermont moved up to third in the nation and tops in the Northeast again in a national study on migration. According to the study, people are moving here for the same reason they're moving to warmer regions of the country: retirement. Meanwhile, for the third consecutive year, Oregon holds on to the number 1 spot as "Top Moving Destination," as Americans continue to pack up and head West and South. Those are the results of United Van Lines' 39th Annual National Movers Study, which tracks customers' state-to-state migration patterns over the past year. Oregon is the most popular moving destination of 2015 with 69 percent of moves to and from the state being inbound. The state has continued to climb the ranks, increasing inbound migration by 10 percent over the past six years. New to the 2015 top inbound list is another Pacific West state, Washington, which came in at No. 10 with 56 percent inbound moves.

by Mike Smith Senator Bernie Sanders has a beef with the Democratic Party, and his complaint has merit. Sanders is miffed at party officials for rigging the nominating system to favor Hillary Clinton. As an example, he cites the number and timing of debates. There is no doubt party stalwarts are firmly behind Clinton. According to National Public Radio, Clinton is trouncing Sanders in so-called “super-delegates” — party leaders and elected officials — by an astounding 359 to 8. And in Vermont, top Democrats, including Sen. Patrick Leahy, Gov. Peter Shumlin and former Gov. Madeleine Kunin, have come out strongly in favor of Clinton. Even Rep. Peter Welch has been noticeably noncommittal regarding the Sanders candidacy.

To national party officials a challenger like Sanders ensures the nomination process doesn’t appear to be a coronation for Clinton. It is useful that Sanders is vying for the nomination, but they certainly don’t want him to win.

Vermont Business Magazine A historic spike in weekly employment claims resulted in the highest weekly total in memory last week. Claims were also higher than the same time last year, for the last week of the year. Generally claims in 2015 were lower than in 2014. For the week of December 26, 2015, there were 2,150 claims, a phenomenal increase of 1,481 from the previous week's total and 134 more than they were a year ago. By industry, claims were way up in manufacturing and services. As has been the trend, Services led all categories with 47 percent of all claims as holiday hiring came to an end. 

Altogether 6,836 new and continuing claims were filed, an increase of 1,426 from a week ago, and 1,349 fewer than a year ago.

Vermont Business Magazine Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign raised more than $33 million in the final three months of 2015 to rewrite the record books for White House campaigns. The tally for the year-end quarter pushed his total raised last year to $73 million from more than 1 million individuals who made a record 2.5 million donations. The 2,513,665 donations to Sanders’ campaign broke the record set four years ago by President Barack Obama’s re-election committee. Through Dec. 31, 2011, Obama had chalked up 2,209,636 donations.

“This people-powered campaign is revolutionizing American politics,” said Jeff Weaver, Sanders’ campaign manager. “What we are showing is that we can run a strong, national campaign without a super PAC and without depending on millionaires and billionaires for their support. We are making history and we are proud of it.”

Vermont Business Magazine Blake Hill Preserves, producer of gourmet marmalades, conserves, preserves and chutneys, is excited to announce the move of its production facility to Artisans Park in Windsor Vermont. Ground has already broken on Blake Hill’s new production facility and retail store in one of the prime areas of Artisans Park, home to some of Vermont’s leading producers of cheese, beer, spirts and hand-blown glass.

Blake Hill’s new facility is approx. 6,400 square feet, comprising a commercial kitchen housed within a “clean room” environment, a dedicated jar cooling and labelling space, warehouse, loading dock and specialty retail store.  The parcel of land accommodating Blake Hill’s new facility is sufficiently large to enable the business to also double its new space as it continues to grow.