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Vermont Business Magazine HNI Corporation (NYSE: HNI) today Wednesday that sales for the third quarter ended October 3, 2015, of $615.9 million and net income of $40.8 million, or $0.90 per diluted share. Non-GAAP net income per diluted share improved 14.8 percent from the prior year quarter to $0.93, which excludes restructuring and transition costs. Last fall, HNI bought Vermont Castings and announced last spring that it would close certain plants, including one in Vermont. Following its acquistition of Vermont Castings last fall, it announced in March 2015 that it would close the Bethel, Vermont, plant, with the loss of about 40 workers. It also has a larger hearth manufacturing plant in Randolph with about 100 employees.

Vermont Business Magazine If there's one thing that socially responsible businesses have learned, it's that they can't go at it alone. Whether it's implementing responsible sourcing initiatives or creating a positive corporate model to make an impact on sustainability, there is strength in numbers. So where did Vermont-based Ben & Jerry's turn for help and inspiration for its latest ice cream flavor? Colorado-based New Belgium Brewing. Never has the phrase "polishing off a pint" been so perfectly poised in any partnership for a delicious double-entendre.

Vermont Business Magazine iSystems, LLC, the company behind Evolution HCM, has hired Theodore I Les, CPA, as the company's Chief Financial Officer. Les is a finance executive with proven experience and success in growing software-as-a-service (SaaS), technology and service-oriented organizations. With an undergraduate degree in management from Babson College and Executive Program in Business Management from MIT Sloan School of Management, Les started his career with the public accounting firm Arthur Andersen & Company. From there he advanced his financial and business career to hold executive management positions with renowned Internet pioneer Bolt Beranek & Newman (BBN Corp.) and GTE. For the past 15 years, Les served as the CFO for technology innovator Cambridge Research & Instrumentation, Inc (CRi) and Agreements Based Billing market leader MetaTech Corp.

by Mike Faher/The Commons When describing the Vermont Chamber of Commerce’s lobbying efforts, Betsy Bishop employs the standard devices — pie charts, anecdotes, and a few “offense” and “defense” football analogies. But the chamber’s president also has a relatively new tool, and it’s got no pictures or brightly colored graphs. Instead, it’s a dense, still-expanding document running to nearly three pages and featuring more than 50 bullet points detailing taxes, fees, and mandates that have been imposed recently on Vermont residents and businesses — as well as those that could be considered in 2016.

Betsy Bishop

Vermont Business Magazine People's United Bank, NA has announced that its subsidiary, People's United Insurance Agency (PUIA), has acquired Kesten-Brown Insurance, a Bridgeport, CT-based insurance brokerage firm. "We are pleased to announce the acquisition of Kesten-Brown, a firm focused on commercial lines and employee benefits," said Jack Barnes, President and Chief Executive Officer. "This transaction will further diversify revenues through additional non-interest income as well as bolster our insurance business. People's United ranks as the 12th largest bank nationally in terms of insurance brokerage fee income."

"This addition provides us with an opportunity to expand the range of products and services we offer, attracting new clients and providing our existing clients with an even broader array of options for their insurance and risk management needs," said Dan Casey, President and Chief Executive Officer, PUIA.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont is Number 2... lowest. Consumers save an average of $295 (16 percent) per year when they purchase their car and homeowner's insurance from the same company, according to a new insuranceQuotes.com report. In Vermont it's only $174. The states with the highest average annual savings are Louisiana ($548), Oklahoma ($489), Texas ($429), Mississippi ($405) and Kansas ($403).

Hawaii improved the most from last year (66 percent, from an average savings of $116 to $192), followed closely by Florida (65 percent). Residents of 36 states currently save more by bundling than they did last year.

Idaho ($172), Vermont ($174), Utah ($183), West Virginia ($184) and Virginia ($189) have the lowest average annual savings. In West Virginia, the average bundling discount dropped 26 percent from last year, more than any other state.

Vermont Business Magazine Several Vermont companies were recently recognized for their strong commitment to effective workplace safety at the annual Vermont Safety & Health Council meeting held in Killington, Vermont. The Governor’s Awards for Outstanding Workplace Safety are presented by officials from the Vermont Department of Labor, the Vermont League of Cities & Towns, and the President of the Vermont Safety & Health Council.

The Governor’s Award for Outstanding Workplace Safety is the highest honor given by the State of Vermont to recognize an employer’s commitment to excellence in workplace safety and health policy and practice. These awards recognize specific companies that are committed to effective workplace safety.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Peter Shumlin has appointed Theresa Wood of Waterbury to the House seat vacated by former State Representative Rebecca Ellis, who resigned from the Legislature in August to join the Shumlin Administration. The Washington-Chittenden district, which Wood will represent, includes the towns of Waterbury, Huntington, Buel’s Gore, and Bolton.

“Theresa is smart and driven and has a record of getting things done,” Shumlin said. “Her experience in both state and local government will serve her well in the Legislature. She cares deeply about helping her community succeed and I have no doubt she will serve her district incredibly well.”

“I am extremely excited and humbled to be appointed by the Governor, and I look forward to the opportunity to serve my district and my state in this new role,” said Ms. Wood.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Chamber of Commerce announced today the highly anticipated 2015-2016 Top Ten Winter Events. Each year, a panel of independent judges chooses Vermont’s best activities, selected for their diversity, wide appeal, and consistency with Vermont's brand. Tori Ossola, Vice President of Tourism noted, “Vermont is known for being a top destination for recreation, scrumptious food, hand-crafted beer, wine and spirits and experiential travel. This year's Vermont Chamber Top Ten Winter Events feature happenings from all regions of the state to appeal to the many interests of our visitors and locals alike.”

Vermont Business Magazine SolarCity (NASDAQ: SCTY), America’s #1 solar power provider, has opened a new 13,000 square foot operations center in South Burlington. The new facility is the California company's first operations center in the state, and it expects to employ approximately 100 people at the center when fully staffed. SolarCity, which launched Vermont service in August, makes it possible for many Vermont homeowners to install solar with no upfront cost and pay as much as 20 percent less by going solar than they pay for utility power, with installation, production guarantee, monitoring and repair service included at no additional cost. The company’s services are available to customers of Burlington Electric and Green Mountain Power.

Vermont Business Magazine Burlington College announced Tuesday The Communiversity at Burlington College. This formal initiative brings together education and training partners such as Vermont HITEC, Community Kitchen Academy, Oplerno, New England Institute for Teacher Education, and the Association for Anthroposophic Psychology. It also engages supporting partners from the State of Vermont— Department of Labor and Department of Tourism & Marketing. Employers such as Vermont Information Processing, Husky, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Triad Business Services, and others are also part of this new endeavor.

by Wendy M Levy/The Commons The Vermont Department of Taxes recently informed Vernon town listers that they must add Vermont Yankee to the town’s grand list for calendar year 2015. This means that according to the state, Entergy, VY’s parent company, must fork over $2 million, which will make its way into the state’s education fund. Though they ultimately billed the utility — and Entergy, for its part, is mulling its options over the matter — town officials are not happy, and they feel that the state agency has incorrectly put them in the middle.