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Vermont Business Magazine The Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau, a division of the North Country Chamber of Commerce, is pleased to announce the launch of their newest program, Adopt-An-Attraction. In 2015, the Adirondack Coast Visitors Bureau revisited the Clinton County Destination Master Plan. This plan outlines goals to grow the lake region destination, helping to draw visitors to the area, staying in local lodging properties and discovering area attractions. During the planning process history was identified as a core strength. Growing the areas heritage tourism with unique visitor experiences, will create a need for visitors to extend their stay.

by Seth Goodall, Small Business Administrator, New England Administrator - Throughout Vermont, thousands of locally owned independent stores will be participating in annual Small Business Saturday on November 28th. Small Business Saturday is dedicated to supporting small businesses throughout Vermont and the country. Launched by American Express in 2010, it has grown each year. It has led to increased sales and has shoppers “thinking small” throughout the holiday season. According to the Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey, consumers spent more than $14 billion in 2014. That amount topples the $5.7 billion spent at independent merchants on Small Business Saturday in 2013. That is a staggering sum for an event in only its fifth year.

Award recognizes excellence in the teaching of Vermont's young children

Vermont Business Magazine Rick Davis, co-founder of the Permanent Fund for Vermont's Children, announced both the finalist and winner of Vermont's first Early Educator of the Year Award today at the VAEYC Annual Conference held in Killington, VT. The award winner Geralyn (Gerri) Barrows, New Haven resident and owner of Discovery Hill Family Child Care and Preschool, was named the 2015 Early Educator of the Year. Shelburne resident and owner of Puddle Jumpers, Elsa Bosma, was the award finalist. The Permanent Fund created the Early Educator of the Year Award to recognize and celebrate excellence in the teaching of Vermont's young children and bring attention to the importance of high quality care and early education.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Education released the Spring 2015 New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) Science assessment results for Vermont students in grades four, eight, and 11.The science assessment is designed to measure students’ scientific literacy and inquiry. Overall, students performed nearly the same in 2015 as they did in 2014.

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Vermont reading and math scores still among best in US, but far from goals

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Vermont Business Magazine A Rutland podiatrist will pay the State of Vermont in excess of $83,678 to settle claims that he obtained payments from the Vermont Medicaid Program to which he was not entitled. The provider, Dr. Frank Buggiani, offers podiatry services and orthotic devices to patients. The settlement resolves a civil complaint filed in Rutland Superior Court, Civil Division in December 2014 by the Medicaid Fraud and Residential Abuse Unit of the Office of the Attorney General. The complaint related to the submission of Medicaid claims by Dr. Buggiani for custom orthotic devices. An investigation identified that Dr. Buggiani’s claims to Medicaid for custom orthotic devices were at a rate that exceeded the rate that he charged to other insurers. Medicaid rules and provider contracts require that providers bill Medicaid their “usual & customary rate” that is not to exceed the lowest rate charged to other insurers or patients.

Vermont Business Magazine Weekly unemployment claims in Vermont increased above 400 after its historic low of under 300 two weeks ago. For the week of October 10, there were 438 new, regular benefit claims for Unemployment Insurance in Vermont, an increase of 86 from the previous week's total and 49 fewer than they were a year ago. Generally, claims have been running below last year's totals. Total claims were generally the same in most regions of the state. By industry, claims more than tripled for Construction but otherwise held steady with very totals. As has been the trend, Services led all categories with 47 percent of all claims, nearly the same as last week.

Vermont Business Magazine College of St. Joseph has received a $2.2 million Title III grant from the U.S. Department of Education, under the Strengthening Institutions Program. The grant is the largest CSJ has received in the College’s history.

The funds, awarded over five years, will support new initiatives, such as an Integrated Teaching and Learning Commons to address student needs, enhance academic success, and increase student engagement and graduation rate. Other initiatives will include enhanced classroom technology, and a learning management system.

Vermont Business Magazine A national Veterans Administration program that keeps disabled veterans out of the hospital and improves their quality of life is coming to Vermont and New Hampshire. The Medical Foster Home program, based at the regional VA headquarters in White River Junction, is aimed at veterans who are no longer able to live independently, placing them in homecare settings with a qualified single adult or a family. Sponsored by 113 VA’s around the country, the program has served over 3,100 veterans since it was created in 2000.

A key part of the program is the Home Based Primary Care team, which provides all primary medical care for the veteran in the MFH program. The team also educates the caregiver and provides care and support for the veteran and the caregiver.

Caregivers’ homes must be located within an hour’s drive of a Home Based Primary Care team.

Vermont Business Magazine Colchester-based NG Advantage LLC, a majority-owned subsidiary of Clean Energy Fuels Corp. (NASDAQ: CLNE), today announced that it has signed an 18 month contract extension with International Paper. Under this extension, NG Advantage will continue delivering clean-burning compressed natural gas (CNG) to International Paper’s Ticonderoga, NY, paper mill using its "virtual or mobile pipeline" of tractor-trailers that deliver 24/7. This is the largest mobile pipeline project in the US and showcases the scalability of NG Advantage’s service to deliver natural gas as an alternative fuel choice for even the largest industrial energy users.

Tom and Mary Evslin at the Milton depot. VBM file photo.

Vermont Business Magazine House Speaker Shap Smith and Senate President Pro Tempore John Campbell today announced the first ever “Legithon,” an intensive policy collaboration conference that will bring together Vermont students, academic leaders, business people, legal professionals and lawmakers to develop technology and economic development proposals. Drawing on models from events like Hackathons and the Start Up Weekend, the Legithon will bring together a diverse group to participate in an exciting weekend of work and learning. The goal is to educate the public on legislative processes by developing model proposals for economic development policy and legislative action.

Shap Smith and John Campbell at a Vermont Chamber event in February 2014. VBM file photo.

Vermont Business Magazine WhistlePig opened its brand-new distillery Wednesday in a converted 100-year-old barn on the WhistlePig Farm in Shoreham, Vermont. The distillery will make WhistlePig one of the few American whiskey companies to conduct the entire whiskey-making process in one place, from harvesting the rye fields to distilling, barreling, aging, and bottling the liquid. WhistlePig is the leader in the rapidly growing American rye whiskey market, and the opening of the distillery marks the culmination of its 5-year effort to transform WhistlePig Farm into the nation’s premier single-estate, grain-to-glass rye distillery.

Vermont Business Magazine Each year the Vermont Recreation and Parks Association presents the coveted Theresa S. Brungardt Awards to a professional, friend and organization who has made significant contributions to parks and recreation in Vermont. At the recent Vermont Conference on Recreation held at Lake Morey Resort, Brungardt Awards were presented to Thomas Hark of Williston (Friend), Local Motion based in Burlington (Organization), and Hartland’s recently deceased Recreation Director Ray Sapp (Professional).