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by Staff Sgt. Nathan Rivard US service members from three different branches, Navy, Air Force and Army, came together in mid-August at the Camp Ethan Allen Training Site in Jericho for the first humanitarian demining training course held at this location. Mobile training team (MTT) instructors move to different locations to teach this course because there are only a few locations to teach the course.

“There are several reasons why we train here and in Spain and back at Fort Lee as well,” said New Zealand Army Sgt. Maj. Evan Windleborn, MTT instructor. “It’s easier to send two instructors away and let soldiers spend time at home.”

Vermont Business Magazine The Green Mountain Association of Realtors has received a $2,200 Placemaking micro-grant from the National Association of Realtors to help make the Waterbury community a better place to live and work by transforming unused public spaces into vibrant community places. The grant is intended to help Realtor associations partner with others to plan, organize, implement and maintain placemaking activities in their communities. Members are actively engaged in the community and know the areas that would benefit most from these improvement efforts.

Tinder, the world's most popular social app for meeting new people, has just released its list of "Most Right-Swiped" US campuses with the University of Vermont ranking 15th in the male category. According to Tinder's proprietary data, the list was compiled based on male and female students enrolled in a college or university who received the most right swipes, indicating collectively which schools had the most desirable student body.

Summary of Insights

Vermont Business Magazine Powered by the efforts of 47 peer-to-peer fundraisers known as “Ride Champion, the Brattleboro Retreat’s 6^th Annual Ride for Heroes, held Saturday August 16^th, exceeded all fundraising records by netting more than $29,000 for the hospital’s Uniformed Service Program. Uniformed Service Program representative Donny Richard welcomed the riders and spoke about the needs of uniformed professionals everywhere who’ve experienced trauma in their public service. Brattleboro Union High School graduate Kristina Meima sang the National Anthem. Pastor Cheryl Meachen offered a blessing, and Mark Hynes gave a safety speech before the riders set out on their Windham County tour.

Vermont Business Magazine Norwich University representatives will gather with building contractors and partners to mark the official opening of the campus’s newly renovated Kreitzberg Library on Tuesday, September 1. A ceremonial ribbon-cutting event will be held at 3:15 p.m. inside the library foyer to celebrate the occasion, followed by guided tours of the new facility. The $6.8 million renovation is the first completed project under the Forging the Future campaign. Announced at Homecoming in 2014, the university’s largest comprehensive fundraising effort aims to raise $100 million in the five years leading up to the university’s bicentennial in 2019.

Vermont Business Magazine Weekly unemployment claims in Vermont fell below 400 again last week, consistent with typically low summer totals. There were 364 new, regular benefit claims for Unemployment Insurance in Vermont, a decrease of 55 from the previous week's total and 15 more than they were a year ago. Generally, claims have been running below last year's totals. Claims were down slightly in nearly all regions of the state and in most industry categories.

Vermont Business Magazine The Chittenden County Sheriff’s Department and the Vermont Attorney General’s Office are warning consumers about a jury duty telephone scam. Many consumers in Chittenden County have reported receiving calls from a person claiming to be a Deputy Sheriff with the Civil Division of the Chittenden County Sheriff’s Office or an Elected Official in the Vermont court system; names of actual local deputies or local elected officials are being used in the calls. This is not a call from law enforcement; it is a scam call.

The caller claims that the consumer has missed jury duty, that an arrest warrant has been issued, and that the consumer must pay a several hundred dollar fine via wire transfer or a prepaid money card or face arrest. The scam callers direct the consumer to go to a local pharmacy or store to buy the debit card or wire the money (using MoneyGram or Western Union).

Vermont Business Magazine Marathon Health, one of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies, will be celebrating its 10-year anniversary during a forum next week focusing on ways to improve employer-sponsored healthcare in America. The forum, “Back to the Land - Back to the Future of Medicine” runs Sunday through Tuesday at the Woodstock Inn and Resort. More than 130 people will be at the forum including representatives from leading national and local employers, including Vermont Country Store, Sonnax, and PC Construction. Highlights include a keynote speech by bestselling author Chris Bohjalian Monday at 9 am, and Marathon Health founder Richard Tarrant delivering a 10-year company retrospective Tuesday at 7 pm.

Vermont Business Magazine Verizon customers in Vermont are enjoying all of the benefits of America’s most reliable network, according to the Vermont RootScore Report, conducted by Seattle-based RootMetrics.

Vermont Business Magazine In a decision that could mean a substantial increase in high-paying jobs and the retention of 300-plus existing jobs for the Brattleboro region, GS Precision President and CEO Norm Schneeberger today announced that the company is exploring potential expansion plans at the Exit One Industrial Park that would include additions to its two facilities located in the park. Upwards of $5.5 million in local and state financing was packaged into an incentive plan to keep one of state's largest companies (Ranked 49th on VBM's Vermont 100, $65.2 million in 2014 revenues, 323 employees).

Vermont Business Magazine The Springfield Steampunk Festival is a perfect example of the creative economy at work. Springfield is recovering from the loss of manufacturing and the economic recession. The festival highlights Springfield’s rich history of industry and innovation as part of the Precision Valley. The festival highlights Springfield's creative ingenuity and a renaissance in the town. The Springfield Steampunk Festival, an official Vermont Arts 2015 event, slated for September 11-13, is a region-wide event and beyond including one presenter from as far away as Colorado. As a first-time event the number of volunteers, presenters, bands, vendors and variety of events is impressive.

“We are a small but hardworking committee,” says Sabrina Smith, festival coordinator, “And while we have a great number of volunteers, we can always use more. Volunteers who work with us for four hours will receive a full weekend pass.”

Vermont Business Magazine Airmen from the 158th Fighter Wing in Burlington, Vermont, have changed locations supporting the Pacific Command Theater Security Package, moving from Japan, where they were deployed in June, to South Korea. Approximately 150 personnel and 10 F-16 Fighting Falcons have deployed to Kunsan Air Base in South Korea. The TSP deployment is designed to provide the PACOM region with forces capable of a variety of operations, including disaster relief, global situational awareness, combating piracy, active defense and power projection.

"The Vermont Air National Guard is very proud of their contribution to regional security and stability in the Pacific," said Maj. Gen. Steven Cray, the adjutant general. "The versatility of our Airmen to shift quickly between domestic and overseas mission sets is a testament to the strength, professionalism and readiness of our National Guard as an asset to the Total Force."