Current News

Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants announced today it has been selected to manage a new, luxury boutique hotel in the popular, year-round vacation destination of Manchester, Vermont. The 87-room, new construction project, owned as a joint venture between Florida-based developer Heaton Companies, local partner Clark French and Boston financial partner Janet Jiang of First Cambridge Capital, is under construction and is slated for a fall 2015 opening as The Taconic Hotel. It will be located at 3835 Main Street, Manchester Village.

by Timothy McQuiston Vermont Business Magazine 'Orange is the new Blue' was the slogan of the day as GlobalFoundries announced Wednesday morning that it had completed its acquisition of IBM’s Microelectronics business, which includes the facility in Essex Junction, Vermont, and the approximate 3,000 employees that go with it. IBM will retain many workers in Vermont as part of the deal. IBM will give GlobalFoundries $1.5 billion and in return GlobalFoundries signed a 10-year contract to supply IBM with advanced technology. IBM had sought to sell the money-losing division for several years as it turns away from manufacturing and focuses more on high-end, high-margin business services.

Governor Peter Shumlin Tuesday marked an important milestone in the rebuilding of the Waterbury State Office Complex, joining state and local officials to witness the installation of monumental cupolas that will frame the center of the new campus. The project, now 80 percent complete, is progressing as expected, on time, and on budget.

With the June 30th retirement of CEO William Catto, President Dan Bridge will take on the Chief Executive role. Current Senior Vice President Mark McDonnell will elevate to the number two position in the organization and partner with Bridge to lead the company.

“This completes a well-planned leadership transition that began several years ago”, said Bridge. “Since joining the company in 2014, Mark has made significant contributions to our organization and I look forward to partnering with him as we move the company forward.”

Bridge continued “I think I speak for both Mark and myself when I say we are excited about the future of this organization. We are fortunate to work with an exceptional team here at Vermont Mutual, comprised of both our dedicated employees and our agency partners.”

TThe United States Supreme Court on Thursday granted Vermont’s request to review a lower court decision regarding VHCURES, Vermont’s all-payer health care database. VHCURES is an important repository of health care claims information, which Vermont uses to assess health care costs, access, and quality. The Green Mountain Care Board administers VHCURES and requires all health care payers (including private insurers and plan administrators) to provide de-identified claims data for this database.

Mayor Miro Weinberger today announced that Chief of Staff Mike Kanarick will be leaving the Mayor’s Office after serving in City Hall since Weinberger became Mayor more than three years ago. Kanarick has accepted a position with the Burlington Electric Department where he will serve as Director of Customer Engagement and Communications, effective July 6. The mayor also announced that Brian Lowe will be promoted to the Chief of Staff position after having served for nearly two years as Mayoral Projects Coordinator, and Jen Kaulius will be promoted from her current scheduler and assistant role in which she has served for more than three years to the position being vacated by Lowe.

From left, Weinberger, Kaulius, Kanarick and Lowe. Courtesy photo.

by Timothy McQuiston Vermont Business Magazine The patent on the silicon-based integrated circuit was barely five years old when an IBM manager called into his office in East Fishkill, NY, a small group of his best young engineers. This was 50 years ago almost exactly, in the spring of 1965, and he wanted them to try and use ICs for memory. To that point they’d only been used for logic. IBM was developing an important computer for the National Security Agency and VP of Engineering Eric Bloch asked his engineers to see if ICs could be used for one small component. If not, he told them, he’d use something else for the system protect.

RELATED STORY: GlobalFoundries completes acquisition of IBM Microelectronics business, July 1, 2015

Chroma Technology Corp, based in Bellows Falls, has received an award for workplace safety from workers’ compensation insurer MEMIC. Only eight, out of more than 20,000 policyholders, were honored with a safety award at MEMIC’s Annual Meeting. Chroma Technology Corp is an employee-owned manufacturer of optical filters.

“Chroma Technology Corp. has a best practice injury prevention program that gets incredible results year after year,” said its MEMIC safety management consultant, Eric Grant. “Chroma Technology Corp. has taken proactive, self-directed approaches to reducing non-value added tasks, human touches and ergonomic risk factors.” The company has invested in robotic processes and automation that eliminate risk factors and prevent injuries.

Attorney General William H Sorrell has announced that Jennifer Newsome, age 50, of Ludlow, Vermont, was arraigned on June 23, 2015, in Vermont Superior Court for Windsor County on two felony counts of Medicaid Fraud and three felony counts of False Pretenses. The court imposed conditions of release governing Ms. Newsome’s conduct while the case is pending.

by Mike Smith The pathway to the presidency often hinges on the south. This is particularly true for Republicans, but Democrats too must be competitive in key southern states like North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia to win the presidency. That is why, for years, both parties tap-danced around removing the Confederate battle flag from public property and condemning it for what it has become — a symbol of racism. For years, presidential candidates have either said nothing or avoided taking a definitive stance that might anger some southerners. Often they would say that flying a Confederate battle flag was a state issue rather than a federal one. But racism is a national issue.

by Amy Ash Nixon vtdigger.org Superintendents and school board leaders representing 23 supervisory unions in Vermont flocked to Montpelier last week, seeking guidance on how to begin tackling Act 46 – the new education governance reform law which calls for larger school districts to be formed.

The new law pushes the state’s 277 school districts to partner with nearby districts in order to forge larger school systems of at least 900 pupils.

Ben & Jerry’s is celebrating Friday’s landmark decision from the United States Supreme Court making same-sex marriage a basic right for all Americans. Known for taking a stance with its values as much as its euphoric flavors and cleverly named products, Ben & Jerry’s is commemorating the Supreme Court decision by renaming its iconic Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream: “I Dough, I Dough.” I Dough, I Dough will be available in a special commemorative pint sleeve at participating scoop shops for a limited time.