Current News

Thomas Hark, president and CEO of Vermont Youth Conservation Corps joined Vermont Tech President Dan Smith Thursday in announcing the new Working Lands Certificate Program at the Vermont Farm Show in Essex Junction. Venture Semester, a VYCC and Vermont Tech partnership program, is designed to immerse students in agriculture, food, and leadership, as well as enhance high school graduates’ access to higher education.

Dan Smith, left, and Thomas Hark.

“I believe fervently that partnerships like this one will be the infrastructure of the next decade.” Said Dan Smith, Vermont Tech’s president. “The future is in finding ways to do more for Vermont and for students with our partners than we can each do alone.”

The Vermont Dairy Industry brings $2.2 Billion in economic activity to Vermont annually, according to a new study funded by the Vermont Dairy Promotion Council. Findings from the study were unveiled Thursday at the Vermont Farm Show in Essex. Recognizing the need for up-to-date data about dairy’s impact on Vermont’s economy, the Vermont Dairy Promotion Council partnered with the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, and Castleton Polling to quantify the impact of the industry on Vermont’s economy and way of life. The study, which began in March 2014, was funded by dairy farmers through the state’s dairy check-off program.

The data has been consolidated in a new brochure called “Milk Matters: The Role of Dairy in Vermont,” which can be downloaded here http://vermontdairy.com/download/VTDairy_MilkMattersReport.pdf

How well do you know your state? If you’re in the hospitality industry, it pays to know everything you can about Vermont. The Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing has created a new series of online classes for employees at Vermont lodgings and attractions. The online Ambassador Training program focuses on Vermont branding, state parks, history, heritage and more. Ambassador Training also offers valuable customer service tips, and insight into consumer trends such as agritourism and culinary travel. The training is free and geared specifically to Vermont’s travel and hospitality-related businesses.

Darn Tough Vermont, American manufacturer of the fastest growing collection of outdoor performance socks, has partnered with Special Olympics Vermont for the 2015 Penguin Plunge and Winter Games events. In honor of the 20^th Anniversary of the Penguin Plunge, sponsor Darn Tough Vermont will provide complimentary pairs of wool socks to Plungers who raise $520 or more. Darn Tough will also outfit all 200 Special Olympics Vermont athletes who compete in the 2015 Winter Games.

The Penguin Plunge is Special Olympics Vermont’s largest annual fundraising event, raising nearly half of the organization’s annual operating budget. Nearly 1,500 people are expected to jump into Vermont’s icy lakes in North Bennington (Jan. 31), Newport (Feb. 1) and Burlington (February 7) to raise funds and awareness for Special Olympics Vermont.

Cynthia Stuart has been named deputy commissioner of the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation’s Banking Division, Commissioner Susan L Donegan announced today. Stuart has more than 18 years of experience in both the retail and community aspects of banking and brings to the job a wealth of knowledge of current operations and senior management.

Stuart has worked at several federal community banks in New Hampshire and Vermont, including Connecticut River Bank NA in Littleton, NH, where she was senior vice president of Retail Banking and Deposit Operations and most recently Ledyard National Bank in Hanover, NH, where she was senior vice president and senior retail banking officer.

Donegan said she is pleased to welcome Stuart to the department and is delighted to have someone of her high caliber join the staff.

Vermont will receive $90,000 from Main Street Power Mail, Inc, of Sheridan, Indiana, which generated leads for insurance agents by sending direct mailings to Vermonters, many of them elderly, asking for personal information without explaining how the information would be used. Such activity is a violation of state and federal law. Under the settlement, Main Street Power Mail will pay the State $90,000 and be required to clearly disclose the purpose of its mailings in the future.

According to Attorney General William Sorrell, the settlement is the second in the past three months that imposes sanctions on companies that used Vermonters’ personal information for commercial reasons without their informed consent. “We will not tolerate businesses using deception to obtain consumers’ private information,” he said.

Vermont Business Magazine The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has revised the US Standards for Grades of Maple Syrup. The revision defines quality factors and establishes new color determinations for Grade A. The grade of syrup will be determined based on flavor, odor, damage, and turbidity or cloudiness. Further, the spelling of the product in the standard was changed from “sirup” to “syrup.” The four new categories will be more descriptive. Vermont revised its grading system last year and the USDA likewise wants to standardize it across the nation.

The maple sugar industry in Vermont was worth nearly $50 million in 2013 and in 2014 Vermont produced 41 percent of all the syrup produced in the US. SEE TABLES BELOW

The Addison County Economic Development Corporation (ACEDC) has approved financing that will allow Middlebury-based start-up Stonecutter Spirits, based in Middlebury, to begin production. Robin Scheu, Executive Director of ACEDC, confirmed her organization will use its revolving loan funds to lend $100,000 to the local gin and whiskey manufacturer. This financing is part of a $500,000 project with additional funding coming from Opportunities Credit Union and the National Bank of Middlebury. As a result of this investment, Stonecutter Spirits expects to create 7-12 full time jobs as well as 6 part time positions over the next three years.

by Rob Roper The Vermont legislature has long been bent on saving the planet through government micromanagement of energy policy. The big issue this year appears to be passing a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) that would require utilities to sell a set percentage renewable power (and thereby forcing customers buy the more expensive product). The other issue, likely debated but not moved on this year, is a Carbon Tax designed to make fossil fuel use artificially expensive.

According to a recent report by Ross Koningstein and David Fork, engineers at Google who worked on the company’s groundbreaking renewable energy project RE

Senate Republicans today shot down a proposal by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) to help install up to 10 million solar power systems for homes and businesses in the coming decade. Rebates for solar systems would have been authorized by a Sanders amendment to a Keystone XL oil pipeline bill now before the Senate.

“The scientific community tells us very clearly if we're going to reverse climate change and the great dangers it poses for the planet we must move aggressively to transform our energy system away from fossil fuels to energy efficiency and sustainable energy,” Sanders said.

His amendment called for a 15 percent rebate to homeowners and businesses that install solar power. The new solar power generated would have been enough to replace one-fifth of the nation’s dirty, coal-fired power plants. The measure also would create new jobs.

by Ron Miller The Vermont Council on Rural Development is holding a major statewide conference, “Creating Prosperity & Opportunity Confronting Climate Change,” in Randolph on February 18. The gathering will launch VCRD’s new Climate Change Economy initiative, which aims to stimulate the growth of small businesses that can prosper by addressing various aspects of the climate change scenario.

VCRD’s goal is to “ally business, policy and community leadership to advance policies and investments to grow jobs and nurture innovative business development in sectors ranging from clean energy to recycling, transportation systems, and thermal efficiency.” Vermont is poised to become a national leader in this area, and the Feb. 18 event could trigger an outburst of creative energy and purposeful investment.

Image Outfitters, an advertising specialties company has implemented a new product portal on their website that makes it easy for companies to make responsible choices when searching for branded merchandise that is ‘Sustainable’, ‘Recycled’ or ‘Made in the USA’. Image Outfitters is the first and only advertising specialties company in the United States to become a certified B Corporation and has been championing social responsibility through their iShare Charitable Donations Program. In the past two years since the program’s inception, Image Outfitters has donated 10 percent of each new sale to a nonprofit of the client’s choosing – giving to over 60 different charities so far!