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The Vermont Economic Progress Council (VEPC) authorized incentives totaling $3.8 million under the Vermont Employment Growth Incentive (VEGI) program, which will encourage the creation of 557 new, well-paying jobs for Vermonters, with an average compensation of $50,385. These projects will also create about $21.4 million in new full-time payroll for Vermonters, and the companies plan to invest $37.7 million in qualifying capital investments in Vermont between 2014 and 2019.

“The VEGI program continues to encourage the creation of good paying jobs and investment in Vermont that otherwise would not occur, generating new revenue to the state to support other programs,” said Patricia Moulton, Vermont’s Secretary of Commerce and Community Development. “It is exciting to see this much investment activity by Vermont businesses.”

National Life Group, through its foundation, and its employees donated more than $100,000 to a variety of nonprofits in an annual charitable giving campaign this year. Employees were given the opportunity to have contributions to nonprofits deducted from their 2015 paychecks and the National Life Group Foundation matched donations.

“We’re proud to put into action our corporate values to do good in our communities,” said Beth Rusnock, president of the National Life Group Foundation. “By teaming employees with our charitable giving arm, we are able to make the good go farther.”

Most of the donations will go to nonprofits in Vermont and Texas, where National Life Group has offices, and the groups range from local food banks to organizations supporting children and families.

At a news conference Friday afternoon, Mayor Miro Weinberger delivered the following statement about the completion of the Settlement Agreement in the Burlington Telecom lawsuit. CitiBank had sued the city for $33.5 million over an unpaid loan from BT. A complex public/private financing plan eventually emerged last year to save the telecom from possible liquidation and city taxpayers from covering the debt.

Mayor Miro Weinberger Statement

Good afternoon and happy New Year. Thank you for joining us.

For the City of Burlington, the start of the New Year is an especially happy time. Earlier this afternoon, the final steps were taken to complete the Settlement Agreement in the Burlington Telecom lawsuit with Citibank.

Governor Peter Shumlin will appoint Burlington attorney Nancy Waples to serve on the Vermont Superior Court, replacing Judge Geoffrey Crawford. Waples currently practices with the Burlington law firm of Hoff Curtis where she focuses on criminal defense. She previously served as an Assistant US Attorney in the Criminal Division of the Vermont US Attorney’s Office. She has experience with a variety of civil and administrative matters, including adjudication of Act 250 cases as a Governor Howard Dean appointee to the State’s Environmental Board. She also provides pro bono legal services to non-English speaking individuals.

The daughter of Chinese immigrants, Waples was born in Canada and became a US citizen in 1977. Growing up working in her parents’ restaurant, she learned to speak English at age nine.

The Vermont DMV has announced that DMV Express, Vermont’s online vehicle registration service, recently eclipsed a total of 1.5 million online registration renewals since its launch in 2005. With approximately 750,000 vehicle registration renewals transacted annually through the Vermont DMV over all channels, over 30 percent are now processed through the popular online service.

“DMV Express is our most popular online service, and demonstrates that Vermonters have come to expect online services as the most efficient way to do business with the state,” said Commissioner Robert Ide.

Vermont’s minimum wage increased today, January 1, 2015, by 42 cents – from $8.73 to $9.15 – because of legislation signed into law by Governor Peter Shumlin earlier this year. The rate will climb to $9.60 in 2016, $10.00 in 2017 and $10.50 in 2018, and will be re-indexed to the CPI-U inflation rate in subsequent years.

“There is no doubt that the economic recovery has been slow for many Vermonters and Americans, and that is especially true for employees on the lower end of the wage scale,” said Gov. Shumlin, “Raising Vermont’s minimum wage will give a boost to many hard-working Vermonters and will help drive increased economic activity and security that will benefit the economy as a whole.”

In an effort to kick off an economically focused Legislative Biennium, Lieutenant Governor Phil Scott and Vision to Action Vermont are hosting the “Vermont Economy Pitch – Priority # 1 on Day One” on January 7, 2015 – the first day of the 2015-2016 session.

All legislators have been invited to attend the Economy Pitch at Capitol Plaza in order to hear representatives from the Vermont business community make a short, 5-minute pitch about the economy from their perspective – the current landscape, opportunities we as a State might take advantage of, and challenges we must address.

“It is critical we send the right message immediately out of the gate this coming biennium – that improving our State’s economy is priority number one,” said Scott. “For years I have argued for a laser-like focus on our economy, and this event will help make that a reality.”

Governor Peter Shumlin will appoint Sarah Hofmann to serve as a member of the Public Service Board, replacing retiring Board member John Burke. Hofmann is a former Deputy Commissioner and Public Advocate at the Department of Public Service, and is currently the executive director of the New England Conference of Public Utilities Commissioners. She will begin to hear new matters at the Public Service Board starting in March 2015.

“Sarah brings an excellent combination of accessibility, warmth and deep policy expertise to the Board. Her institutional knowledge, innate fairness and good sense of public engagement will serve the Board very well,” said the Governor.

Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station's final shutdown occurred at 1:03 pm Monday, December 29, 2014, after 42 years of operation. An NRC Resident Inspector assigned to the Vernon plant was in the control room to observe the permanent cessation of reactor operations. She reported that the shutdown went smoothly and was not unlike the start of a typical outage for refueling and maintenance activities.

Vermont Woodlands Association (VWA) has been selected as one of the 51 winners from each state and Washington DC in the sixth annual Tom’s of Maine “50 States for Good” community giving program. The organization will receive $10,000 to fund important community projects and services that will expand educational programs for woodland owners.

Vermont Woodland’s educational initiative will offer programs and services designed to meet the needs of women woodland owners; succession planning workshops to assist an aging landowner demographic; and Tree Farm program support to encourage greater stewardship among landowners with smaller acreage. All programs are designed to meet specific needs of target audiences while focusing on overarching concerns about the future of our forest.

by Paul Costello When we think of Vermont, we picture our beautiful working landscape, our lakes and mountains, and our dynamic community centers. Our past is crucial to who we are and to the character and identity of this special place. But the land we care for and our beautiful downtowns are actually the result of waves of past innovation, a repository of our historical creativity.

Today we see a resurgence in that innovation in the context of international markets and global challenges. Vermont’s tech companies like Dealer.com and MyWebGrocer are well-publicized success stories. But now, lower entry costs and greater broadband availability are combining to bring remarkable opportunities to Main Street that we are just starting to discover.

The Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation will open the lottery for personal roadside firewood lots on state forest lands January 2, 2015. The two-week registration for “cut-your-own” lots ends January 16. Each roadside lot costs $30 and yields about three cords of wood for the 2015 home heating season.

“Demand for roadside firewood always exceeds supply, so be sure to get your name in,” cautions Commissioner Michael Snyder. “Roadside lots are trees that can be cut close to drivable forest roads. Harvesting your own firewood is a good way for families to fulfill some of their home energy needs and enjoy physical activity on their state lands.”

This year roadside lots are available in the towns of Duxbury, Orange, Johnson, Groton, and Sutton. Participants will need to indicate where they prefer to cut.