Current News

by tim

On Saturday, December 10, Vermonters shopped till they dropped ‘ and raised over $5,000 to fight hunger.
Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel held their 2nd annual Charity Sale in December, and the store and its customers collectively raised over $5,000 for Lenny’s chosen charity partner, the Vermont Foodbank. This morning, Lenny’s owner Mark McCarthy presented that donation to Vermont Foodbank CEO John Sayles.
Lenny’s customers purchased tickets, for $5 each, to the one-day sale. With that ticket, customers qualified for substantial discounts on top gift items throughout the store. More than 550 tickets were sold, and 100% of the proceeds from those ticket sales went directly to the Foodbank. Each $5 ticket sold enabled the Foodbank to help provide 30 meals for Vermonters in need.
In addition to the ticket proceeds, Lenny’s also donated a percentage of the day’s sales to benefit the Foodbank, making for a total donation of $5,148.

by [email protected]

Vermont Sports Magazinedebuts a whole new look this month, as the 20-year-old publication has freshened up with a glossy cover and layout redesign.
The magazine, published in Orleans, Vt., covers the outdoors in Vermont and Northern New England, including hiking, biking, skiing, snowboarding, rock climbing and more.
The cover and redesign are the latest in a series of changes to the magazine that aim to better reflect the outdoor scene in Vermont, including more coverage for budding athletes and weekend warriors.
‘The new cover makes you want to dive right into the issue,’ said Sky Barsch Gleiner, Vermont Sports’ publisher and editor (and recipient of a 2011 Vermont Business Magazine Rising Star Award). ‘The glossy paper makes our cover photos pop, and it gives our advertisers a nice option to help market their products.’

by tim

Larry Sudbay, President and CEO of SymQuest® Group, the region’s leading provider of network and document technology solutions and services, is pleased to announce there will be a ribbon cutting ceremony Tuesday, January 10, at 8:00 am at the SymQuest Service Center, 30 Community Drive. The ceremony is to celebrate the opening of the new 2,800 sf expansion that will house SymQuest’s Network Operations Center (NOC).
The NOC is the control center for SymQuest’s 25 top-level engineers who monitor, manage and remediate issues for close to two-thousand servers, workstations and other devices under their care. The newly renovated, secure space will provide enough room for another 12 engineers.

by tim

The Power of Three is premised of Picking up a customer’s recycling, Processing that recycling into new products, and then Providing those products back to the customer in the form of new hand towels, tissue paper, and toiletry items.
SMC’s recycling is picked up by Casella Waste Systems, brought to the Material Recovery Facility in Williston where it’s all sorted. Once sorted, the baled paper travels just one hundred miles more to the SCA plant in Glens Falls, New York to be made into 100% recycled paper content products (paper towels and toilet paper) that is then delivered back to Saint Michael’s College by Foley Distributing.
On November 15th, Saint Michael’s College reaffirmed its commitment to being a leader in sustainability by being the first College to join Casella Waste Systems Power of Threeâ ¢ closed loop recycling initiative.

by tim

To honor her lasting legacy and continuing environmental work by Vermonters,
Central Vermont Public Service today called for nominations for the 2012 CVPS-Zetterstrom Environmental Award, named for famed osprey advocate Meeri Zetterstrom.
The CVPS-Zetterstrom Environmental Award was presented for the first time in 2010, and is presented annually to one person, business, group or non-profit to honor a significant contribution to Vermont’s environment. It will be accompanied by a $2,500 donation to the winner’s environmental cause.
Zetterstrom inspired CVPS and countless Vermonters through her dogged efforts to protect and restore Vermont’s osprey population.

by tim

Governor Peter Shumlin has announced that 20 Vermont communities will receive a combined $3.58 million for 2012 Transportation Enhancements projects. The Vermont Transportation Enhancement Program is a federal-aid reimbursement program established as part of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users federal transportation bill.
Transportation Enhancements are awarded for 12 categories offering communities the opportunity to expand transportation choices. Activities such as safe bicycle and pedestrian facilities, scenic routes, beautification, historic restoration and other investments increase opportunities for economic activity, recreation, accessibility, and safety for everyone beyond traditional highway programs.

by tim

800response, the Burlington, Vermont headquartered provider of vanity 800 numbers and web-based call tracking, announced today that the company is donating seven thousand dollars to charitable organizations throughout the state in support of the local communities and families affected by Hurricane Irene.

by tim

The Vermont Country Store is partnering with The Vermont Community Foundation to create an innovative model program that will assist VCS employees experiencing disasters and other hardships. The program, called the Good Neighbor Fund, is the first of its kind in Vermont, and enhances The Vermont Country Store’s longstanding philanthropy program, which provides support to over 600 non-profit and community organizations annually in the 65 communities where its employees live and work.
While The Vermont Country Store will provide program funding, the Vermont Community Foundation will manage the process of accepting tax-deductible contributions to the fund, confidentially review and consider VCS employee applications, and make independent grant decisions and payments. The Good Neighbor Fund is the first of what The Vermont Community Foundation expects will be similar partnerships with other Vermont companies.

by tim

The chief executives ofVermont’s leading businesses appear poised to maintain their growth plans through the first half of 2012, improving on results from the previous survey. The survey was completed between December 9 and December 23 and released today byVermont Business RoundtableChair Steve Voigt, CEO, King Arthur Flour and PresidentLisa Ventriss.

by tim

The University of Vermont began a new chapter in its fundraising history January 1, 2012, with the formal start of the University of Vermont and State Agricultural Foundation, Inc.
The foundation was incorporated in March 2011 and has since been engaged in organizing its administrative and governance structure. The purpose of the UVM Foundation is to secure and manage private support for UVM. It will devote itself to raising financial support for the academic and related priorities of the university, including gifts that will build a supplemental endowment.
"This alliance has broad implications for the financial health of the University, and its impact will be felt throughout the institution," said UVM Interim President John Bramley. "With the establishment of the University of Vermont Foundation, UVM has signaled its intent to become more engaged in the broader scope of American philanthropy."

by tim

Sara Blum, President & CEO of PostScript, Inc, announced today that the company has changed its corporate name to Acorn Marketing, Inc as of the first of the year.
‘The new name, Acorn Marketing, better represents the company and our services,’ states Blum. ‘As an organization, we are driven by four core values: integrity, quality, creativity and community. The organic nature of our vision and values is evidenced in our tagline, marketing for growth,’ she continued.
The original name, PostScript, Inc reflected the founder, Peter Post who is no longer an interest holder in the company. The company has used the brand identity of the acorn and tagline since 2005.

by tim

Secretaryof State Jim Condos reminds Vermont businesses that if your business registration with the Division of Corporations/Business Services has a Fiscal Year End of December (i.e. FYE 12); your annual reports are due between January 1stand March 15th2012.
‘The December annual reports filing is our busiest time of year. We have sent out close to 40,000 notices to Vermont businesses informing them that it is time to file their annual report’, statedSecretaryCondos.
‘Maintaining your status as aVermontentity on an annual basis is an important part of your statutory responsibilities as a business inVermont. Furthermore, the process is quick and we encourage clients to file online.’
With a greater emphasis on reducing government waste, while being more environmentally conscious, Secretary Condos is asking Vermont businesses to file online rather than print the form and mail it in.