Current News

Darn Tough Vermont, American manufacturer of the only premium, performance socks with an unconditional lifetime guarantee, reports that Q1 2012 sales and profitability were the best ever in its, and parent Cabot Hosieryâ s, 34-year history. Q1 topline growth was up 42% versus the corresponding quarter in 2011, a year that saw revenue up 82% over 2010.
â Weâ ve been aggressively expanding our distribution both nationally and internationally, redesigned our packaging, diversified our markets, invested in our infrastructure here at the Vermont mill and made strategic changes to our sales team in 2011,’said Ric Cabot, founder and president of Darn Tough Vermont. â We reinvested heavily in our company in 2011, and the results bear out our strategy. We are on track to close out 2012 with exceptional performance on both the top and bottom lines, facilitating the implementation of a number of important strategies that we have in the works for 2013.â

You know youâ ve had that sudden urge for an afternoon pick-me-up treat, something sweet and refreshing, only to realize that youâ re too busy to step out of the office for a few minutes and satisfy your craving. With Ben & Jerryâ s latest outreach effort, youâ re in luck! With a little social media savvy-ness and a worthwhile cause, you could have Ben & Jerryâ s come straight to you to serve up scoops of peace, love and the companyâ s brand new, refreshing Greek Frozen Yogurt - just in time for an afternoon spring fling.
From April 16through May 11, the Ben & Jerryâ s Scoop Truck will tour Washington DC, stopping at local businesses, non-profits and community events. While giving away scoops, cups and cones is nothing new for the Vermont-based ice cream company, the stops that it will be making ‘and more specifically, how those stops will be determined ‘are different.

The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) announced the opening of Route 108 through Smugglerâ s Notch this afternoon. Barring a major spring storm event, VTrans plans to keep the route open until sometime this fall when the snow will once again reclaim the notch.

Environmental stewardship is at the core of Woodchuck Hard Cider. As efforts continue to reduce our carbon footprint as a company, we also endeavor to support causes beyond the walls of our Middlebury Cidery.

For the thirdconsecutive year,WoodchuckHard Cider has teamed up with American Forests, and theirGlobal ReLeafprogram. The program plants trees in areas ravaged by wildfire and other natural disasters. Since 1991, they have planted more than 40 million trees in all 50 states and 38 different countries.

How many trees will we plant you ask? Well, that all depends on our loyal and dedicated fan base. For every new â like’we get on Facebook we will plant two trees in their honor. Itâ s our way of supporting the mission of Earth Week, and building a healthier planet.

FiberMark, a world-class producer of specialty fiber-based materials used in decorative coverings for luxury packaging and publishing, performance boards for office products and graphic design and many technical specialty applications, announces a major product launch that promises to bring sweeping innovation to the horticultural tag and gift card industries.

With the recent development and release of two new fiber-based tag and card products --FiberTagand FiberCard -- FiberMark continues to solidify its leadership position by introducing more environmentally sensitiveâ as well as more durableâ card and tag materials for the many products that require them.

With student loan debt reaching a crisis stage nationwide, Representative Peter Welch today announced efforts to block a scheduled doubling of Stafford Student Loan interest rates that could add up to $11,000 in additional repayment costs for some Vermont college students.

Welch is pushing for passage of HR 3826, which would extend the current 3.4 percent interest rate on Federal Direct Stafford Student Loans. If Congress fails to act, the rate will double to 6.8 percent on July 1, 2012, increasing by $11,000 the twenty-year repayment costs for a student borrowing maximum amount.

FairPoint Communications, Inc has kicked off â Heroes in Our Community’as a way to recognize the great work of Vermontâ s nonprofits.

â Vermontâ s nonprofits really make the Green Mountain State a stronger and better place to live and work,’said Mike Smith, Vermont state president for FairPoint. â They connect communities and help Vermonters; FairPoint is honored to recognize their good deeds.â

Heroes in Our Community was launched on WVMTâ s Charlie + Ernie + Lisa in the Morning! show and Smith will be updating listeners weekly on vote tallies. All Vermont-based 501(c)3 organizations with an operating budget of less than $1 million are eligible to receive votes.

On May 14, the field will be narrowed to the top six vote-getting charities. The final winner will be announced on June 25 on WVMT and will receive a $2,000 grant from FairPoint.

Votes can be submitted on FairPointâ sFacebook page.

Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger today announced the appointment of Ian P. Carleton, Esq. as City Attorney for the City of Burlington. Carleton currently is a partner and shareholder at the Burlington law firm Sheehey Furlong & Behm, P.C. and a former Burlington City Council President. Weinberger has asked the Board of Finance and City Council to approve the appointment at their April 30, 2012 meetings.

Itâ s far from business as usual at Vermont Tech, which is launching aBusiness Plan Competitionfor food- and farm-related businesses to encourage new business development. Open to residents and students in Washington, Orange, and Windsor Counties, prizes totaling $22,250 will be awarded.
The competition is open to farm and food individuals and businesses engaged in food production, processing, distribution, packaging, or retailing including restaurants. Also eligible are those in the agriculture enterprises of wood products, equine-related businesses, and fiber production.
â Vermont Tech is seeking to raise awareness of small business entrepreneurship and to encourage new business development in three critical areas: Existing Business, New Business, and Student,’said Steve Paddock, director of the Vermont Tech Enterprise Center, a business incubator designed to support growth companies.

Rutland Mayor Christopher Louras announced today a proposal developed by AllEarth Renewables, a Williston solar manufacturer, for a 150kW solar farm located at the old poor farm off of Woodstock Avenue. The proposed solar farm in the City of Rutland would bring both clean energy and taxpayer savings to the City, Louras said.
Under the project proposal, the City will both receive the solar energy and a 5 percent savings -- approximately $2,050 annually -- on its electric bill for the power the installation produces.
The proposed farm will produce an average 205,000 kWh per year using the Vermont-made AllSun Tracker and is expected to produce enough energy to supply City Hall, the Cityâ s Jeffords Amtrak Station, and a portion of Giorgetti Arena. The 26 solar trackers would occupy approximately 1.5 acres.

Secretary of Administration Jeb Spaulding released the March 2012 tax revenue results today. While General Fund revenues rebounded nearly across the board, as did the Education Fund to a lesser degree, the Transportation Fund was below expectations. These results are consistent with an improving economy, except with the price of gasoline, now hitting $4 a gallon, and an early end to the ski season slowing gas tax and rooms & meals tax receipts.
General Fund revenues totaled $87.49 million for March 2012, and were +$7.45 million or +9.30% above the $80.04 million consensus revenue forecast for the month. Year to date, General Fund revenues were $838.12 million, and -$6.71 million or -0.79% short of the target of $844.82 million for FY 2012. The FY 2012 results through March remain ahead of the same period for the prior fiscal year (FY 2011) by 2.76%. March is the ninth month of fiscal year (FY) 2012.

First quarter licensure of new captive insurance companies is off to a strong start with eight new captive licenses in 2012, according to data released by the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation (formerly BISHCA). Vermontâ s legislature has also passed new captive insurance legislation that has been signed into law byVermont Governor Peter Shumlin.
â We are committed to making sure Vermontâ s captive law keeps pace with the needs of the industry,’said Governor Shumlin. â We welcome the industryâ s input to make sure our law is the â Gold Standard’for regulation.â
â We had a great first quarter with the licensing of eight new captives,’saidDavid Provost, Vermontâ s Deputy Commissioner of Captive Insurance. â 2011 was only the 6th year in our history that Vermont surpassed 40 new captives and this first quarter makes for the strongest start since 2005.â