Current News

Saturday’s Last Mile Ride – Gifford Medical Center’s annual charity motorcycle ride – attracted more than 180 riders and raised approximately $40,000 for end-of-life care at the nonprofit Randolph medical center.
Started in 2006 by Gifford nurse and motorcyclist Lynda McDermott of Randolph, the ride has grown significantly in the five years since in both the number of riders it attracts and the money it raises.
This year’s ride took motorcyclists through about 100 miles of central Vermont countryside through Randolph, Northfield, Montpelier, Middlesex, the Mad River Valley, Rochester, Bethel and more. Orange County Sheriff Bill Bohnyak led the ride and combat veterans provided “road guard” services.

As the economic downturn continues to take its toll on entrepreneurs nationwide, six small businesses in the Upper Valley region of Vermont are pushing ahead with plans to expand their business prospects using technical assistance grants secured by the Green Mountain Economic Development Corporation (GMEDC).
The six businesses, located in five towns of the GMEDC’s 30-town region, are leveraging the money to explore new markets, focus on financial controls, enhance visibility, and ultimately to expand and add jobs.

Governor Jim Douglas today announced that the Administration will begin implementing eProcurement for the State of Vermont after recently receiving approval from the Joint Fiscal Committee. The Department of Buildings and General Services and the Department of Information and Innovation, through the Office of Purchasing & Contracting will work with Vermont Interactive Consortium (VIC) ‘ the State’s web portal company ‘ to implement an eProcurement System for Vermont procurement and purchasing, with first use of the system scheduled for the beginning of calendar year 2011. A phased implementation of the system is planned.
‘Implementation of an eProcurement system will not only streamline the bid and response process, but also to increase competition among vendors,’ said Governor Douglas. ‘A larger market means more competition which will ultimately lead to cost savings for taxpayers.’

Secretary of Administration Neale F Lunderville announced today that Vermont’s July revenue figures for the General Fund and Transportation Fund fell below targets, while the Education Fund exceeded its target.
General Fund
Secretary of Administration Neale F Lunderville released the July 2010 General Fund Revenues today. July is the first month of fiscal year (FY) 2011. General Fund revenues totaled $82.22 million for July 2010, and were -$3.61 million or -4.21% below the $85.83 million consensus revenue forecast for the month. July is the first month of the fiscal year; therefore the monthly and year to date results are the same.

Champlain College will honor Major General Michael D. Dubie as this year’s Distinguished Citizen at the Convocation ceremony for incoming first-year students on Friday, August 27, 2010, at 3 pm at Skiff Hall.
Dubie was born and raised in the Burlington area and went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics at the University of Vermont and a Masters of Arts degree in International Relations from Norwich University. He has studied national and international security at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Dubie serves as the Adjutant General of the State of Vermont, responsible for the 4,000 members of the National Guard and a $220 million annual budget. Leading the Guard during the largest deployment since World War II presents many unique challenges, including ensuring the wounded get the very best medical care and taking care of the families who have lost loved ones overseas.

Ensuring a safe food supply is our top priority here at the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets. Accordingly, we protect consumers by maintaining aggressive food safety programs on both the retail and farm levels.
‘According to FDA reports, the eggs implicated in this nationwide recall were produced in Iowa. We trust those statements to be true, however to err on the side of caution, our staff of food safety inspectors remain on the lookout for recalled eggs at the retail level. To date, none of the recalled eggs have been found in Vermont, nor have any human cases of Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) been reported to the Vermont Department of Health been linked to the recalled eggs.

CVPS crews restored power to about 14,000 customers after strong winds coupled with heavy rains pushed through the state. Restoration efforts in the Bennington County area from Sunday night’s strong winds were pretty much complete at 5 am Tuesday morning. CVPS reported that it is wrapping up some end-of-the-storm clean-up, and a few individual customer services. Crews also restored power to customers in Rutland and Addison counties and to an additional 900 customers in Windsor County, who lost power due to continued strong winds Monday.
The wind damage in Bennington County was extensive. Transmission lines in Arlington were brought down by trees, breaking crossarms and insulators and causing two substations to lock out through the night, and crews spent much of Moday working to repair those lines in off-road locations. CVPS is continuing to patrol its transmission lines in that area as well.

Casey Research (www.caseyresearch.com) has been named to the prestigious Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing, privately held companies in America. The annual list published by Inc. magazine is determined by a company’s revenue and growth.
‘Casey Research has experienced tremendous growth since its inception, and the current economy has not changed that. As investors grapple with difficult markets and unheard-of economic conditions, more and more of them are taking control of their own investment strategies,’ said Olivier Garret, CEO of Casey Research.
‘With a team of skilled economists and analysts who travel the world looking for undervalued investment opportunities, Casey Research presents analysis of economic trends that allows our subscribers to make intelligent decisions.’

Business financing of $18.2 million was approved by the Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA), helping to advance a number of economic development projects throughout Vermont.
‘New jobs will be created in Vermont, and current jobs retained, with the help of VEDA financing,’ said Jo Bradley, VEDA’s Chief Executive Officer. ‘These business development projects will bring new growth to the manufacturing, technology, agricultural, tourism, and small business sectors of Vermont’s economy.’
Approved by VEDA are:

Vermont Technical College this week was named among the top 10 best public baccalaureate colleges in the North by U.S. News & World Report.
In its 2011 “Best Colleges” issue, Vermont Tech placed ninth among all ranked public baccalaureate colleges in the North and 31st among all northern colleges. This is the fourth year in a row that Vermont Tech has placed among U.S.News & World Report’s top performers.
U.S.News & World Report’s annual college rankings are widely anticipated, circulated and respected throughout the United States. There are 319 baccalaureate colleges ranked within four regions of the United States: North, South, Midwest, and West. Vermont Tech is one of just two Vermont colleges to make this year’s “Best Baccalaureate Colleges” list.

On July 1, Sarah and Thad Launderville realized their dream of becoming homeowners when they moved into their new house on Williamstown's Pleasant Street. Their purchase was the culmination of their 3-year quest to buy a home, finally made possible with help from Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA), Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD) and Central Vermont Community Land Trust (CVCLT).
The Laundervilles — including twins, Clara and Milly-Ellen, and newcomer, Evan — are one of several families helped over the past year by the federally funded Housing Acquisition & Rehabilitation Program (HARP) administered by VHFA.

The Vermont primary is TODAY, Tuesday, August 24. If you are voting with the Democratic ballot, you have probably had the following question posed to you and responded in the following way: ‘Who are you voting for?’ ‘I don’t know yet.’
To assist in your decision making now that it is down to the wire, Vermont Business Magazine has packaged all its relevant stories and interviews into this one file, which includes the televised debate from the Addison County Fair and Field Days, done in conjunction with WCAX-TV and WDEV Radio.
Debate: http://vermontbiz.com/video/addison-county-fair-and-field-days-gubernato...
Economic Plans: http://www.vermontbiz.com/news/august/democratic-candidates-governor-off...
Candidate Statements when asked, ‘Why do you want to be governor?’: