Current News

After years spent at their Lakeside Avenue plant in Burlington's South End, General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products has announced plans to relocate. In a statement released on Friday the 23, the company revealed that it will be moving its operations to IBM Road in Williston next year. The company is one of Burlington's largest private employers, with a roster of nearly 450 people.
According to General Dynamics, employees will remain at the existing Lakeside Avenue site until the new facility is reconstructed to the company's specifications. The new facility, owned and operated by IBM Corp., consists of 112,000 square feet of office space.
General Dynamics received nearly $522 million in business with the federal government during 2008. According to figures provided by Bill Mastersons from the Vermont Procurement Technical Assistance Center, the company is Vermont's largest beneficiary of federal contracts.

Co-operative Insurance Companies was recognized this month for its achievements in improving electronic communication with its agencies. In presenting Co-op with the 2009 Interface Partner Award, insurance technology company Applied Systems noted Co-op’s leadership, innovations, and commitment to providing its agents with easy access to the most up-to-date quoting and policy information.
“The continued commitment of forward-thinking carriers such as Co-op keeps our industry advancing,” said Doug Johnston, vice president, Partner Relations & Product Innovations at Applied Systems. “We recognize the company’s dedication to interface partnerships with its agencies, and for overall benefit to the industry.”

Roger Allbee, Vermont Secretary of Agriculture yesterday announced the appointment of Diane Bothfeld as Deputy Secretary. David Lane, formerly Deputy Secretary of the Agency of Agriculture recently resigned to pursue another opportunity.
“Diane is very enthusiastic, dedicated and concerned about agriculture in Vermont and nationally. She brings an excellent skill set and energy to the position,” said Allbee. “We look forward to working with her in this new role for the agency.”
Most recently, Diane held the position of Dairy Policy Administrator for the agency. In this role she represented the Vermont dairy industry on many levels and implemented dairy policy on the state and national levels.

US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) today announced $944,000 in federal funding for state law enforcement and first responders. Sanders secured $506,000 to for the Vermont Department of Public Safety to improve communications equipment and technology. Another $250,000 will allow the Vermont State Police to take advantage of the most advanced in-cruiser camera technology available, according to Col. Tom L’Esperance, the state police director.
“This technology will ensure Vermont State Police meet our goals of flawless evidence collection, efficient investigations, swift prosecution, transparent performance, and bias-free policing,” L’Esperance said.

In response to the recent Champlain Bridge closure, New York Governor David A. Paterson and Vermont Governor Jim Douglas today announced transportation alternatives so that residents can cross Lake Champlain. New York and Vermont have reached an agreement with the Fort Ticonderoga Ferry operator to offer free ferry service between Ticonderoga, New York and Shoreham, Vermont and with Lake Champlain Transportation to offer free ferry service at the Essex/Charlotte crossing. Also, starting tomorrow, free express bus service will bring commuters to three major employers in Vermont. In addition, pedestrian ferry service has been established north of the Lake Champlain Bridge between Westport, New York and Basin Harbor, Vermont.

The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) and Vermont Agency of Transportation will host two public information meetings regarding available transportation alternatives for crossing Lake Champlain and the plan to repair and reopen the Lake Champlain Bridge spanning from Crown Point, New York, to Chimney Point, Vermont.
The first meeting will be held Tuesday, October 27, at the Addison Central School located at 121 Vermont Route 17W, Addison, Vermont. The second meeting will be held on Wednesday, October 28 at the Moriah Central School located at 29 Viking Lane in Port Henry, New York, and will be attended by representatives from New York s State Emergency Management Office. Both meetings will begin at 7 pm.

Hansen Beverage Company and Rock Art Brewery today issued the following statement in connection with a recent trademark issue: Hansen Beverage Company and Rock Art Brewery have reached an amicable agreement under which both companies' respective products will be protected -- Hansen's Monster Energy(R) line of energy drinks and Rock Art's Vermonster beer products.
* Rodney Sacks, Hansen's chief executive officer, said: "We are pleased that we were able to resolve this matter expeditiously and put the concerns that had arisen behind us so that both parties can concentrate on their day-to-day businesses, selling their respective high-quality products. Our intent in this matter was simply to protect Hansen's trademarks and prevent any likelihood of confusion arising in the future through potential product extensions and was not to prevent Rock Art Brewery from selling their Vermonster beer."

Two-hundred and sixty women are registered to attend the Eighth Annual Key4Women Forum featuring former healthy food entrepreneur and cookbook author Nadja Piatka. After her 20-year marriage abruptly ended, Piatka was left with debt, no job skills and two daughters to raise. With a $100 investment, she started a business in her kitchen and grew it to become an international supplier to Subway, McDonalds and Wegmans. She has appeared on Oprah, the Today Show and Canada AM. She recently overcame leukemia. She will share her story and advice on overcoming challenges to achieve your goals.
Prior to Piatka s remarks, Key will present the Achieve Award to Heather Paine, owner of Dragonfly Candles and co-owner of Candles & Creations in South Burlington. Heather was recently named to KeyBank s Key4Women National Advisory Board. The Achieve Award recognizes a successful woman business owner who is actively involved in her community.

FairPoint Communications, Inc, which provides most of Vermont's landline telephone and DSL internet services, today announced it has reached agreement on a comprehensive financial restructuring plan with creditors and will file for bankruptcy protection. The company assured the public that service will not be interrupted. The debt-for-equity deal makes the creditors the de facto owners of FairPoint, while reducing the debt service significantly. The company also said it is negotiating a deal with bond holders to further stabilize its liabilities. A bankruptcy filing has been expected since summer.

No one anticipated that the capstone event of 2009 s Lake Champlain Quadricentennial would be the closing of the Champlain Bridge, though in retrospect it was bound to happen sometime in the near future.
Anyone who had seen pictures of its rusting riveted steel, plugged roadway drains, and other deferred maintenance knew there was a chance that the 1929 metal truss bridge would have to be replaced completely. What New York State s bridge inspectors didn t know (under a signed agreement, New York had responsibility for maintaining the bridge at Crown Point while Vermont takes care of the one in the north at Rouse s Point) was what lay beneath the summer s high water levels.

In the week since New York Department of Transportation officials deemed the Champlain Bridge connecting Chimney Point, Vermont to Crown Point, New York unsafe for vehicle or pedestrian traffic, federal, state and local officials have been hard at work pinpointing and addressing the wide-range of challenges created by the bridge closure. Governor Jim Douglas today spoke with his staff via conference call from Seoul, South Korea to hear the latest update on the situation. At Governor Douglas direction, members of his cabinet have been coordinating efforts to ensure the needs of Vermonters, beyond the immediate transportation crisis, are being adequately addressed.

On their first full day in Asia, Governor Douglas and Commerce Secretary Kevin Dorn finalized plans with Jay Peak Resort President Bill Stenger and his partners, South Korean company AnC Bio Inc, to designate its new subsidiary, AnC Bio VT, LLC as an official Vermont EB-5 Regional Center Project. AnC Bio VT is now raising money for a planned new facility in Orleans County that will lead to the creation of over 200 new jobs.