Current News

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc (NASDAQ: GMCR) today announced that its Board of Directors has approved a three-for-two stock split to be effected in the form of a stock dividend. The Company will distribute one additional share of its common stock to all shareholders of record at the close of business on May 29, 2009 for every two shares of common stock held on that date. The shares will be distributed on June 8, 2009 by the Company's transfer agent, Continental Stock Transfer so that the new shares issued will equal 1.5 times the pre-split number (rounded down as necessary) with fractional shares paid in cash. The Company’s common stock will begin trading on a split-adjusted basis on June 9, 2009 at the June 8th closing price divided by 1.5.

Practice Greenhealth, the nations only membership association devoted to environmentally responsible healthcare, has announced its 2009 Environmental Excellence Award winners. These competitive awards are given to institutions within the healthcare sector for outstanding programs to reduce the facilitys environmental footprint.
Fletcher Allen Health Care of Burlington and Metro Health Hospital of Wyoming, MI, were acknowledged with Practice Greenhealths highest award by being admitted to the Environmental Leadership Circle, which honors facilities that exemplify environmental excellence and are setting the highest standards for environmental practices in health care.

The Salaam Boutique has been recognized as a 2009 Editors Choice in Yankee Magazine s Travel Guide to New England, as Vermont s Favorite Women s Clothing Store. The Editors Choice recommendation designates Yankee editors and writers favorite restaurants, lodgings, attractions, and bargains across New England.
Yankee s editors and our trusted legion of travel writers select our Editors Choice winners, says Yankee editor Mel Allen. From their own experiences and tips from our readers, they research and find the most deserving establishments in New England. Recipients range from the rustic to the refined, but all are noteworthy and memorable destinations.

Representative Peter Welch today announced the hiring of two Vermonters for positions in his Washington and Vermont offices. Brent Raymond, a Swanton native and Williston resident, will join Welch s Vermont office as Business Liaison. Julia Drost, a Brownsville native and University of Vermont graduate, will join Welch s Washington office as Staff Assistant.
I m pleased to welcome these outstanding Vermonters to our team. Brent and Julia both bring valuable experience and an understanding of the state that will be an asset to our office and to the Vermonters we serve, Welch said.

David Blow of Granite State Development Corp, Vermont s #1 SBA 504 Loan Specialist, has announced that the US Small Business Administration has approved its statewide expansion allowing it to serve all Vermont communities. For more information, contact Granite State Development Corp. at (802) 865-8094 or www.granitestatedev.com.

Driven by declines in both satisfaction and brand image, customer commitment to retail banks has decreased in 2009, according to the JD Power and Associates 2009 Retail Banking Satisfaction Study(SM) released today. This marks a steady decline in customer commitment since 2007. Now in its fourth year, the study finds that only 35 percent of customers say they are highly committed to their retail bank in 2009, compared with 37 percent in 2008 and 41 percent in 2007. On average, highly committed customers use more products, give more referrals and are much less likely to switch to another bank, compared with customers who have lower commitment levels.
"Customers reporting the lowest levels of commitment in 2009 happen to be those with deposit balances that are 15 percent higher than average," said
Michael Beird, d

GAW High Speed Internet Inc., (GAW) Vermont's largest Wireless Internet provider announced today
the acquisition of Southern New England Wireless Internet Service Provider LLC, (SNEWISP).
Headquartered in Springfield, MA, SNEWISP provides an important broadband connection for
businesses and residences in and around Southern New England's thriving five college community and
the beautiful Berkshire mountain range, home to some the world's great artists and innovators. The
SNEWISP network has visibility to over one million people, extending west to Worcester, MA and south
to Hartford, CT.

SNEWISP was formed to provide affordable and reliable broadband Internet service to the many New
England communities having trouble getting a quality, high-speed Internet connection; a vision shared
by GAW. Noted Justin Leland, SNEWISPS's General Manger, "We are thrilled to become part of GAW

Vermont's General Fund, transportation and education tax revenues were nearly on par with recently lowered expectations. Today, Secretary of Administration Neale F Lunderville released the revenue results for the month of April, the tenth month of Fiscal Year 2009. The fiscal year ends June 30. General Fund revenues fell slightly below the recently revised target for the month as compared to the consensus revenue target approved on April 24, 2009. The General Fund revenues of $133.03 million (-$0.08 million, -0.6%) for the month of April 2009 were essentially on target against the recently revised forecast of $133.83 million. Year-to-date, General Fund revenues of $938.17 million (-$0.8 million, -0.08%) were essentially on target.

by Timothy McQuiston.
Back in the dark economic days of 1990, I called Chris Barbieri to talk about working together to develop a business-of-the-year award. Chris was president of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce. From there, we developed the Deane C. Davis Outstanding Business of the Year Award. The original concept of the award was the brainchild of John Boutin, Vermont Business Magazine's advertising director then and publisher now.
Chris and I wanted to find a way to honor a business as a whole, instead of just a person. We also wanted to identify the essence of a great Vermont business. Chris noted that during the depths of a recession, when it can look as if we might never crawl out, there are still businesses working hard and being successful. Instead of looking at the negative constantly, which is easy to do in bad times, we were seeking to find the positive.

At the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) Convention s Golden Eagle Awards, Vermont stood out as the only ski state to win all of the award categories for environmental excellence in which its resorts were submitted for consideration. The Excellence in Energy Conservation & Clean Energy Award went to Stratton Mountain Resort; the Excellence in Environmental Education Award went to Okemo Mountain Resort and the Excellence in Waste Reduction and Recycling Award went to Stowe Mountain Resort.

The Vermont Travel Industry Conference celebrated its 26th Annual Conference, April 7 -9, 2009 at the Equinox Resort in Manchester. This event draws one of the largest gatherings of tourism professionals in the state including owners, managers and employees of the many businesses connected to this important segment of the economy. Two awards and one scholarship were presented at the Vermont Travel Industry Conference.

A delegation of Chinese travel agents and journalists will visit Vermont May 16th through May 20th. The six-person delegation from the Shanghai region of China will travel around Vermont to learn about some of the unique tourism experiences that Vermont has to offer.
During their five-day visit, the group will become more familiar with Vermont so that the Green Mountain State can be added as a potential tourist destination on travel agents itineraries in China. Representatives from the Chinese media will also be writing feature articles about their visit for travel publications back in China.
The Fam Tour, organized by the US Commercial Service and the Vermont Chamber of Commerce Shanghai office is part of an ongoing partnership with China that the Vermont Chamber has fostered since 1993.