Current News

University of Vermont president Dan Fogel announced Wednesday that Tom Vogelmann has been appointed as the eleventh Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS). He has been acting as Interim Dean of CALS since July of 2008.
Mr. Vogelmann came to Vermont in 2002 as a Professor of Plant Biology and Chair of the Department of Botany and Agricultural Biochemistry. A graduate of Syracuse University (Ph.D.), Washington State University (M.S.) and the University of Vermont (B.S.), Dr. Vogelmann worked for eighteen years at the University of Wyoming where he was Professor of Botany and served as the interim Chair of the Department of Botany.
This position is key to helping move Vermont agriculture forward. I have worked with Dr. Vogelmann during his tenure as interim dean and he clearly understands the importance of the Land Grant mission of the University to the state of Vermont, said Roger Allbee, Secretary of Agriculture.

On Friday the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation will announce a new partnership between Vermont State Parks and the Boy Scouts Green Mountain Council called Adopt A Park.
The venture pairs local scout troops with state parks in their area to help with projects like spring cleanup, stacking wood, trail work or holding workshops for park visitors on scouting specialties outdoor skills, hikes, fire building and knots and rope work. The partnership is a model that will be used to encourage more community service organizations like the Girls Scouts, 4-H, Rotary Clubs, Lions Clubs, VFWs, etc. to support local parks.

Country Walkers has been named named to Outside magazine s (www.outsideonline.com) second annual Best Places to Work list. Country Walkers was ranked No. 11 out of 30 selected companies. The full list and related story will be published in the May issue of Outside magazine, available on newsstands April 28, 2009.
We are honored to be named as one of Outside magazine s best places to work in 2009, said Timo Shaw, President of Country Walkers. As we celebrate our 30th anniversary, this recognition allows us to commend our remarkable staff, whose dedication, hard work, and lively sprit have helped us solidify our reputation as an innovator in adventure travel.

Merchants Bancshares, Inc. (Nasdaq: MBVT), the parent company of Merchants Bank, today announced net income of $2.91 million or diluted earnings per share of $0.48 for the quarter ended March 31, 2009. This compares with net income of $2.66 million or diluted earnings per share of $0.44 for the first quarter of 2008. Merchants previously announced the declaration of a dividend of 28 cents per share, payable May 14, 2009, to shareholders of record as of April 30, 2009.
The return on average assets was 0.87% for the first quarter of 2009, compared to 0.88% for the first quarter of 2008. The return on average equity was 14.50% for the first quarter of this year, compared to 13.83% for the same period in 2008.

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc., (NASDAQ: GMCR) today announced its fiscal 2009 second quarter results for the thirteen weeks ended March 28, 2009, reporting very strong top and bottom line growth.
Net sales for the second quarter of fiscal 2009 totaled $193.4 million as compared to $120.9 million reported in the second quarter of fiscal 2008, representing an increase of 60% over the same quarter last year.
Net income for the second quarter of fiscal 2009 increased 118% to $13.0 million or $0.50 per diluted share, from $6.0 million or $0.23 per diluted share in the second quarter of fiscal 2008.
During fiscal 2009 s second quarter, 432 million K-Cup® portion packs were shipped system-wide by all Keurig licensed roasters, up 62% over the year-ago quarter. Supporting continued growth in K-Cup demand, during the second quarter of fiscal 2009, 479,000 Keurig brewers were shipped, up 148% over the same quarter in the prior year.

Associates in Pediatrics, a Central Vermont Medical Group, cut the ribbon at their spacious new offices at 244 Granger Road in Berlin, on Wednesday April 29th. The new 8200 square foot facility provides space that is more efficient and up-to-date than the practice s previous offices.
Pediatrics staff includes Deborah Jerard, MD, Margaret Lindsay, MD, Emily Urquhart-Scott, MD and Linda Burger, PNP.

Week Ending April 25, 2009. There were 1,501 new regular benefit claims for Unemployment Insurance last week, a decrease of 97 from the week before. Altogether 18,430 new and continuing claims were filed, 561 less than a week ago and 7,397 more than a year earlier. The Department also processed 2,122 First Tier claims for benefits under Emergency Unemployment Compensation, 2008 (EUC08), 52 more than a week ago. In addition, there were 1,299 Second Tier claims for benefits processed under the EUC08 program which is an increase of 39 from the week before. The Unemployment Weekly Report can be found at: http://www.vtlmi.info/. Previously released Unemployment Weekly Reports and other UI reports can be found at: http://www.vtlmi.info/lmipub.htm#uc.

The Vermont Farm Viability Program announced today $40,000 in grant awards to meat processing facilities in Troy, Randolph, Barre and Enosburg. The grants are the first round of a new funding opportunity for agriculture-related businesses, established to develop and invest in agricultural infrastructure and to improve the viability of agriculture-related businesses. Two subsequent rounds of grant funding will be announced later this year and in 2010. Eleven processors with combined requests of $183,600 applied for $40,000 of available funding. The grant funds are supplied by a private foundation.

The National Ski Areas Association announced on Tuesday that Sugarbush Resort has won the Association s top honor for guest service. The Best Overall Guest Service Program award is given to the resort with the best guest service program in the country. Resorts are categorized by visitation numbers. The prize is in recognition of Sugarbush s SugarTube initiative, an interactive video sharing function that it unveiled on sugarbush.com this past season.
Said Andy Hawk, the marketing director of the Professional Ski Instructors of America and a judge for this year s competition, The SugarTube program not only allows for guests to share their experiences with friends and family, but it also provides a natural extension of on-mountain programs such as ski and snowboard lessons. SugarTube also gives parents the chance to see first-hand the experience their kids had on the hill. SugarTube is guest centered all the way!

Two new start-ups, as well as a UVM technology license agreement, were announced Tuesday at the Center for Emerging Technologies' 4th annual Invention to Venture (I2V) Conference at UVM s Davis Center.
Governor Douglas was joined by Lieutenant Governor Brian Dubie to announce the new Technology License between UVM and Swanton's Leader Evaporator to manufacture and distribute a unique Maple Spout Adapter. The Maple Spout Adapter was developed by Timothy Perkins, Director of UVM s Proctor Maple Research Center.

The New England Culinary Institute s Board of Directors announced today that it has approved recommendations proposed by the school s administration to unify campuses to its Montpelier location, while at the same time expand both the scope of NECI s educational offerings and the options for delivery of those programs to students.
Moving the school s residential students into a single campus location (the school currently has operations in both Montpelier and at The Essex, formerly the Inn at Essex in Essex ) will allow NECI to achieve both the financial benefits of unification as well as related educational, creative and operational synergies, school officials said.

In light of the current threat of swine influenza in Mexico and certain US states, the Vermont Chamber Hospitality Council is urging Vermont s tourism industry to remain alert to the symptoms of the flu, while realizing that health officials are taking all necessary steps to help treat those individuals and contain the disease before it spreads. Of the 64 cases identified nationwide, there have been no deaths reported from this influenza strain in Vermont or the US.
Of course, Vermont s businesses should ensure a high level of sanitation at all times, and implement strategies and precautionary measures to protect the health and safety of employees and guests.