Current News
by tim
Vermont Secretary of State Deb Markowitz, in partnership with the Vermont Business Magazine and the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, will present the 2009 Centennial Business Awards at the statehouse on Thursday, March 5, at 4:00 p.m.
The award acknowledges Vermont s oldest businesses for enriching the economic heritage and enhancing community life during the last century and beyond. From all across Vermont, these honored businesses represent a wide range of entrepreneurs from country stores and farms to manufacturing companies. This year 11 businesses will be honored for having survived not only into 2009 but for the past century in the competitive and often-unforgiving business landscape.
by tim
Secretary of State Deb Markowitz announced today that the Redstone offices of the Vermont State Archives and Records Administration (VSARA) will be moving to the record center on Route 2 in Middlesex. The move, which will occur during the week of March 9th, is part of an ongoing effort to consolidate and improve the services of VSARA.
Last year the legislature passed a law that transferred the functions of the Public Records Division to the Archives Division of the Secretary of State s Office, said Markowitz. This creates a single, professional voice for advising agencies on the management of their records from point of creation to final disposition, thus increasing efficiency and improving service.
by tim
US Rep. Peter Welch announced Tuesday a set of staff transitions geared toward supporting his work on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, to which he was appointed in January.
Welch hired Stephanie Krenrich as Senior Legislative Assistant with a focus on health, education, housing and the environment. Mary Sprayregen, who previously served as Welch s Business Liaison in his Vermont office, has joined the Congressman s Washington office as a Legislative Assistant with a focus on business, energy, telecommunications and appropriations.
I am pleased to welcome Stephanie Krenrich to our team and Mary Sprayregen to our Washington office, Welch said. Stephanie has proven herself as an accomplished legislative assistant and brings a great deal of knowledge and experience to our office. Mary was an invaluable asset to our Vermont office and to the state s business community, and I am excited she will be joining our Washington team.
by tim
Executive Vice President Thomas S. Leavitt announced that the Merchants Bank officially celebrated the opening of their new branch, located at 929 Shelburne Road in South Burlington on Friday, February 27. The branch has been open since Tuesday, January 20 of this year. Remarks by bank officials were delivered during a ribbon-cutting ceremony and visitors enjoyed refreshments and toured the new branch. The Bank also made a $500 donation to the Humane Society of Chittenden County.
by tim
CIVCO Medical Solutions and Ascension Technology Corporation, based in Burlington, have announced a new biopsy needle localization and guidance system for minimally invasive medical procedures.
When integrated with 3D ultrasound visualization tools it enables accurate, percutaneous targeting to lesions without radiation or open surgery. The companies will show live demonstrations of the system at SIR 2009, San Diego, CA, March 7 - 12, 2009.
Ascension developed the world's smallest six degrees-of-freedom (DOF) sensor, 0.9mm in diameter, for the application. Key advantages include: inconspicuous guidance of surgical instruments, metallic immunity, and fast, simultaneous tracking of multiple sensors.
by tim
Governor Jim Douglas has announced the creation of the Office of Economic Stimulus and Recovery (ESR) to coordinate the State s use of federal funds authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Governor has tapped former Vermont Transportation Secretary and high tech entrepreneur Tom Evslin to head the Office as Chief Recovery Officer. The Office will be located in the Agency of Administration and report to Administration Secretary Neale Lunderville.
The Vermont Federal Recovery Office, which was established in January before the recovery bill became law, has been fully incorporated into ESR. Jim Bush will continue to serve in a leadership role as Director of Physical Infrastructure, responsible for oversight and delivery of the nearly $200 million in new state and local infrastructure projects.
by og
Berlin Don George, a Barre native with more than 20 years experience in health care and health financing, has been named President and Chief Executive Officer of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont (BCBSVT) and its affiliate HMO, The Vermont Health Plan (TVHP). The appointment to lead BCBSVT, which has been named by US News and World Report as one of Americas Top 50 Health Plans is effective immediately.
Mr. George, 51, had served as interim President and CEO of the state s largest health plan since the retirement of William R. Milnes, Jr., last November. He joined BCBSVT in 1993 and has held various and increasing levels of responsibility during his career with the plan. Most recently, he was Vice President of the company s Managed Health Systems division and Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of TVHP.
by og
Many banks have been hearing a common question from Vermont business owners over the past several months: Are you still lending? And the answer from many Vermont financial institutions is a resounding Yes!
By reading recent news headlines, it is understandable why business owners are asking about available financing. But while some banks might have scaled back their lending efforts, many continue to support local businesses by actively lending and providing lines of credit. And some banks, including TD Banknorth, remain financially strong and stable, enabling them to maintain lending.
by tim
Indulge me for a moment while I share with you one of the best Town Meeting Day stories ever written. Dorothy Canfield Fisher told the story in her 1953 tribute to Vermont, called Vermont Tradition. Fisher (1879-1958) was one of the country s most popular novelists, but her heart was deeply rooted in Arlington. This story the story of Patrick Thompson s speech at an Arlington Town Meeting is one of the great Vermont classics.
From Vermont Tradition: This was no academic discussion group debating the abstract proposition: Resolved that every child has the right to four years schooling beyond the eighth grade. This was a fight over action to be taken now going into debt for an ideal, an ideal which is almost the only primal urge for which humanity need never blush sacrifice by the old, to give the children a better chance.
by tim
Springfield Hospital was awarded $1.3 million to become Vermont’s eighth Federally Qualified Health Center providing primary care for residents of southeastern Vermont, Senator Bernie Sanders announced today.
“This is a great day for the advance of health care access in Windsor and Windham counties,” said Sanders (I-Vt.). “As a result of this designation for the Springfield Hospital, residents of the area will now be able to receive excellent quality primary health care regardless of income.”
In addition, the grant will enable the hospital to expand services to provide access to affordable dental care, mental health counseling and the lowest-cost prescription drugs available in America.
It is expected that the two-year grant will make Springfield Hospital the largest Federally Qualified Health Center in Vermont. Six years ago, there were two centers in Vermont. With the addition of Springfield, there will be eight centers.
by tim
The Vermont Teddy Bear Company, a leading provider of direct-to-consumer gifts, today announced that John Gilbert, 52, has been named president and chief executive officer.
John Gilbert most recently served as executive vice president and chief marketing officer for The TJX Companies, Inc., where he was responsible for marketing functions worldwide including brand management, advertising, and comprehensive consumer strategies. Mr. Gilbert has extensive experience in the consumer product industries, having held senior marketing positions with such companies as Dunkin' Donuts, YUM ! Carlson Restaurants Worldwide, and PepsiCo, Inc.
by tim
Cortera, a premier provider of collections and credit insight for commercial enterprises, today released compelling data that assesses the overall economic health of a region based on how well companies are paying their suppliers. Cortera's database tracks 18 million public and private companies in the United States based on thousands of trade payment contributors and contains over $250 billion in accounts receivable information. This analysis, which can be accessed at http://www.cortera.com/stats, revealed the following:
Top 10 Best States (% of A/R Past Due)
Montana
Vermont
Wyoming
New Hampshire
Maine
South Dakota
West Virginia
Louisiana
North Dakota
Oklahoma
Top 10 Worst States (% of A/R Past Due)
Nevada
California
Arizona
Minnesota
Colorado
Idaho
Wisconsin
Michigan
Oregon
Illinois