Current News

STORMWATER RULING CHALLENGED
GBIC Files Motion To Stay Water Resources Board Decision
MONTPELIER - The Greater Burlington Industrial Corporation (GBIC), along
with co-appellants Pomerleau Properties and Martin's Foods of South
Burlington, has filed a motion to stay the October 14th NPDES decision of
the Water Resources Board (WRB). The motion is an effort to protect
property owners in impaired watersheds from lawsuits in federal court
while the appeal of the Board's decision is pending before the state
Supreme Court.
A stay of the decision pending the outcome of the appeal will allow the
Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) to renew its efforts to implement Act
140, the stormwater solution enacted almost unanimously by the legislature
last year. Act 140 was the product of months of work by the legislature
and a large group of collaborators that included representatives from

Dillon Named New Deputy Secretary Of Agency of Commerce and Community
Development
MONTPELIER -- Lu Ann Dillon of South Burlington has been appointed
the new Deputy Secretary of the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community
Development. Dillon takes over the post from Dawn Terrill, who left in
November to become Secretary of the Vermont Agency of Transportation.
Since 1994, Dillon has been the Senior Vice President of Bell & Company
Management Consultants in Easton, Maryland. As Bell's lead consultant, she
managed consulting projects for a variety of Fortune 50 companies,
principally in the defense and aerospace industries. She also managed
projects at Bell's hospital and utilities clients. Earlier in her career,
Dillon founded LAD Ltd., a retail and wholesale men's and women's
professional clothing business in downtown Burlington that she managed

Carol-Lynn Saliba named Executive Vice President,
Director of Retail Banking for Citizens Bank in NH and VT
MANCHESTER, NH -- Citizens Bank New Hampshire has announced that
Carol-Lynn Saliba has been promoted to Executive Vice President, Director
of Retail Banking. In her new position she is responsible for the branch
network in New Hampshire and Vermont, including community business lending
and consumer banking. Her team supports the branches in all aspects of
sales, customer service, and training. Most recently, Saliba was senior
vice president, director of retail sales and service for Citizens Bank New
Hampshire, where she was responsible for all sales management support for
the traditional branch network, including overseeing sales training,
promotions, incentives, and sales results. Saliba joined Citizens Bank in
2000 as Vice President of Retail Sales. Prior to joining Citizens, she was

Union Bank Announces New Hires
Union Bank, headquartered in Morrisville, VT, is pleased to announce the
following new hires:
Brad Prior - Deposit Operations Manager
Mr. Prior comes to Union Bank following a career at Chittenden Bank,
where he served as a Project Coordinator in their loan servicing area. In
his new position at Union Bank, Brad is responsible for managing deposit
operations activities to insure a high level of service for the bank's
customers. Mr. Prior earned an MBA from the University of Vermont in 1993.
Sharyn Kane - Training Manager
Ms. Kane comes to Union Bank following a successful career in Human
Resources. In her new position at Union Bank, Sharyn is responsible for
implementing a comprehensive bank training program. She currently serves
on the Board of Incorporators at Northwestern Medical Hospital and is

Champlain College Taps NYU's David Finney to Become Next President
Burlington -- Dr. David F. Finney has been selected by Champlain
College's board of trustees to become the college's seventh president. Dr.
Finney has accepted the board's invitation and will succeed retiring
Champlain president Dr. Roger H. Perry on July 1, 2005.
Dr. Finney is currently Dean of New York University's School of
Continuing and Professional Studies in New York City. One of the
largest schools of continuing education in the country, SCPS annually
enrolls 45,000 undergraduate, graduate and continuing education students
in more than 5,000 courses in professional, academic and enrichment
programs. During his 20-year career at NYU, Dr. Finney has held the top
management positions in several traditional undergraduate areas, including
admissions, financial aid, enrollment services, advertising and
publications.

Mt. Mansfield Union High School Teacher Wins $1,000
NASDAQ National Teaching Award
Laurel Ann Butler of Colchester, a teacher at Mt. Mansfield Union High
School in Jericho, was one of five regional semi-finalists in the annual
NASDAQ Teaching Awards competition. The $1,000 award was announced by the
National Council on Economic Education and the NASDAQ Stock Market
Educational Foundation.
Butler was one of 25 teachers nationwide and five in the northeast to
receive a total of $70,000 in prizes from the competition. The awards are
based on "best practices" lesson plans that can be easily replicated in
other classrooms across the country. Her lesson, Creative Dreams with
Enterprising Themes, was judged based on the following criteria:
· Innovation and originality;
· The degree to which the activities of the lesson engaged the students;
· Correctness of economic content;

HowellMartin goes head-to-head with Volkswagen
BRATTLEBORO -- HowellMartin Marketing & Advertising was one of three finalists in its category in the ninth annual Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange (MITX) Awards for its design and development of the Real Log Homes® website. The website advanced to the final round from a field of more than 800 contendersmost of which are from Boston, New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Londonand was pitted against two Volkswagen sites. The winner in the manufacturing category was the Volkswagen Passat Site, which also won Best of Show.

The MITX Awards is the largest and most prestigious competition in the country recognizing the most innovative, effective and compelling achievements in the development of interactive technologies.
HowellMartin, and its technology partner Gravity Switch, was recognized with the other finalists at a gala awards ceremony in Boston, where the winners were announced.

SENATE PASSES JEFFORDS'CHAMPLAIN VALLEY HERITAGE BILL
WASHINGTON D.C. - The U.S. Senate has given its final approval to a
bill introduced by U.S. Senator Jim Jeffords, I-Vt., to establish a
National Heritage Partnership within the Champlain Valley. The bill, which
authorizes as much as $10 million for the effort, will now go to the
President for his signature.
The program would be funded by the National Park Service and
administered through the Lake Champlain Basin Program for
projects to explore, protect and promote the area. The
Partnership will bring together more than 100 local groups to
work towards that goal.
Military history and maritime commerce have been identified as themes for
the region. Visitors would explore sites such as Fort Henry, Fort
Ticonderoga, Crown Point, the Ethan Allen Homestead, and the St. Albans

VEDA BOARD OF DIRECTORS APPROVES
FINANCING COMMITMENTS TOTALING $4.9 MILLION
Montpelier, VT - Business development, acquisition and expansion plans totaling almost $10.9 million will receive $4.9 million in financing assistance from the Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA).
Projects approved by the Board include manufacturing, educational, travel and tourism, agricultural, and service businesses, said Jo Bradley, Chief Executive Officer of VEDA. We are pleased to be able to help these businesses grow and expand, bringing new jobs to their regions.
The VEDA Board approved financing for the following projects:
" Business Relocation to Shaftsbury Expected to Create 165 Jobs in Bennington County Within Three Years -

Vermont Achieves Attainment with the Fine Particle Air-Quality Standards
BOSTON - EPA analysis of air quality indicates that Vermont has ambient
concentrations of fine particles that meet current health standards.
Fine particles, frequently referred to as PM2.5, are less than 2.5
micrometers in diameter (approximately one-thirtieth the size of a human
hair). Fine particles are unhealthy to breathe and have been associated
with serious health impacts, including premature death from heart and lung
disease, aggravation of heart and lung diseases (including chronic
bronchitis and asthma), increased hospital admissions and doctor visits,
and absences from work and school. These particles are derived from a
variety of sources, including factories, power plants, trash incinerators,
motor vehicles, construction activity and fires. In addition, fine

Randolph Center, VTDecember 16, 2004The Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center (VMEC) announced the addition of three new members to their Advisory Board. Monica Greene, Gerald Brown, and Gary Rabidoux have been elected to the 14-member VMEC Board that is comprised of Vermont manufacturers representing a broad cross section of industries and other leaders who strongly support manufacturing. Greene is President and CFO of Vermont Precision Tools, Inc., Brown is the President and Board Chairman of the Vermont Council for Quality, and Rabidoux is Senior Director, Value Net Integration at General Dynamics Armament & Technology Products (GDATP).

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