Current News

Governor Douglas Announces New Rx Drug Pool for Vermont
Montpelier -- Governor Jim Douglas has announced he will propose a
program to help Vermont's employers' pool their purchasing power to
negotiate lower prescription drug prices for their employees.
"This new pooling program will allow participating employers to afford
prescription drug benefits for their employees by taking advantage of bulk
purchasing discounts," the Governor said.
Governor Douglas said this effort is modeled on the multi-state purchasing
pool he formed with Michigan in 2003, the nation's first successful
multi-state buying pool for Medicaid drugs. This pool saved Vermont $2
million in the last fiscal year and is expected to save $ 3 million this
year.
"This is exactly the kind of innovative thinking Vermont needs," Douglas
said. "Just as we have done with the Multi-State Pool, this in-state pool

Many Vermont Families Now Eligible for Discounts on Hearing Care Products and Services
Berlin, VT -- Hearing care products and services have been added to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermonts new non-benefit discount program, BlueExtras, the states largest health insurer has announced.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont recently created its BlueExtras program to give its members and their families the tools they need to improve their health status and remain healthy.
Todays announcement that Beltone" hearing care products and services in Vermont are available through the program follows an earlier announcement regarding weight loss program services. The company promised even more services will be announced soon.

U.S. Ambassador to Canada Presents Annual Leadership Award to Vermont Lt.
Governor
(BOSTON, MA) - U.S. Ambassador to Canada Paul Cellucci introduced Vermont
Lt. Governor Brian Dubie to a full house of 85 New England and Canadian
business leaders Friday morning (9/17)at the New England-Canada Business
Council's (www.necbc.org) annual Leadership Award breakfast at
the Fairmont Copley Plaza.
Dubie addressed the group about his experiences over the past 20 months
reviving relationships between Vermont and Canada in the areas of
commerce, the environment, energy, education, transportation and border
security. He concluded his remarks to a standing ovation.
Paul Raymond, senior vice president for the Canadian information
technology firm CGI Group, Inc., is president and CEO of the Council. He
joined Dubie and Cellucci at the podium to present the award to Dubie,

At a dedication event held on campus on September 17, Champlain College announced its newest academic facility will be named after the S.D. Ireland family, owner of S.D. Ireland Concrete Construction Corp. of Burlington, Vt. The $10 million, state-of-the-art building will be called The S.D. Ireland Family Center for Global Business and Technology.
At the center of a major gift to the College are Shelburne, Vt., residents Scott D. Ireland and his wife Kimberly (Wilson) Ireland, who is a 1985 graduate of Champlain College. They were joined by their three children S. Dylan, Shea and Sophie, parents Margaret and Stuart D. Ireland, and brother Stephen D. Ireland at the dedication of the new facility.
With three young children, we have a strong interest in education, said Scott D. Ireland. We also like to be associated with cutting-edge initiatives-thats why we wanted to support Champlain College.

IBM Vermont plant in deal with Kodak
IBM and Kodak have announced a multi-year agreement under which the two
conpanies will jointly develop and produce image sensor chips for consumer
products such as digital cameras and cell phones. Engineers at the IBM
Vermont facility will work with Kodak to develop a manufacturing process
to help Kodak deliver image sensors for consumer products that offer
higher performance, improved image quality and more features than devices
currently available. IBM will manufacture these image chips for Kodak at
the Vermont facility. This is a key foundry customer win for the Vermont
facility. The image sensor business is growing at a rapid rate and IBM
views this technology as a key opportunity in 2005 and beyond.

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Fletcher Allen Health Care to work
with Vermont Department of Health to Improve Patient Care at Vermont State
Hospital
WATERBURY-Agency of Human Services Secretary Charlie Smith today announced
that the State of Vermont will work with Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical
Center and Fletcher Allen Health Care to find solutions to continuing
problems with patient care at the Vermont State Hospital.
"This brings the expertise of both academic medical centers to the table,"
said Smith. "This is one unexpected but very welcome result of a search
process we've been engaged in for the past several months. We hope and
expect our work with both Dartmouth-Hitchcock and Fletcher Allen will lead
to state-of-the-art, 21st century medical care and systems for the Vermont
State Hospital."
The Vermont Department of Health, which took charge of the hospital on

Northern Power Systems, a subsidiary of Distributed Energy Systems Corp., will mark the 30th anniversary of its founding at a noontime event September 17 at the companys new headquarters in Waitsfield, Vermont. The event will also feature the formal opening and dedication of the new facility in the Mad River Park industrial complex.
Northern president Clint Jito Coleman will host the event, which will also include the participation of Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy and Bill McKibben, noted author of Enough: Staying Human in an Engineered Age, The End of Nature and other works.
As the company celebrates its 30 years in the distributed generation business in Vermont, Northern is experiencing significant growth and is in the process of adding more than 20 new local manufacturing jobs.
When:
12:00 Noon, Friday, September 17, 2004
Where:
Northern Power Systems headquarters
182 Mad River Park
Waitsfield, Vermont 05673
Background:

Governor Douglas Details Health Care Reform Plan
Stowe. - In a keynote address to the Vermont Chamber of Commerce September 14,
Governor Jim Douglas outlined his comprehensive vision for quality,
affordable health care for all Vermonters.
Governor Douglas' health insurance plan would immediately reduce premiums
by 15 percent for every Vermonter with an individual insurance plan;
decrease the number of uninsured Vermonters by 20 percent in the first
year; offer low and middle income Vermonters a premium discount of up to
60 percent; and reduce, by 50 percent, the cost for a small business to
start providing insurance to employees.
"Taken together, my reforms make insurance more affordable for individuals
and small businesses, reduce the number of uninsured Vermonters by 20
percent in the first year alone, offer an economic incentive to help

Gubernatorial appointments made by Governor Douglas in May, June, July, August.
Gubernatorial Appointments Made in August

(GMCR) Green Mountain Coffee Roasters
Appoints Scott McCreary as Chief Operating Officer
WATERBURY-Green Mountain
Coffee Roasters, Inc. (NASDAQ: GMCR) announced the appointment of
Scott McCreary as Chief Operating Officer, effective September 25,
2004. Mr. McCreary brings more than 20 years of strategic operational and
business development experience within the consumer packaged foods
industry. He has a proven track record of improving capacity utilization,
operating efficiencies, quality and profitability. Mr. McCreary will
report to Bob Stiller, President and CEO of Green Mountain. Mr. McCreary
will be directly responsible for Operations, Sales & Marketing and
Management Information Systems.

The deadline for nominations for the Chamber Annual Dinner Awards has been
extended to September 24th. Nominate someone today for the categories of:
Community Excellence

Rising Star

Business of the Year
Call Betsy Cabrera or Lisa Quinlan at 802/863-3489 x221 for details.
Chamber Annual Dinner awards will be presented November 9, 2004 at the Sheraton Burlington.

The Women Business Owners Network (WBON) announces that Rachel Lee, President of Armistead Caregiver Services, Diana Jones, owner of Double Entry Bookkeeping, and Rhonda Freed, owner of So You Want to Do What?, will become the organizations new chapter coordinators for the Northern Vermont Chapters.
The Women's Business Owners Network (WBON) is an association of over 140 women business owners from Vermont and New Hampshire who support one another in the pursuit of business and personal success. WBON has monthly chapter meetings in Burlington, Brattleboro, the Upper Valley, Rutland, and Montpelier, as well as conferences and social events throughout the year.
For more information, go to www.wbon.org or call 802-363-WBON.