Current News
by tim
The Vermont Employee Ownership Center (VEOC) announces the formation of its founding board. Cindy Turcot, Chief Financial Officer of Gardener’s Supply Company, was elected Board Chair. "At a time when the Vermont economy is faced with business shutdowns by out-of-state owners, it is clear we need a new model for business development and growth," said
Turcot. "We must recognize that the strength of the Vermont economy is built on strong, locally-owned businesses."
The Vermont Employee Ownership Center is a new statewide non-profit organization whose mission is to promote and foster employee ownership in
by tim
On May 13th, Kaleidoscope Yarns opened at 15 Pearl Street in Essex Junction. The shop continues the tradition of providing a haven for knitters, one started 62 years ago by Mary T. Booth Yarn Shop of Essex Junction.
When Mary T. Booth Yarn Shop announced in January that it would be closing its doors in April, many knitters felt a great sense of loss.
The shop had built a loyal following by providing excellent customer service and offering an extensive inventory and a wide range of knitting products. The shop served many local and out of state customers.
“I was in mourning when I heard the news”, said Jill Bujold of Williston, Vermont “and I knew that I was not alone”. Bujold has been an avid knitter for over 20 years and has a retail background. The week of the announcement, Bujold approached Marilyn and Bob Vincent and Carol Booth of the Mary T. Booth Yarn Shop, about opening a shop that would fill the void created by the closing of their shop.
by tim
Banknorth Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:BKNG), one of the country's 35 largest commercial banking companies, has signed a long-term agreement with Metavante Corporation for a suite of Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) and Card solutions. Metavante is the financial technology subsidiary of Marshall & Ilsley Corporation (NYSE:MI).
Metavante will provide Banknorth with ATM management, transaction routing and switching along with PIN-based card transaction processing. Banknorth has over 400 ATMs and over 800,000 ATM and debit cards. Metavante currently provides Banknorth with trust processing from its Wealth Management solution. Metavante anticipates completing the Banknorth conversion to its EFT and Card solution in the fourth quarter of 2002.
by tim
In an effort to help people find employment in summer recreation, the American Red Cross of Central Vermont-New Hampshire Valley has added a new service to its web site. Job seekers can access a listing of summer-camp employment opportunities by signing onto the chapter's web site -
http://www.redcross.org/vt/cvtnhv/classifieds.htm.
"Many camps and recreation departments are looking for water safety instructors and lifeguards for the summer months," said Bill Codling, the chapter's director of community education. "When we receive notices of summer recreational jobs, we will post them on our web site, providing a communications connection between lifeguards and water safety instructors
looking for jobs and recreation employers with job openings."
by tim
Hayes Group, an integrated marketing, advertising, strategic planning and public relations firm located in Williston, Vermont has won two coveted, 2002- 2003 Golden Web Awards given by the International Association of Web Masters and Designers.
The Golden Web Award is presented to those sites whose web design, originality and content have achieved levels of excellence that are deserving of recognition. Voted by the Internet's leading IT and Web professionals, the IAWMD serves more than 135,000 members and affiliates in more than 145 countries.
The Hayes Group won for its own web site: www.hayesgroup.com and for the web site the company designed and built for Quadra-Tek, www.Quadra-Tek.com of Arlington, Vermont.
by tim
With the addition of web compression services, PB Publishing has become a well rounded interactive web and video shop.
"From scripted and narrated slide shows to 360 degree cubic vr panoramas of products or attractions, to data driven web sites, hosting and shopping carts, PB Publishing has become a true one stop internet and video shop," states PB Publishing president,Timothy Palmer-Benson.
PB Publishing's high quality work recently won it an award for an interactive tour of Quechee. "The entire production from photography to sound track, scripting and narration was produced in house," says Palmer-Benson. "When you keep all the ingredients under one roof, the result is usually a better product with less overall production time and lower cost for the client."
To see PB Publishing's recent web movies and panorama productions, go to http://www.pbpublishing.org
by tim
Artistic Digital Sound & Photography (http://adsp.com) announces the availablity in Vermont of affordable digital video productions released on DVD. Everything and anything from marketing messages to personal milestones can now be captured and preserved and shared for decades to come.
Owner and sole-proprietor, Andre de Saint Phalle has previously produced marketing videos for the Stowe Mountain Resort as well as the Stratton Mountain Resort. For Stowe, he shot and edited an 11 minute video presenting the resort's signature Triple A's program, which seeks to make guests and employees cognizant of the importance of their Attitude, Awareness and Accountability. "It was a fun project to do, despite the serious nature of the content. We managed to throw in a fair amount of hi-speed thrills and spills to keep the audience from falling asleep!"
by tim
FreshTracks Capital, L.P., of Middlebury, VT announced today the completion, along with three co-investors, of a $750,000 round of financing to enable the re-launch of EatingWell: The Magazine of Food and Health, based in Charlotte, VT. Joining FreshTracks Capital in the Series A investment are Boston Community Venture Fund, Village Ventures, Inc., and EW Partners, LLC.
“We are enthusiastic about funding the new EatingWell Magazine,” said FreshTracks Capital Managing Director, Charlie Kireker, “because the founder/ publisher has re-assembled the original team to revive a brand that attracted a paid circulation of 650,000 in the mid-1990’s”. Publisher James Lawrence believes “the combination of an experienced locally-based investor group and the growing national awareness of the vital inter-connections between nutrition, good food and personal health provides a great opportunity to provide readers with the news and recipes they need”.
by tim
Vermont Venture Network serving the entrepreneurial community since 1989
May Monthly Breakfast Meeting
Thursday, May 23, 2002, 8 A.M.
Michael H. Gurau, President, CEI Community Ventures, Inc. 36 Water Street, PO Box 268, Wiscasset, ME 04578, Tel: (207) 882-7552, E-Mail: [email protected]
CEI is a non-profit community and economic development organization founded in 1977. CEI’s latest initiative is CEI Community Ventures which is a community development venture capital fund formed pursuant to the SBA New Markets Venture Capital Program. CEI Community Ventures is eligible to invest in all of Essex and Orange counties in Vermont plus 24 other census tracts, including Burlington.
Randee Fagen, Vice President Sales, Marketing and Customer Services C3Gateways Services, Inc.
5005 Jean Talon West, Suite 200 Montreal, PQ H4P 1W7
Tel: (514) 908-2400
“Multi-Tasking CRM”
by tim
Vermont State Colleges (VSC) professional employees voted to unionize with the American Federation of Teachers' Vermont affiliate,
United Professions of Vermont (UPV).
In two elections administered by the Vermont Labor Relations Board, a majority of employees who voted, voted to be represented by the United
Professions of Vermont/AFT. In a 75 to 28 vote the Professional, Administrative, and Technical employees voted in favor of unionization and
in a 30 to 14 vote the Supervisory employees voted for the union. The election took place at the four campus based State Colleges: Johnson State College, Lyndon State College, Vermont Technical College, and Castleton State College.
United Professions of Vermont/AFT already represents all the full-time and part-time faculty at the Vermont State Colleges.
by tim
Vermont Business Magazine presents the 2002 Vermont SBA Small Business Person of the Year Awards to be held Wednesday, June 12, 2002, from 4:00pm to 7:00pm on the Green at Vermont College of Union Institute & University in Montpelier. The Vermont District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration announced the winner of the Small Business Person Award and various Advocacy Awards.
The SMALL BUSINESS PERSON OF THE YEAR winner is: Clint "Jito" Coleman, President Northern Power Systems, Waitsfield, VT.
by tim
Brattleboro, VT, April 18, 2002 -- The Vermont Supreme Court recently affirmed the judgement entered in favor of Chroma Technology Corp. that the Chroma defendants did not violate any legal obligation to their former employee when they founded a competing business in 1991. In so doing, the Court clarified the law in the State of Vermont on the important issue of when and how employees may go into direct competition with their employers. Prior to this decision, no case in Vermont had squarely addressed the issue since the early years of the 20th century.
Heidi Harvey, of the firm of Fish & Richardson P.C., Boston, MA, was lead
counsel for the Chroma defendants at trial and on appeal. She observed, "This decision is an extremely important statement of the modern law in
Vermont on one of the most difficult issues that faces employees and employers - who has the burden of drawing the line between the employees'