Vermont Business Magazine

Uvm's Vtrim Shapes Up Technology Transfer

Enabling employees to lose weight, many companies now know, can be a big money-saver in the form of higher productivity, reduced absenteeism and lower costs for health insurance and workers' compensation. Clem Nilan, manager of City Market in downtown Burlington, says he wanted to lose 15 pounds when he enrolled in VTrim as part of a subsidized sign-up offered to all of the store's employees. Typically, technology transfer at universities involves the science, engineering or business school...

Katy Lesser of Healthy Living, Vermont Small Business Person of the Year

In designating Lesser, a 61-year-old UVM alumna, as its 2010 award-winner, the US Small Business Administration said it is honoring "outstanding leadership related to her company's staying power, employee growth, increase in sales, innovative ingenuity and contributions to the community." Ads in The Burlington Free Press have brought in "a whole new group of people," she says, noting that Healthy Living now stocks some more affordable commercial items in addition to higher-end groceries, org...

Hsa Accounts See Growth, but Not yet a Panacea

Since a company can deduct health care plans and insurance as a cost of doing business, but an individual cannot, an HSA makes economic sense. According to recent data complied by America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), enrollment in high deductible plans linked to health savings accounts grew to 8 million covered lives at the beginning of 2009, compared with 6.1 million in 2008, 43 million in 2007 and 3.2 million in 2006 1.

Kym Maynard Wins State and Regional Award for Home-Based Business Champion of the Year

According to Maynard, she loves her present work because it brings all her past experiences and skills together in one place. According to Maynard, the Gallery is all about connection.

Business Snapshot: American Flatbread

Packaged in bright white cartons, decorated with colorful graphics designed by George, partially cooked flatbreads traveled to more than 1,000 stores from Maine to Minnesota and represented over 80 percent of the company's annual sales of $2 million dollars.

Bruce Bouchard: Rutland's Paramount Economy

Because the idea of using the creative arts as an economic force puts the Paramount squarely in the mainstream of a nationwide movement. First of all, "the arts" can cover a lot of territory: music, painting, acting, scenic arts, photography, sculpture, jewelry-making, writing, crafts, etc. Besides selling memberships to the theater, Bouchard would like to expand his funding net.

Bradley Quinn Page Chosen Veterans' Small Business Champion of the Year

"When employers talk to me, they say, 'Please send me someone with a good work ethic, who's knowledgeable and has good computer skills,"' Page said. Since people coming out of the military have a good work ethic, discipline, and computer skills, this is an easy part of my job.

Q&A: Us Sba Administrator Karen Mills

Since 1983, Mills has been an active hands-on investor in and successful manager of small businesses. [...] if you could give us a brief history of the Small Business Administration, and then summarize what the SBA does. [...] it was a time not unlike this when businesses were suffering. If the business has more than 50 people and does not provide health insurance, and one of the employees goes into the exchange and gets a tax credit for buying health insurance, the company needs to pay ba...

No Cash in Vermont's 'Rainy Day Fund'

[...] most of the politicians I asked including candidates for governor, legislators, lobbyists, commissioners, and the state economist join the ranks of many Vermonters who do not realize that the rainy day funds were not actual funds set aside for a rainy or stormy day. [...] Vermont's stabilization reserve' is designed to provide some protection against revenue variance after the end of the fiscal year and is an integral part of our, budget operations. 2.

Robert Berman Selected Financial Services Champion of the Year

Nominated by Jerry Johnson, Chairperson, Champlain Valley SCORE, Berman was chosen for the award based on his volunteer services to provide comprehensive business planning assistance, including financial guidance, to small business entrepreneurs. According to Berman, his staff is self-motivated and turnover is low because the company is non-hierarchical and employees are given unilateral authority to fulfill their responsibilities.

Vermont's Community Banks Hit by Fdic

Congress is trying to address this problem retroactively by changing how the FDIC assesses banks. Because big banks raise most of their money through bonding and other devices, not deposits as do community banks, the new banking law has proposed that the FDIC assessment will include this money as well as deposits.

Intervale Compost Could Wind Up in Williston

Despite an agreement to begin shutting down the composting operation in Burlington's Intervale next month, truckloads of organic wastes could still be arriving at the site nearly a year from now under a proposal by the project's owner, the Chittenden Solid Waste District. [...] the Coventry site, already the largest in Vermont, has permits to increase capacity to 370,000 tons of solid waste per year - close to three times the amount it was handling five years ago.

Vermont Exports Surge Near All-Time High in March

Since its inception in 1999, the Euro has jumped from nearly parity - one Euro buys one US dollar - to a high rate of 1.57 - one Euro buys 1.57 dollars, a nearly 60 percent increase against the greenback. [...] Euro Area buyers were able to pay about 60 percent less than in 1999 to buy American goods at the same prices.

Omnibus Health Care Bill Faces Possible Veto From Governor

According to the language written into that section of the bill: While this is a national program and Jones said our state's pilots are "considered the most complete approach." Since these are pilot programs, practitioners and administrators refine as they go, measure impacts, and constantly improve their methods.

Rutland County: Hard Hits, Realistic Expectations

According to a White House report on April 20, the Bennington-Rutland Opportunity Council (BROC) used $1,043,089 in Recovery Act funds between July 1, 2009 and March 31, 2010, preserving or creating 46.5 full-time-equivalent jobs. According to BROC, a large part of this was a boost to their weatherization and energy conservation program, which aids low-income residents and national energy usage by improving the efficiency of area homes.

Boyden Farm Wins Family-Owned Award

Nominated by Steve Birge, Co-Owner, Black River Produce, Boyden Farm was selected on the basis of sales and profits, employment opportunities and long-term economic growth. According to Steve Birge, Black River Produce sales of Boyden Farm Beef have doubled in the past two years, reaching small inns and large co-ops. throughout the state and into New Hampshire and southern New England.

Vls's Environmental Program Still Leads the Us

Vermont Law School students are more likely than their peers at other institutions to choose careers with lower-paying nonprofit groups or governmental agencies than with corporate firms, says VLS professor Mark Latham. Professor Latham, who came to VLS from a corporate law firm in Chicago, agrees, saying, "It's pretty remarkable for a law school in South Royalton, Vermont, to have such a strong international program."