Vermont Business Magazine

Vermont Leading Economic Indicator: Vtlei Continues to Grow

Building Permits, Exports of Manufactures, Consumer Expectations (Regional), Stock Prices (National), Interest Rate Spread and Technology Index (National).

Q&A: Bruce Hyde

For recreation Hyde skies with his 5-year-old daughter, tries to do some road and mountain biking, though not as much as in past years, and plays a little golf. For the last 23 years I've owned and operated the Hyde Away Inn in Waitsfield, which is a 10 room Inn and 50 seat restaurant and active tavern which really attracts locals. [...] to have served in the Legislature and to understand how that whole process works, really does enhance my role, I think, knowing how the budgetary system wo...

Diversity, Unexpected Strengths Maintain Economy

Manufacturers in the Bennington area sometimes needed to downsize operations to weather the storm, but that sector has made more money than expected and has been adding back jobs due to a lucrative military contract. Not the smaller versions of moose that were a hit a few years ago, but full-scale Papa and Mama and Baby Moose.\n Also, they have been adding family activities (skating, snowshoeing under the stars, and so on) because they have found that investors in second homes are finding lo...

Burlington Telcom Trying to Find Its Proper Place

[...] the heavy burden BT is shouldering does limit its capacity to innovate and thereby to compete successfully against "deep-pockets Comcast," observes Greg Eppler Wood, chair of the city's Cable Advisory Committee. [...] stepping down in June, Eppler Wood had served as chair of the local Telecom Advisory Committee, a citizens' monitoring panel that lacks the authority to pore over BT's books.

State Turns to Stimulus Money for Internet Upgrade

Vermont's efforts to attract and retain businesses reliant on instantaneous communication weren't helped by a recent report indicating that average Internet download speeds in the state are among the pokiest in the country. The Vermont Telecommunications Authority reports that as of the beginning of this year, about 20 percent of the state's 242,000 residences could log on to the Internet only via dialup service, which provides snail-like access in comparison to DSL, cable or wireless links.

The Phones Will Work, but Fairpoint Might Not

She notes that the company's telecom network continued to function normally even as its customer service operations suffered major disruptions following a "cut-over" of software systems from Verizon to FairPoint. For most of our customers, the customer service experience has returned to pre-cut-over levels.\n The problem for FairPoint is that its 10 percent has other choices, he observes, suggesting that some of the company's largest corporate customers may opt for a different service provid...

Smaller and Fewer Air Carriers Flying Into Burlington

Analysis of the hubs served from here, said Searles, shows that their seats are down 11.6 percent. [...] seat numbers here reflect the numbers in hubs served. According to Searles, AirTran is lacking aircraft because they've have opened new markets and have "gone seasonal due to a shortage of aircraft."

Rainy Summer, Economic Gloom Failed to Deter Tourists

While the rooms and meals tax for fiscal 2009 was down, and the state expects a similar decline over early 2008 numbers for the rest of this year, there is some optimism that the tax revenues generated by tourism were not as negative as those collected by other sectors of the economy, and may continue to be the healthiest revenue source in upcoming months. According to him, "We put a great emphasis on earned media through press releases and media events early in the season and sustained radi...

Vermont Exports Leaped 8.3 Percent in July

According to the latest findings of the World Economic Survey (WES), conducted in the third quarter of 2009 by the Ifo Institute of Economic Research at the University of Munich and the Paris-based Internationals Chamber of Commerce, the global economic climate strongly improved in the third quarter of 2009.

Vermont Life Terminates Ad Agency's Contract

Christine Werneke, the state's chief marketing officer, justified the shift as an efficiency move that will produce an estimated $70,000 in annual savings at a time of austerity for Vermont's government. [...] advisor Jack Crowl, a former publisher of the Chronicle of Higher Education who lives in North Pomfret, said a desire to punish Smart for speaking out "could be a contributing factor" in the decision to terminate her contract.

Simon Pearce: The Man and the Company

[...] last year, Pearce was both the CEO and president of this large family-owned Subchapter S corporation. [...] he was so deeply involved with its day-to-day management that he had no time for creative "doodling" or experimenting with new products. [...] when I go into a store and they see my credit card and ask are you the Simon Pearce, I cringe. Because I live in rural Vermont it hardly ever comes up, so it isn't a huge deal.