Telegraph Business Ticker

GMP seeks rate hike

Green Mountain Power has filed a new rate plan that calls for a .93 percent increase in electric bills. The filing, which is subject to Public Service Board approval, would take effect on Oct. 1, 2016. According to the company, this follows two consecutive years where customers have seen bills decrease.  If approved, customers will be paying 1 percent less next year than they were paying in 2012, according to GMP.

Free food manufacturing workshop

Registration is open for a free workshop being offered to Vermont food and beverage processors and manufacturers who want to be fully compliant with environmental laws. The Department of Environmental Conservation’s Environmental Assistance Office is hosting the “Food for Thought” workshop. Experts will be available on-hand to directly answer questions. The workshops are offered at no cost to participants.  Representatives from breweries, specialty food producers and food packaging and bottling plants are encouraged to attend.

The workshop is scheduled to run twice, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on both days: Tuesday, Sept. 13 in Rutland and Thursday, Sept. 15 in St. Albans.  The workshop content will focus on challenges with environmental compliance commonly found in the industry, and discussing solutions to accommodate best practices.

A webinar series will also be offered as a primer. The mid-day webinar series will cover environmental compliance topics pertinent to the food and beverage industry over the course of three sessions held from noon to 12:45 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, Aug. 23 through Aug. 25.

Registration and agendas for the “Food for Thought” Environmental Compliance workshop and webinar series can be found online at http://dec.vermont.gov/news/food-thought-workshops.

Konrad Prefab moves to Springfield industrial center

Konrad Prefab, a local company specializing in the design and production of display and modular units, will begin manufacturing operations in mid-September in the Robert S. Jones Industrial Center, 260 Clinton St. in Springfield.

Financing for Konrad Prefab is being provided by Mascoma Bank and the Vermont Economic Development Authority with assistance from the Small Business Administration.

Konrad President David Jaacks estimates that Konrad Prefab will employ 10-12 people in the next 12 months with hopes for additional growth in the coming years.