The ACE Camp is a hands-on aviation program that allows young people to explore the dynamics of a variety of aviation-related careers. Professional, military and civilian experts will introduce campers to the principles of flight, teamwork, pre-flight safety, building and launching model rockets, plotting navigation courses, flight simulators and much more. FAA certified pilots will brief participants on what’s involved with flight safety and also the features of different types of aircraft.

Young Eagle flights are coordinated and flown by pilots of the Experimental Aircraft Association and rides in other aircraft may be available as well. It’s a fun, interactive week of learning more about the world of aviation!

It will take place daily, from Monday, June 18th through Friday, June 22nd, from 8:30 am – 4 pm each day at Hartness State Airport in North Springfield. Camp tuition is $325 for the week, which includes transportation from the ACE site to camp activities, food and beverages, t-shirts, caps, cameras and much more.

The ACE Camp is for girls and boys between the ages of 12 and 15. For an application and more information, contact Walter Striedieck at 802-460-3686.

Sponsors of the ACE Camp 2012 include the Vermont Aviation Advisory Council, Vermont Agency of Transportation, Aero Club of New England and the Federal Aviation Administration.

The competition is open to farm and food individuals and businesses engaged in food production, processing, distribution, packaging, or retailing including restaurants. Also eligible are those in the agriculture enterprises of wood products, equine-related businesses, and fiber production.

“Vermont Tech is seeking to raise awareness of small business entrepreneurship and to encourage new business development in three critical areas: Existing Business, New Business, and Student,” said Steve Paddock, director of the Vermont Tech Enterprise Center, a business incubator designed to support growth companies.

Up to five finalists will be selected in each category. To be eligible for the competition, the existing or new business must be for-profit and physically located within Washington, Orange, or Windsor County, and must have gross revenue that does not exceed $500,000. For the Student category, the entrant must be a currently enrolled student who either lives or attends school within one of the three counties.

The Vermont Small Business Development Center will offer Application Workshops during April to help those interested create high quality applications. Applications are due May 21, 2012. Finalists will be announced by June 1, 2012, and will have until October 5, 2012, to complete their full business plans. Finalists will present their plans to a panel of judges on October 12, 2012, at Vermont Tech. Winners in each category will be announced that day, following the presentations.

For application forms and more information, go to www.vtc.edu/businessplan or contact Steve Paddock at spaddock@vtsbdc.org or 802.728.9101.

Vermont Small Business Development Center is a non-profit partnership of government, education and business, organized to help Vermont small businesses succeed. Free advice is provided to existing business owners and new entrepreneurs throughout the state.
Visit our website at www.vtsbdc.org to find the advisor near you.

A copy of the Act 248 application for this project is available here

I am writing on behalf of the newest Gordon Ramsay show, “Hotel Hell” on FOX. This show is much like the Kitchen Nightmares format where we go into local Hotels and Inns and help turn them around. We will be shooting an episode in Windsor VT at the Juniper Hill Inn Feb 1st-Feb 5th, and we thought it might be of some interest to your readers.

While we shoot the show, the restaurant and Inn will be open to the public by reservation only. We are looking for people who want to dine and stay at the inn while we shoot, or be a part of the filming experience. This is not a free meal; all dinner patrons will have to pay for their own meal and drinks. The guest rooms will be available on select nights and the pricing has yet to be determined. They will be asked for their feedback by Gordon Ramsay.

For more information on reservations, email the reservation address: WindsorHotelshow@gmail.com.

We ask that all dinner requests include the first and last name, phone number and size of their party. If you have any questions please feel free to give me a call at 323-205-6447.

Unfortunately the staff of the Juniper Hill Inn is not available for comment at this time. All Producers and production staff are also not allowed to comment to any media while on site or filming. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to email Jennifer Reed in the Fox PR department. Jennifer.Reed@fox.com. We look forward to hearing from you and working in your community – Hayden Mauk

One Hundred River Street #2

Vermont Small Business Development Center is a non-profit partnership of government, education and business, organized to help Vermont small businesses succeed. Free advice is provided to existing business owners and new entrepreneurs throughout the state.
Visit our website at www.vtsbdc.org to find the advisor near you.
Vermont Small Business Development Center is a partnership program with the U.S. Small Business Administration. The support given by the U.S. Small Business Administration through its funding does not constitute an expressed or implied endorsement of any of the co-sponsors’ or participants’ opinions, products or services.

First announced in 2009, the NSSEP is expected to create more than 600 jobs during its 18 month construction period, 400 of which will be in Windsor and Windham counties. After the plant is commissioned in 2014, it will contribute to some 160 ongoing jobs in Vermont, with a payroll of nearly $9 million annually. State tax revenues are estimated at approximately $4 million during construction and approximately $3 million per year from 2014 on. Approximately $15 million is expected in annual wood purchases from local foresters, roughly two-thirds of which would to come from Vermont sources, and the town of Springfield expects approximately $2 million in net annual increases to its budgeted revenues.

A key element of this project that separates it from virtually all other commercial scale renewable energy projects in Vermont is NSSEP’s plan to utilize the plant’s thermal waste to provide low cost heat to the North Springfield Industrial Park tenants though a “thermal loop.” In keeping with Winstanley Enterprises’ long-term strategic commitment to Vermont, NSSEP intends to provide below-market heat to users in the park to retain current tenants and to promote additional development.

“Adam Winstanley and his family have done everything right in working with local officials to bring this project from concept to permitting,” said Bob Flint, Executive Director of the Springfield Regional Development Corporation. “The NSSEP provides both a renewable energy resource and the commercial benefits of a unique thermal energy loop that will attract new industries to the park, making it a hub of economic activity in an area that badly needs a shot of adrenaline.”

Winstanley Enterprises is a family-owned company with headquarters in Concord, MA. It has a long and respected track record throughout New England for renovating vacant and underutilized properties. Its developments in Vermont include projects in both Brattleboro and Springfield.

In WESTON Winstanley has a partner who shares its commitment to working closely with local officials on projects that are not only economically viable and ecologically sustainable, but also meet the best interests of the community. For more than 50 years, WESTON has worked nationally and globally on a broad range of sustainable projects, from redeveloping contaminated properties to developing community-scaled renewable/clean energy projects. Among its projects are a coal-to-biomass fuel boiler conversion in Michigan and photovoltaic power systems for the city of Newark, N.J., and on a Superfund site in southwestern Massachusetts.

“WESTON seeks actively to engage community stakeholders throughout the development process to gain their input and advice; and just as importantly, we look to become an active and positive member of the community,” said Kathleen McGinty, WESTON senior vice president and managing director for strategic growth. “Adam Winstanley and his team are good partners for us because they live these values as well. We are impressed by their two years of work in and with community residents and leaders, and we are thrilled to join an effort that delivers solid economic and environmental benefits.”

“Today’s CPG announcement is the culmination of a lot of people’s hard work,” Winstanley said. “I am convinced that this project, which will bring clean power and green jobs to the Springfield area, will be a real boon to the economy in this region and a real asset to Springfield, Windsor County and the state of Vermont. This project makes sense for all of the right reasons, and we are pleased with the support we have gotten from the Springfield community.”

The project will take approximately a year and a half to construct after permits are obtained. It is expected that the plant would be commissioned in the middle or last half of 2014.

Associated Industries of Vermont, with the support of several state and regional business organizations, will host a series of special briefings to help Vermont employers learn about how the state’s new health care laws will impact your insurance choices in the coming years, and what you can do to weigh in on these changes and the choices being made for the state. The briefings will focus on the state’s implementation of federal reforms and look to the intended implementation of single payer healthcare. Presentations will be made by insurance reform experts Susan Gretkowski and Heidi Tringe of MacLean Meehan and Rice, LLC.

The meeting in this region will be on January 9th in Chester at the Newsbank Conference Center from 9:00 am to 11:30 am (8:30 registration) Co-Sponsored by Springfield Regional Development Corporation.

*Registration:* Contact William Driscoll of AIV at (802) 223-3441 or*info@aivt.org* at least one business day in advance of the briefing you would like to attend to register and ensure seating, and for any additional information or directions (early registration is encouraged). Registration is $15 and includes refreshments and materials.

The workshop will provide a brief overview of ownership succession options, and will focus on the pros and cons of different forms of employee ownership and the key financial and organizational benefits of this approach.

Presenters include Tommy Harmon, President and CEO of Sonnax, who will share the story of how the company became 100% employee-owned, Bill Kidder, Eastern Region Manager and Vice President for Corporate Banking at Merchants Bank, who will discuss financing for an Employee Stock Ownership Plan, and Don Jamison, Program Director of the VEOC.

The event is co-sponsored by the Vermont Small Business Development Center, the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation, and the Springfield Regional Development Corporation. Refreshments will be served. There is no registration fee, but advance registration is required. For more information and to register, please visit www.veoc.org or call 802-321-8362.