Vermont Business Roundtable survey indicates economic forecast is ‘steady’ for next six months
1. How do you expect your company’s sales to change in the next six months? SalesINCREASENO CHANGEDECREASEQ1 200483%13%4%Q2 200480%15%4%Q3 200471%25%4%Q4 200477%22%1%Q1 200578%19%3%Q2 200575%23%2%Q3 200574%24%2%Q4 200572%24%4%Q1 200678%20%2%Q2 200678%22%0%Q3 200669%25%6%Q4 200673%23%4%Q3 200851%35%14%Q4 200827%46%27%Q1 200933%30%37%Q2 200941%31%28%Q3 200934%49%17%Q1 201063%19%18%Q2 201069%24%7%Q3 201059%35%6%Q4 201071%23%6%Q1 201173%19%8%% change from Q4/10 to Q1/112%-4%2%Totals may not equal 100 due to rounding. 2. How do you expect your company’s capital spending to change in the next six months? 3. How do you expect your company’s employment to change in the next six months? The chief executives of Vermont’s leading businesses appear poised to hold steady for the spring and summer months of 2011, when compared against the previous survey period. The survey was completed between April 1 and April 15 and released today by Vermont Business Roundtable Chair Steve Voigt, CEO, King Arthur Flour and President Lisa Ventriss.According to Roundtable President, Lisa Ventriss, ‘Overall, these data show an economy that is taking its breath and assuming a ‘wait and see’ posture. The most positive growth indicator continues to be our members’ sales forecasts which showed a slight uptick over the previous period (73 percent compared to 71 percent). And while a plurality of our members are forecasting growth outlooks for capital expenditures and employment levels, (47 percent and 44 percent, respectively), another segment of members is projecting no change in those indicators from the previous quarter (38 percent and 41 percent, respectively),Ventriss said.Chair Steve Voigt said ‘We believe that these data also reflect a hesitation among our CEOs that is related to the current debate around health care reform in Vermont and the nation. We polled our members on this topic and found it to be a major source of concern; there are still many cost-related reform questions yet to be answered, and this makes future investment decisions regarding people or plant difficult to make at best. We must remember that while growth indicators have been trending upward nicely since early 2009, these changes are still fragile.’The Roundtable’s CEO Economic Outlook Survey provides a forward-looking view of the economic assumptions and attitudes of chief executive officers for 120 of the state’s top employers with an aggregate economic impact of $135 billion and employing 15 percent of the state’s workforce. The members represent Vermont’s agriculture, construction, education, health services, finance, real estate, insurance, hospitality/leisure, manufacturing, information, utilities, professional/business services, wholesale trade, and non-profit industries. The response rate for this quarter was 58 percent. Historically, rates have varied from 35 to 73 percent. 
EmploymentINCREASENO CHANGEDECREASEQ1 200457%38%4%Q2 200450%48%2%Q3 200459%37%4%Q4 200458%39%3%Q1 200555%38%7%Q2 200549%42%9%Q3 200549%44%7%Q4 200560%35%5%Q1 200654%39%7%Q2 200650%45%5%Q3 200643%49%7%Q4 200653%41%5%Q3 200840%42%18%Q4 200825%35%40%Q1 200923%37%40%Q2 200921%50%29%Q3 200934%46%20%Q1 201040%52%8%Q2 201046%45%9%Q3 201035%52%13%Q4 201051%38%11%Q1 201144%41%15%% Change from Q4/10 to Q1/11-7%3%4%Totals may not equal 100 due to rounding.The Roundtable is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization of 120 CEOs of Vermont’s top private and nonprofit employers, representing geographic diversity and all major sectors of the Vermont economy, with an aggregate economic impact of $135 billion and employing 15 percent of the state’s workforce. The Roundtable is committed to sustaining a sound economy and preserving Vermont’s unique quality of life by studying and making recommendations on statewide public policy issues. CapitalINCREASENO CHANGEDECREASEQ1 200462%30%8%Q2 200443%41%15%Q3 200451%42%7%Q4 200445%46%9%Q1 200555%37%8%Q2 200549%43%8%Q3 200557%38%5%Q4 200550%35%15%Q1 200645%45%10%Q2 200653%40%7%Q3 200640%50%10%Q4 200656%39%5%Q3 200838%42%20%Q4 200817 %43%40%Q1 200912%38%50%Q2 200917%51%32%Q3 200931%46%23%Q1 201050%42%8%Q2 201051%38%11%Q3 201037%48%15%Q4 201049%34%17%Q1 201147%38%15%% Change from Q4/10 to Q1/11-2%4%-2%Totals may not equal 100 due to rounding. Source: VBR. 4.18.2011
707 Cavendish Road, Holland Park.More from newsCrowd expected as mega estate goes under the hammer7 Aug 2020Hard work, resourcefulness and $17k bring old Ipswich home back to life20 Apr 2020This 1950s brick post-war cottage has hit the market and there’s plenty that can be done to it.The two-bedroom, one-bathroom property at 707 Cavendish Rd, Holland Park is a 878sq m block.Nobel Realtors – Corinda selling agent Anna Samios said: “Possibilities are endless, either keep the original residence tenanted while you plan to build your future palatial dream or add your own personal flair to this character home”.The property features a north-easterly aspect, a secluded rear entertaining area and a fully fenced yard.The property is close to schools, shops and walking tracks.
Golf was on offer for the first time when over 220 athletes and support staff gathered for the 27th Inter Spinal Unit Games at Stoke Mandeville Stadium. The flagship sports event enabled newly injured patients from the 13 spinal units from across the UK and Ireland to discover and compete in a range of wheelchair sports. Jamie Blair, Disability Officer for England Golf, said “We are pleased to have added golf to the range of activities on offer as part of the spinal unit games, ensuring the game is open to all. “I would like to express my thanks to the Handigolf Foundation and volunteers for running the activity and showcasing the opportunities to participate in golf”. Stoke Mandeville Hospital patient, 61-year-old Paul Beere from Hemel Hempstead, took part in golf as well as various sports including fencing, hand-cycling, and nine ball pool. Paul says sport has played a part in his rehabilitation after a growth on his spinal cord was removed and he was confined to a wheelchair. He said: “Sport brings you not only exercise, but a sense of purpose and a feeling that everything has an ending”. The games are run by WheelPower, a national sport charity based at Stoke Mandeville Stadium, the birthplace of the Paralympic movement. WheelPower’s Sport Development Officer, Stewart Jeeves, who organised the event said: “Throughout the week all participants have fully embraced their opportunity to have a go at sport” “Patients with spinal cord injuries have discovered first-hand what they can achieve in terms of participating in sport and living an independent lifestyle. Many will return home full of confidence and desire to continue playing the sport they love in their local area.’ Image © Roger Bool 15 May 2014 Golf makes debut at Spinal Games 
Girls’ team: Sammy Fuller (Roehampton, Surrey), Lily May Humphreys (Stoke-by-Nayland, Essex), Hollie Muse (West Lancashire), Emily Price (Cleobury Mortimer, Worcestershire), Hannah Screen, (Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire), Bel Wardle (Prestbury, Cheshire). Amelia Williamson (Royal Cromer, Norfolk) was unwell and had to withdraw. Team captain Janet Melville said: “The plan this week was to try to win every session. We knew that wouldn’t be easy but we’ve managed it so we’re very pleased. We got off to a really good start this afternoon and they were all up early on so that took the pressure off a bit.” Tags: Girls’ Home International Clodagh Hopkins, the Ireland women’s captain, said: “This is just amazing. I can’t believe it has happened. The English are a very strong team but I had an inkling we could get something out of the match. The girls have played so well and been so positive all week that I knew they had a chance. Every time we went out we did just enough and that’s exactly what we did today.” Image courtesy The R&A This is England’s ninth win in 10 years and during the decade the team has been beaten only by Ireland in 2016. 11 Aug 2017 England’s girls reclaim their crown “The plan this week was to try to win every session. We knew that wouldn’t be easy but we’ve managed it so we’re very pleased. We got off to a really good start this afternoon and they were all up early on so that took the pressure off a bit. However, the England women’s team – who had won the last three championships – lost their title to Ireland, suffering a narrow 4-5 beating. Women’s team: Emma Allen (Meon Valley, Hampshire), Lianna Bailey (Kirby Muxloe, Leicestershire), Gemma Clews (Delamere Forest, Cheshire), India Clyburn (Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire), Sophie Lamb (Clitheroe, Lancashire), Rochelle Morris (Woodsome Hall, Yorkshire), Olivia Winning (Rotherham, Yorkshire). Click here for full scores England captain Elaine Ratcliffe commented: “The Irish played some great golf on that back nine. It was still close after nine, we were up in two games, but the others were really close. You’ve got to hand it to the Irish.” England today reclaimed their crown as Girls’ Home Internationals champions, beating Ireland 6.5-2.5 to clinch the title on the final day at Little Aston, Staffordshire. The strong English team were in dominant form throughout the match despite losing Amelia Williamson to gastroenteritis on the eve of the championship. The English claimed the morning foursomes 2½-½ and then went further ahead in the singles when Hollie Muse and Sammy Fuller both won their sixth matches out of six by recording 6&5 victories over Lauren Walsh and Sara Byrne. The England team looked set to claim the title for the sixth time in seven years after sharing the morning foursomes and then taking an early lead in the singles, but that was before the Irish mounted a late comeback which resulted in them claiming their victory. Although the team was down to six players for the three-day tournament, England defeated Wales 8-1 and Scotland 7-2 before battling hard to defeat a tough young Irish squad on the last afternoon.
Temple men’s gymnastics junior Colton Howard, left, and sophomore Evan Eigner pause after working out at the university, in Philadelphia. In early December, Temple announced that it is eliminating seven of its 24 sports, including men’s gymnastics, effective in the fall. “When I heard the news, I kind of went numb a little bit,” Eigner said. (AP Photo/The Philadelphia Inquirer, Tom Gralish)The meeting was brief. A few minutes tops.Temple athletic director Kevin Clark didn’t mince words. Standing inside the football team’s indoor practice facility earlier this month, Clark scanned the crowd of dozens of student-athletes – none of them football players – and told them the financially strapped athletic department was cutting their sport at the end of the 2013-14 academic year.There weren’t a lot of details. No lengthy question and answer session. Sitting alongside his 16 teammates on the men’s gymnastics team, sophomore Evan Eigner sat in stunned silence.“When I heard the news,” Eigner said, “I kind of went numb a little bit.”Temple’s announcement that it’s going from 24 sports to 17 next fall, a move that will eventually save about $3-3.5 million a year, was just the latest in a growing line of colleges and universities that are reshaping overextended athletic programs by shuttering smaller sports to help make those that remain – particularly those designed to bring in revenue – more competitive.To be honest, Eigner still isn’t sure what happened. He understood the athletic department was in a tight spot money-wise. He knew there had been talk about changes and the threat of cuts. It was all just white noise until suddenly, it became only too real.He heard the part where Clark said the school would honor all of the scholarships for the affected student athletes until they graduated. He heard the part where Clark said the school would do what it could to find new athletic homes for those wishing to transfer.Eigner just didn’t hear what he would consider a sensible argument for cutting a program that takes up a small fraction of the athletic department budget yet nets conference championships. He grew up wanting to compete at Temple, where his stepfather Fred Turoff has been coach since 1976. He grew up wanting to walk out of his graduation ceremony with a degree in hand and four years of college gymnastics under his belt.Now he may get one or the other, but not both.“I wouldn’t want to go anywhere else but Temple,” Eigner said. “Gymnastics is a big part of my life. Competing collegiately is a big goal of mine. For our team, gymnastics is really a part of our identities. If you take away the opportunity, you’re affecting who we are as individuals.”A growing number of whom are finding themselves forced to choose between staying in school or competing elsewhere after their programs are dissolved to help other sports deal with geographically confounding – if more lucrative – conference alignments, increased travel budgets and coach salaries.