Congratulations to Burlington Police Chief Tom Tremblay who has been appointed by Governor Douglas to be Vermont's next Commissioner of Public Safety. Tremblay will replace Kerry Sleeper, who is retiring.

As commissioner, Tremblay will be the head of the Department of Public Safety, which supervises Vermont Emergency Management, Fire Safety, the Vermont State Police and Criminal Justice Services. Tremblay, a 24-year veteran of the Burlington Police Department, will begin his new job Jan. 7. His professionalism, compassion and dedication to community policing have strengthened the Burlington community, and he will be greatly missed.

Congratulations to Laura Bowe of COMCAST who was awarded  the Community Excellence award by the Lake Champlain Chamber of Commerce  for her efforts in several organizations, including the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women program, the Make-A-Wish Foundation and First Night Burlington.

Bob Cayia, Material Handlings Supervisor of Gardener’s Supply, flexes his muscles, showing off the 25,280 lbs of CO2 the company will save by replacing just two lamps with new energy efficient lights. Gardener's Supply and Kilawatt Technologies replaced 220 fixtures in their Essex fulfillment center and will save 2.8 million lbs of CO2 over 8 years.

Welcome to Brad Robertson, the new publisher at the Burlington Free Press. Brad was the vice president/advertising at The Des Moines (Iowa) Register. And Best Wishes to James Carey, publisher since 1991, who is now chairman of the Free Press.

Congratulations and best wishes also to Mike Monte, who has retired as Director of CEDO after serving the City for most of the last 25 years.  During his tenure the BBA, CEDO and the Church Street Marketplace have worked together as the Downtown Partnership.  We will miss Mike’s leadership in the City’s economic development efforts, but wish him well in his new post as the COO of the Champlain Housing Trust.