[Nutsosa]

Is there anything new on the biotech starting up in Newport? Are they still planning to open sometime this year?

I was hoping there might be somebody from Newport on the forum, who may have been by the building site. Just wondering if the project is still moving forward. There was a bunch of hooplah in the news about a year ago, and then . . . silence. I'm in Maidstone, and looking for a biotech job. I know, I should move to Boston or Burlington, but for personal reasons I need to stay where I am (I'm not much of a city person anyway!).

[square peg]

Good question. The facility isn't visible from the road. It's a road I drive a few times a week, but I haven't seen anything that resembles activity. Googling AnC Bio Newport didn't render anything beyond the initial news items from Jan/Feb 2010. I haven't heard anyone talking about the subject in quite a while either.

[square peg]

So I took a ride over there this evening and here's what the proposed site looks like. It's presently being used by NEK Human Services. That's their van parked out front. The building is in a nice location on a hill with views of Lake Memphremagog. It was/is owned by Bogner who used to make high-end skiing apparel there back when we still used to make things in this country.

But right now there's nothing visible to indicate that anything is happening with the biotech firm. No construction gear anywhere. The only things outside are a few dilapidated picnic tables. So unless they're looking at a different facility - and there haven't been any news reports of such - there's not a lot to get excited about. Bill Stenger's name (president of Jay Peak) has been linked to this project and he's proven to be a real doer with the ski area, but I wouldn't plan on anything happening here in the near future. I kinda hope I'm proven wrong on that because we could really use some decent jobs in this area.

[Logs and Dogs]

That's too bad that it appears to have stalled. As you said, it would be nice to have someone invest in the area and bring in some good solid jobs, and I'm guessing a good mix of job types as well.

[square peg]

Big news announcement this week with Shumlin, Leahy and Jay Peak's Bill Stenger. Apparently this is going to happen in 2013 using the same foreign investment program that financed Jay Peak's recent expansion. They're still talking 200 new jobs in Newport.

VPR News: Biotech Company To Open In Newport With 200 Jobs

http://newportvermontdailyexpress.co...-biotech-plant

[vermonter16]

There is a big article on it as well in last week's Barton Chronicle.

[Nutsosa]

Progress on this project sure is painfully slow. I ended up taking a job down in Boston in the meantime. I'm grateful to even have a job in the current economy, but I'd rather be back home in the NEK. There's a severe lack of common sense and common courtesy down here in the flatlands. I hope they actually get it up and running next year, so I can come back north.

Any word on when they'll start hiring?

[square peg]

That would be a heck of a commute from Maidstone, Nutsosa.

I drive by the entrance a few times a week. The building isn't visible from the road, but NEK Human Services still has their sign out front. On Friday I almost got whacked by a female employee yakking on her cell phone when she pulled out of there. I read the two local papers daily and the Chronicle each week and haven't seen anything regarding the biotech firm. So no. Sorry - nothing new to report.

[Nutsosa]

I rented an apartment in Boston. I go home to Maidstone on Friday night, and head south again on Sunday night. Apparently I'm an "extreme commuter"

Thanks for the intel! I'll keep scanning the papers too.

[MRVphotog]

There was an interview on WCAX with Bill Stenger about 6 months ago. He advised that at that time they were lining up the foreign investors for the project. Orleans County which both Newport and Jay Pk are in is the most economically depressed county in the state so it was a good fit for the project.

One thing I noticed from the VP article is that Leahy said this was the largest EB-5 project in Vermont with the addition of 200 jobs. Sorry, Senator but the Jay Pk EB-5 project produced 2,000 jobs. Perhaps his staff hit the wrong button on their calculator, probably made in China lol