Auto Value Associates Inc., the marketing and buying group of Bond Auto Parts Inc., merged with All Pro/Bumper to Bumper to form the Aftermarket Auto Parts Alliance. Bond Auto Parts vice president Craig Bond was appointed to the joint marketing board of directors of the alliance, which consists of more than 3,200 parts stores throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. Bond Auto Parts has headquarters in Barre and 22 locations in Vermont and New Hampshire.
Merchants Bank purchased offices from Vermont National Bank in Bellows Falls and Rutland. The transaction was connected to the branch divestiture required by federal regulators with respect to Chittenden Corp.'s merger with Vermont Financial Services Corp., parent company of Vermont National.
Jennifer Hoag purchased BJ's Market at 653 Williston Road, Williston, from Jerry and Bruce Brown. Hoag is moving her business, Northern Fibre Arts Center, to the location. Tom Raub of Hickok & Boardman Commercial Realty assisted the seller; Dave Kelley of Highpoint Realty assisted the buyer.
Ann Clark Ltd. of Rutland has merged with Ambrose Metalworking. Ambrose has been the primary source of tin cookie cutters to Ann Clark for almost three years. The company will operate as Ann Clark Ltd.
The Howard Center for Human Services sold commercial acreage on Queen City Park Road, South Burlington, to the Champlain Water District and the Humane Society of Chittenden County. Michael Simoneau of Hickok & Boardman Commercial Realty represented the seller.
Annette Monachelli and Randy Stern purchased The Gables Inn at 1457 Mountain Road, Stowe, from Lynn and Sol Baumrind. Gary Gosselin of The Hearthside Group in Burlington assisted the buyers and represented the sellers in the transaction.
Grand Expeditions of Boca Raton, Fla., purchased Country Walkers, a tour company in Waterbury, from Bob and Cindy Maynard. The company retains its name and management team.
Clark Hinsdale Jr. sold a commercial building and land at 53 Main St., Burlington, to David and Jessica Ackerman, owners of Architectural Salvage Warehouse. They plan to renovate the space and relocate their business from 212 Battery St. Rich Feeley of Feeley Commercial Real Estate brokered the transaction.
Thomas Oliver of Oliver Culinary Services Inc. in Charlotte purchased the Shelburne Road, Burlington, store and the Montpelier City Center Mall store of the Burlington Bagel Bakery Inc. Three other retail locations will be closed by Green Mountain Bagel. Oliver has 25 years' of food service experience. He's the owner of TAO of Food Consulting Inc.
The Vermont Insurance Institute and Vermont Securities Institute have merged to become the Institute for Financial Services at Champlain College. Roger Stone of Stone Investment Advisory and William Catto of Granite Mutual will co-chair the institute's advisory board.
Hackett Valine & MacDonald Inc. of South Burlington and A.N. Deringer Inc. in St. Albans have signed a letter of intent by which Deringer will sell its insurance agency business to Hackett Valine & MacDonald.ÊDeringer has insurance agency operations in St. Albans, Enosburg and Milton. Hackett Valine & MacDonald will operate the offices under the name A.N. Deringer Insurance Agency, in conjunction with its own name. Deringer's international trade and logistics business is unaffected by the deal and continues to operate from its headquarters in St. Albans.
No mergers or acquisitions published.
Dee DeLuca has sold Vermont Specialty Products of Burlington to Adirondack Ad Specialities. The Queensbury, N.Y., company is owned by Neil Tatar. DeLuca remains as general manager of Vermont Specialty Products, which continues to operate under its original name.
David Bielecki and David Knox purchased The Dockside Restaurant at 209 Battery St., Burlington, from Yahoo Entertainment. The restaurant will keep its name. Tom Raub of Hickok & Boardman Commercial Realty in Burlington represented the seller.
National Life announced intentions to acquire the outstanding interest in LSW National Holdings Inc. from European financial institutions Swiss Re and Hannover Re. The Dallas, Texas, company is parent company of Life Insurance Company of the Southwest and specializes in the sale of annuities. National Life has held majority ownership in LSW since 1996 and will become its sole owner after the $61.6 million acquisition.
Mechanical contractor Vermont Mechanical Inc. of Williston has become a subsidiary of Group Maintenance America Corp., a publicly held, national company in Houston, Texas, that provides heating, air conditioning, plumbing and electrical services to commercial and residential customers. Vermont Mechanical retains its name and management team; Randall Kimball is president. Group Maintenance America owns more than 70 subsidiaries throughout the nation.
R. Wilda Routhier and Leonora S. Peverly of Peverly Routhier Inc. in Shelburne announced intentions to sell residential care facility The Pillars and Alzheimers and memory impairment center The Arbors to Benchmark Assisted Living of Wellesley Hills, Mass. Benchmark operates five senior housing communities in New England.
The employees of Hill Associates Inc. have obtained 100 percent ownership of the Colchester telecommunications technology training firm. The company has offered minority stakes through an employee stock ownership plan since 1993. Board chairman/CEO Dave Hill and other founders will continue to be involved with the business for several years.
Product design and development consulting firm Form & Function has merged with Mechanical Creations. The Mechanical Creations division continues to design and distribute kits for technology education classes. Karsten Weiss is president of Form & Function, a new business at 257 S. Champlain St., Burlington. It develops product ideas into commercial products for companies and inventors. (802) 863-9142. (802) 658-2238 (fax). karstenweiss@globalnetisp.net.
Evan and Catherine Metropoulos sold Shelburne Road shopping center Tenneybrook Square to Coastal Development Inc. Michael Simoneau of Hickok & Boardman Commercial Realty represented the seller; Brian Waxler of Pomerleau Real Estate represented the buyer.
Ted and Margaret Lambert sold a 9,600-square-foot commercial building on a 0.34 acre lot in Morrisville to Todd and Karen Yando. Bill Sheedy and Tom Raub of Hickok & Boardman Commercial Realty represented the buyer and seller.
Action Equipment and Parker Danner have joined equipment rental company NationsRent Inc. and have consolidated their Vermont branches at 1901 Williston Road, South Burlington. The Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based chain owns more than 130 stores in 20 states. Randy Atwood is branch manager.
Real Good Toys Inc. (RGT) in Barre has purchased Walmer Dollhouses, the dollhouse division of Walmer Enterprises Inc. The division includes three lines of dollhouse kits: Sophistikits, Lilliputs and Miss Muffet. Jim Abrams is the president of RGT.
Central Vermont Economic Development Corp. sold a 1.6-acre parcel of commercial land in the Bean Industrial Park in Northfield to AT?. AT? will construct a fiber optic repair facility there. Jim Griffiths of Hickok & Boardman Commercial Realty in Burlington assisted the seller.
Formac North Inc. sold commercial property at 208 Flynn Ave., Burlington, formerly known as McAuliffe, to David C. Farrington of Farrington Properties LLC. Farrington intends to use the property as commercial rental space. Michael Simoneau of Hickok & Boardman Commercial Realty in Burlington brokered the transaction.
Hasbro Inc., owner of the former Milton Bradley Wood Products manufacturing plant in Fairfax, sold its commercial property to Bradford A. Morse, who will use it for expanded wood product manufacturing. Jim Griffiths of Hickok & Boardman Commercial Realty in Burlington brokered the transaction.
Lawlor Wakem sold a commercial building at 30-42 King St. and 161-165 S. Champlain St., Burlington, to Frank and Betty Bouchett. The new owners intend to use the property for commercial rental space. Michael Simoneau and Dick MacKenzie of Hickok & Boardman Commercial Realty in Burlington brokered the transaction.
First Choice Rentals, Sales and Service Inc. in Williston has been acquired by Hertz Equipment Rental. The company retains its staff. Ernie Gilbert is CEO of First Choice.
Richard Lowrey Sr. sold a commercial office building at 28 James Brown Drive, Williston, to Delta Business Systems. William Sheedy and Tom Raub of Hickok & Boardman Commercial Realty in Burlington brokered the transaction.
Mary Farrell of Redstone Commercial Group in Burlington was the selling broker of an office condominium at Lakewood Commons in South Burlington to Steve and Anita Allen. Redstones Doug Nedde was the listing broker in the transaction.
Burlington Internet service provider (ISP) Together Networks has been acquired by OneMain.com Inc., a collection of 17 ISPs, with headquarters in Reston, Va. The company provides Internet access and related services throughout the nation to customers located mostly outside of large metropolitan areas. The acquisition was completed March 25, coinciding with the corporations initial public offering. The company has approximately 331,500 subscribers served by almost 650 points of presence in Arkansas, California, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, New York, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Quebec, Tennessee, and Vermont. OneMain.com trades under the symbol ONEM on the NASDAQ market. Robin Lane is president/CEO of Together Networks, which will continue operating with that name in its Burlington headquarters.
Vermont Federal Credit Unions board of directors announced the approval of a merger with Northwest Employees Credit Union (NHECU), which serves the medical community in St. Albans, has 130 members and approximately $135,000 in assets. Vermont Federal serves anyone who lives or works in Franklin or Grand Isle counties or the town of Milton and hundreds of businesses throughout Chittenden and Addison counties. It has more than 14,000 members throughout northwestern Vermont who are served by five branch offices. The merger is expected to take several months before it is approved by the National Credit Union Administration and the Vermont Banking and Insurance Department.
President Casey Lyon announced that Digital Junction and CBC have merged. The new business, operating under the name Digital Junction, is focused on Internet development, information services and database design work. Its affiliated with Sage Networks, a national provider of Web hosting and Internet services.
Scott and Rhonda Colvard sold a multi-family apartment property at 37 Decatur St., Burlington, to Brian Murphy. Rich Feeley, commercial broker with Feeley Commercial Real Estate in Burlington, represented the seller, and Bob Foley of Foley Real Estate assisted the buyer in the transaction.
Francis and Glenna Russell purchased a commercial condominium at 84 Pine St., Burlington, from 400 Investments Ltd. The space includes the fourth floor of the Financial Plaza Office Building. The tenants, The Law Firm of Roesler, Whittlesey, Meekins & Amidon and Leadville Insurance Co., will continue to lease the 5,700-square-foot space. The transaction was brokered by Rich Feeley of Feeley Commercial Real Estate, the listing broker representing the seller, and selling broker Eric Farrell, commercial broker with Redstone Commercial Group, representing the buyers.
Clark W. Hinsdale Jr. sold commercial property at 28 Pearl St., Essex Junction, to Donald and Ann Stewart. Thomas Raub, CCIM, vice president/sales manager for Hickok & Boardman Commercial Realty, and Richard Feeley of Feeley Commercial Real Estate represented the seller.
Phil George of Burlington sold Pine Square, a 47,000-square-foot business incubator complex at 266 Pine St., Burlington, to Pine Properties LLC. Steve and Mags Conant are managing partners of the buyer, and proprietors of Conant Custom Brass Inc., a tenant in the complex for five years. Burlington architect John Anderson has been contracted to preserve the propertys incubator function with an emphasis on supporting decorative arts and the growth of Conant Custom Brass. The property is managed by Neville Companies of Burlington.
Robert and Jeannette Hill sold industrial land at Marshall Avenue and South Brownell Road in Williston to The Miller Group. Michael Simoneau of Hickok & Boardman Commercial Realty represented the buyer.
Del Barrows sold Johnson Woolen Mills LLC in Johnson to his daughter, Stacy B. Manosh, and her husband, Howard. Stacy is the great-granddaughter of the founder of the business, which was established in 1842.
Edward Castle of Rhino Foods sold commercial property at 73 Hegeman Ave., Colchester, to the Sardius Corp. William Sheedy of Hickok & Boardman Commercial Realty represented the buyer and Tony Blake of V/T Commercial represented the seller.
Mechanical and electrical engineering firms Avengco Ltd. of Waterbury and Conway Engineering Inc. of Brookline, N.H., have merged. Business will be conducted under the name Conway Engineering Inc. Neil Vallencourt P.E., formerly of Avengco, is vice president in charge of Conway Engineerings Waterbury office.
Union Bankshares Inc. of Morrisville and Citizens Savings Bank and Trust Co. in St. Johnsbury announced the signing of an affiliation agreement, to be accomplished through the merger of Citizens and a newly organized merger subsidiary of Union. Citizens would become a wholly owned subsidiary of Union. Kenneth Gibbons is president of Union Bankshares. Jerry Rowe will continue as president of Citizens Savings Bank and Trust Co. The action is subject to shareholder, federal and state regulatory approvals.
Lawes Consulting Engineers Inc. of Williston was sold to McFarland-Johnson Inc. Its name has changed to Lawes Engineering, a division of McFarland-Johnson Inc.
Gerald and Maryellen Manock sold a 2,293-square-foot office condominium at Lakewood Commons, 1233 Shelburne Road, South Burlington, to Arrowtech. Mary Farrell of Redstone Commercial Group in Burlington was the selling and listing broker.
Anthony Gamache sold Hargreaves Corner Market & Deli at 2 N. Winooski Ave., Burlington, to The Vermont Sandwich Co., which owns delis in Essex Junction and Williston. Thomas Raub, CCIM, vice president/sales manager for Hickok & Boardman Commercial Realty in Burlington, represented the seller.
Andrew Golbert purchased Carburs Restaurant in Burlington from Burr and Linda Vail. The transaction included the downtown restaurants business assets and commercial condominium. Golbert is a former owner of the Dog Team Tavern in New Haven and is a partner in the Burlington Bagel Bakery. The Vails continue to own and operate the Hacienda Tamarindo, a 16-room hotel on the island of Vieques, off the coast of Puerto Rico. Rich Feeley, commercial broker with Feeley Commercial Real Estate, and commercial broker Bill Kiendl of V/T Commercial brokered the transaction.
International logistics service provider A.N. Deringer Inc. in St. Albans acquired importing-exporting company Buchanan Customs Brokers & Vessel Agency. The branch operates as Deringer d/b/a Buchanan Customs Brokers from a facility in Duluth, Minn., with Bob Buchanan as branch manager.
HAM Properties sold a 7-unit apartment building to Viktor Lagun. Bill Sheedy and Michael Simoneau of Hickok & Boardman Commercial Realty in Burlington brokered the transaction.
The Barbara Corbin Family Trust sold a six-unit apartment building at 157-159 S. Union St., Burlington, to Mark Furnari. Eric Farrell of Redstone Commercial Group in Burlington represented the buyer.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont (BCBSVT) in Berlin acquired South Burlington firm Comprehensive Benefits Administrator Inc. (CBA), a claims administrator for businesses that self- insure employees health care benefits. CBA has been added to the BCBSVT portfolio, but continues to operate as an independent subsidiary. The acquisition was handled through Catamount Insurance Services Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of BCBSVT, which purchased 80 percent of CBAs common stock. CBA founder/president David L. Taber has agreed to remain with the company for at least two years.
Kay and Richard Hilderbrand sold a six-unit residential apartment building on Tilden Street in Richmond to Dane Properties. Steve Donohue of Redstone Commercial Group in Burlington was the listing and selling broker.
Listing broker John Rao III of Pomerleau Real Estate in Burlington and selling broker Bob Haynes assisted in the sale of the 230,000-square-foot Grand Union warehouse in White River Junction to RSD Transportation.
La Barge Floral Design on Battery Street in Burlington, owned by Patricia Pittala, acquired Burlington Flower Market on Williston Road, South Burlington. The market is a cash and carry shop where patrons walk among the flower assortments to make their selections. Its open Monday through Saturday.
GW Savage purchased a 2,100-square-foot commercial condominium at 89 Shunpike Road in Williston from Marshall and Cheryl Learned. Doug Nedde of Redstone Commercial Group in Burlington represented the owners. Gail Savage of Flanders Real Estate was the selling broker who assisted in the transaction.
Albany Ladder Co. of Albany, N.Y., purchased Contractors Equipment Supply/The Rent-All Store in Plattsburgh, N.Y., from Dave Swift who continues to manage the store. The store has expanded to include more product lines, a larger rental fleet, equipment delivery and equipment repair services. Albany Ladder operates eight locations in three states, including a facility in Williston.
Consulting engineers Dufresne-Henry Inc. of North Springfield acquired engineering firm Gainer- Wilbur of Newburgh and Pawling, N.Y. Dufresne-Henry has 11 offices in five states, including one in South Burlington.
Kelly and Peter Varty sold the Thatcher Brook Inn in Waterbury to John and Lisa Fischer. Burlington real estate firm The Hearthside Group represented the seller.
Healthsouth Corp. of Birmingham, Ala., acquired Lakewood Convenient Healthcare in South Burlington. The location operates under the name Healthsouth Medical Clinic and specializes in occupational health services. Healthsouth maintains more than 1,800 locations in every state and the United Kingdom and Australia.
Ted Child, president of Child Travel Services Inc. in Colchester, announced American International Travel Services Inc. (AITS) of Burlington has merged with his company. Jim and Polly Larkin have relinquished the day-to-day operation of AITS but remain as consultants. Child Travel Services Burlington location merges with the Church Street office of AITS, making it the only travel agency in downtown Burlington. Child Travel Services has moved its headquarters from 17 Roosevelt Highway in Colchester to 1 Roosevelt Highway. Ted and Dina Child purchased the 8,000-square-foot condominium building formerly Health Insurance of Vermont and upgraded their companys phone and communications services. Child Travel Services has offices in Colchester, Burlington, St. Albans and Essex Junction.
The Richard C. Longfellow Trust sold a 10,000-square-foot retail/apartment building at 155 Main St., Burlington, to Dennis Rouille. William Sheedy of Hickok & Boardman Commercial Realty in Burlington brokered the transaction.
Kaiser Permanente sold 51/2 acres of property to the Northwestern Medical Center in St. Albans. Robert Marlowe and Michael Simoneau of Hickok & Boardman Commercial Realty of Burlington represented the seller.
President Ken Squier announced Radio Vermont Inc. of Waterbury has entered into an agreement to purchase WKDR-AM in Burlington. The five station group will retain much of WKDRs news and talk programming and add a sharper focus on local and regional news programming. Radio Vermont owns WDEV-AM, Waterbury; WDEV-FM, Warren; WLVB-FM, Morrisville; and WCVT-FM, Stowe. The acquisition is expected to take several months to finalize.
Jeffrey Allen sold investment properties at 97 North Union St., Burlington, and 20 Greene St., Burlington, to Ralph and Rebecca Sumner. Michael Simoneau of Hickok & Boardman Commercial Realty in Burlington represented the seller.