March 17, 2022

B2B Stories

YWOW & YMOM Class of 2022 Announced

The Columbia County Chamber of Commerce has announced its 2022 classes of Young Women on the Way (YWOW) and Young Men on the Move (YMOM) mentoring Classes of 2022. YWOW & YMOM are both 10-month programs geared towards mentoring young professional men and women. As many as five top executives will mentor each of the young professionals (23- to 30-years-old) during a monthly luncheon, focused on key topics that aim to spur personal and professional development. This year’s YWOW mentors include Michelle Piper, Queensborough National Bank; JoAnn Herbert, Herbert Homes

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Consumer Stories

Masks are coming off at local businesses

To mask or not to mask – that is the question. Because the number of COVID-19 cases has declined in recent weeks, ABD contacted local business leaders to find out if they have relaxed or even eliminated their mask policies. When the pandemic officially hit the United States in March 2020, most grocery stores, retail shops, and restaurants required everyone, including employees, to wear a mask. While some national businesses haven’t changed their policies yet, many local businesses have. Robyn Kelley, the owner of Trendz Salon located on Riverwatch Parkway

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B2B Stories

March Madness brackets cost businesses lost productivity but gain an employee morale boost

March Madness could cost Augusta and Aiken businesses some lost productive work time, but could gain them a tighter-knit workforce. The annual NCAA college basketball tournament kicks off today and culminates on April 4 in New Orleans. According to WalletHub.com, 29 percent of workers fill out their tournament brackets to participate in work pools. Overall, about 50 million people participate in some type of bracket pool. The downside of that is that the average worker spends six hours watching tournament games and 56 percent of Millennials say they’re willing to

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Consumer Stories

CSRA company makes it to Elite 8 in Manufacturing Madness contest

March is not just for college basketball’s big dance. Another contest recognizes the Coolest Thing Made in South Carolina and Generac has made the cut to advance to the Top 8. Nominations and popular votes were cast back in February. The competition was fierce with several CSRA companies in the running, including Bridgestone, Shaw, Zeus, and Huggies. Generac’s Guardian Home Backup Generator, made in Trenton, now faces competitors from across the state like Lockheed Martin’s F-16, Scout boats, Electrolux Refrigerators, and Honda Talon ATVs. While there’s no doubt that F-16s

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B2B Stories

Pick your priorities rather than trying to balance everything, panelists advise women leaders

It’s impossible for female business leaders to balance the many hats they wear as professionals, wives, and mothers, just to name a few. That was the opinion offered by Dr. Patrice Buckner Jackson, founder and facilitator of EduCare Training and Consulting, LLC at the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce’s March Women in Business program. “You’ll never have a balance,” said Jackson, affectionately known as Dr. PBJ. “Give yourself permission to be in the priority of the moment.” She was one of three panelists along with Kim Evans, Executive Director of

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Consumer Stories

Business Lunch Review: Boll Weevil

Editor’s Note: Wes Hennings never met a meal he walked away from and is an opinionated eater! Each Thursday he shares the results of a business lunch he’s had with a colleague as a way to advise our business community on the good, bad, and tasty across the CSRA. He doesn’t let ABD or the restaurant know where he is going and his opinions are his own. He grades the restaurants he visits on a 1-5 scale with “5” being outstanding. We call this our “Real Business Lunch Review”. Food

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