B2B Stories

Simon Says: Remote worker survey of Augusta employees

Nationally, 13.8% of workers worked from home in 2023. Pre-pandemic, this number was 5.7%. Coworking Mag explored demographic, income, education, and industry data from the Census Bureau to profile the average remote worker in the Augusta Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). In Augusta, 10.1% or more than 28,600 people in the workforce are remote workers.  In tech-heavy cities such as Raleigh NC and Austin TX, remote workers make up almost 25 percent of the workforce. Of these remote workers, 63.6 percent are women, the second highest in the southeast behind Fayetteville

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B2B Stories

Guest Column: Strong Roots Can Weather Any Storm

In Georgia, where farming is more than a livelihood—it’s a way of life—Hurricane Helene tested those roots like few storms before. As the nation’s top pecan-producing state, Georgia takes great pride in its orchards and the farmers who tend them year after year. But Helene’s impact has left farms and rural communities with billions in damage, impacting pecan orchards especially hard and disrupting the broader supply chain. For Stuckey’s, a company that relies on Georgia pecans for nearly all of our products, this has been a wake-up call about just

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B2B Stories

Popular CSRA food truck opens new location

After his family was tired of the Watertown, New York winters, they packed up and moved south. Matthew Papaianni brought his Italian heritage with him through great recipes. He started a food truck you might have seen rolling across the CSRA. The bright colors and animated food pictures adorn the Beefed Up truck which began serving burgers, hotdogs, and more in 2020. “Business started slow but then we began serving food at Bridgestone and Generac. That is when our food truck business started picking up,” Papaianni explained. Before Hurricane Helene

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B2B Podcasting

Let’s Work It Out: HR Bootcamp!

Are you ready to go to the mat for your company? Sometimes, policies and procedures are not the most exciting part of the workplace. HR Specialist, TeKay Brown-Taylor tells Neil Gordon there is help in this short video if you “Read More.” Each Saturday morning, they try to help business people and individuals “work it out.” Tune in at 1230 AM at 7:30.

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B2B Stories

Tourism means big bucks in metro Augusta

The economic impact tourism has on Augusta and the surrounding area was celebrated by Destination Augusta, the Augusta Sports Council, and Film Augusta. The numbers were announced at the 2024 Destination Augusta Champions event. Bennish Brown, President and CEO of Destination Augusta (pictured above), told ABD the event is an opportunity to acknowledge the demanding work done by people in the tourism industry. “We realize we don’t do this by ourselves. We want to make sure this industry knows we appreciate them,” he said. “We are the third largest employment

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Consumer Stories

Authentic Italian Eatery Opens in Augusta

You could say a piece of Italy moved into Augusta’s thriving medical district. Aroma’s Italian Grill opened in late summer and one of the partners tells ABD the restaurant is far different from others in the CSRA. “All of our products are imported from Italy. Our entire menu was built by Performance Company Food Groups in their test kitchen.” So far, the favorite dish has been Beef Lasagna, (even though they admit the sausage they use enhances the flavor)! Another point of difference is that they bake their fettuccine and

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Sports / Entertainment

Working for the Weekend: The “Toy Bridge”

This little weekend adventure found my wife out of town and this dad trying to entertain three girls. We headed to our neighborhood park, but then my girls asked to go to the ‘Toy Bridge.” That’s our name for one of my favorite things that the city of Augusta has done: renovating the old rickety Fifth Street Bridge into a walking bridge for the community. They added several fun interactive elements like puzzles and large musical instruments, which is how my girls gave it our moniker. But as our lovely

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Consumer Stories

Best of Real Talk Real Estate: Refinancing Your Home Mortgage: The Comedy of Rates, Points, and Perpetual Uncertainty

If you’ve been keeping tabs on the real estate market recently, you may have noticed something strange — it’s been a bit like trying to read the stock market while blindfolded…on a roller coaster…with a squirrel in your lap. In other words, it’s wild, unpredictable, and slightly ridiculous. But, whether you’re looking to buy your dream home, refinance your mortgage, or simply get a handle on the market, there are some essential things to know. So, let’s look into the essentials of refinancing your mortgage in today’s bonkers real estate

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B2B Stories

Legislative Breakfast Spotlights Workforce-Education Connection

Sonny Perdue, Chancellor of the University System of Georgia, delivered the keynote address at the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce’s annual Legislative Breakfast Thursday morning. Perdue has worn many hats over his career. Veterinarian, served in the Georgia State Senate, two terms as Georgia Governor and Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He said serving as Chancellor is the most impactful job he has ever had. “We have over 350,000 lives a year in our university system, learners that are looking for life changes,” he said. “And that’s the

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B2B Podcasting

What is an HR Audit and Can it Benefit Your Company?

Most businesses may think an audit is strictly about their financial situation, but having a healthy HR plan in place can be very beneficial, especially if a company is looking to grow and add employees. Neil and HR Consultant and Professional Mediator, TeKay Brown Taylor, explore the benefits of an HR audit.

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