B2B Podcasting

Teambuilding Role in Company Culture

Step one in avoiding conflict and mediation is creating a company culture where employees enjoy coming to work and working together. Neil and HR Consultant and Professional Mediator, TeKay Brown Taylor, discuss the topic.

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B2B Stories

Navigating federal recovery programs after Helene

The Small Business Administration (SBA) joined with the North Augusta Chamber of Commerce to explain the types of loans available to recover after the storm. SBA is best known for assisting small businesses with financial needs, including startup and disaster recovery. However, the agency held a workshop on Friday to explain it can also help homeowners, renters, and nonprofit organizations. Stephen Clark, Public Affairs Specialist, told ABD they hold workshops like the one in North Augusta to reach as many people as possible. “We do have physical damage disaster loans

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B2B Stories

Election Lessons and Reflections

Now that we have had a week to digest the results of last week’s Presidential election, I think it is a good time to reflect on what we might have learned. Even though the votes are still being counted, it appears that the popular vote will be very close, with President-elect Trump coming out slightly on top (50.4% to 48.0%) over Vice President Harris. However, the Electoral College outcome does not look so close, with President Trump garnering a 312 to 226 margin of victory on the strength of sweeping

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B2B Stories

Simon Says: Our strong labor market

In a stunning victory last Tuesday night, Ruben Amorim’s Sporting Lisbon trounced Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City 4-1. Now, the hard work begins as Amorim tries to rejuvenate a moribund Manchester United. In other news, the Augusta Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) Labor Market Index (LMI) increased by 0.3 percent in September from August. It is 1.0 percent higher than September 2023. As I reported last week, employment and nominal average weekly earnings hit record levels in September. Additionally, the labor force expanded, and the average hours worked increased. The only component

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Consumer Stories

Solving CSRA’s Healthcare Shortage

Laurie Ott’s fourth leadership position in her impressive 30-year CSRA career may be her most challenging. She’s playing catch up with the influx of businesses and employees moving to the Peach State.  For 11 straight years, a trade publication voted Georgia the top-ranked state to do business. However, there is a major impact on additional employees and families moving here. “We need 1,500 more nurses in the CSRA,” she said Friday at the 2nd Annual Columbia County School District Career Health Expo. Ott says there is also a huge statewide

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B2B Stories

Breaking down the potential impact of tariffs

A hallmark of President-elect Donald Trump’s reelection campaign was a proposed increase in tariffs on goods coming into the United States. He proposed an increase of 10% to 20% on all foreign countries, with an additional 60% to 100% tariff on imported products from China. The National Retail Federation (NRF) commissioned a study to determine how increased tariffs will impact the cost of imported goods in six categories: Clothing, footwear, toys, furniture, household appliances, and travel goods. The study found that American consumers could lose between $46 billion and $78

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B2B Podcasting

Team Building in the CSRA

When employees used to think of team-building, it was often about a group outing like bowling. In today’s Work It Out video segment, TeKay Brown-Taylor says there are many more ways to bring the staff together. Listen to the entire team-building program this Saturday morning at 7:30 on Classy 1230 AM.

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Residential Real Estate

Real Talk Real Estate: CSRA Real Estate Market Update: What’s Happening in Augusta and Surrounding Areas?

If you’re following the real estate market in Augusta, GA, you know it’s been an eventful year. From shifting demand to fluctuating interest rates, buyers and sellers alike are navigating a changing landscape. Here’s a snapshot of the latest trends, insights, and what I expect to see as we move toward the end of 2024. Unfortunately, interest rates have continued to rise over the past year, putting a bit of a squeeze on affordability. Nonetheless, our area remains attractive to both local buyers and newcomers, thanks to the area’s quality

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B2B Podcasting

Strategize your future business plans with Brownstone

It’s the 4th quarter of the fiscal year. How is your company planning to mitigate any issues that might hold you back from moving forward? That is the topic and discussion with HR Consultant and Professional Mediator, TeKay Brown Taylor and Neil today.

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B2B Stories

New Location for Columbia County Chamber Breakfast

The Columbia County Chamber of Commerce has selected an alternative site for its annual Legislative Breakfast. Damage to the Savannah Rapids Pavilion in the wake of Hurricane Helene meant individuals and organizations, including the Chamber, had to find alternate locations for their events. The annual event is set for Nov. 14. “We’re going to be at the DoubleTree Augusta,” Russell Lahodny, President and CEO of the Chamber told ABD. “Everybody’s looking for space, and so DoubleTree Augusta was one of our options that wasn’t already booked, so we chose to

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