Shawna Woodward

Real Talk Real Estate: Augusta, GA Real Estate Market Update: Trends and Opportunities

As the warm breeze of spring graces Augusta, Georgia, the real estate market in our charming city is bustling with activity. Augusta continues to attract homebuyers seeking a blend of Southern charm and modern amenities. Here’s a quick update on the current state of the Augusta real estate market, highlighting key trends and opportunities for both buyers and sellers. Strong Demand and Limited Inventory: Like many markets across the country, we are experiencing robust demand for housing coupled with limited inventory. This breeds consistent competition among buyers, still resulting in

Read More »
Consumer Stories

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire: Are We Really Doing This?

Ivan Reitman’s Ghostbusters is the latest film to get both the reboot and franchise treatment in Hollywood, with its newest installment, Frozen Empire, opening this past week. The 1984 fantasy comedy is a classic in American blockbuster and the new film is another in a series of these nostalgia-based re-vamps (see the never-ending Star Wars and Jurassic World films), begging the question, why can’t we leave these film properties alone? Frozen Empire follows Afterlife (released in 2021), and retains the cast from that film; Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard,

Read More »
Blue Ribbon Businessperson Of The Month

Businessperson of the Month: Michelle Cooper

Michelle Cooper has learned that being a sole proprietor and the only employee can be difficult when juggling health issues and caring for family members. The past two years have been rough, she admits, but she’s not giving up. Her determination is one reason Michelle Cooper, the owner and sole employee of MC Homemade Boiled Peanuts, is the Business Person of the Month for March. “I have my good days and bad days, and I take care of my father,” Cooper said. “But as long as the Man Upstairs keeps

Read More »
B2B Stories

We’re paying for JBA construction starting Monday

If you’re among the tens of thousands of people who buy goods and services in Richmond County, you will begin paying an additional half-penny sales tax on Monday, April 1. Money collected will cover the cost of building a new James Brown Arena. Demolition of the existing arena is expected to begin in July. The $250 million bond issue was approved by voters in November 2023. Mike Harvey, Vice President of Project Design with Nations Group, owner’s representative for the Coliseum Authority, told ABD they are ready to bring in

Read More »
Cyber Security

Every business is a target!

There is a reason why you should be concerned about cyber issues at your company. Patrick Reynolds at Cross Link Consulting explains in today’s P.U.T.T. how small companies are targets too.

Read More »
Consumer Stories

Real Restaurant Review: Doc’s Porchside Transformation

Editor’s Note: We’re bringing back our Business Lunch reviews! Temporarily, former ABD reporter, Josh Heath will write a fresh, weekly column beginning NEXT Thursday. Wes Hennings will return in the near future to continue what he started! Today, we are re-running a restaurant review on Doc’s Porchside, which has stood the test of time—open now for almost three years. Hennings’ review took place in August 2021. Editor’s Note: Wes Hennings never met a meal he walked away from and is an opinionated eater! Each Monday he shares the results of

Read More »
Darin Myers

Coach Darin Myers: The 4 Most Common Ethics Mistakes Made by Business Leaders

Most business leaders regard themselves as ethical individuals, particularly when it comes to running a business that values integrity above all else. At the same time, even the most conscientious CEO or business owner can sometimes fall prey to common business ethics missteps. That’s why maintaining awareness of potential ethical mistakes and rectifying any that come up is so crucially important. “Leaders who choose to do what’s right in the face of mistakes lay the foundation for future success,” notes Andrew Gonzales, a Hazard Mitigation Specialist, adding that leadership “is not

Read More »
Consumer Stories

Are CSRA real estate commissions changing?

As the Bible says, separating the wheat from the chaff on real estate commissions. The October 2023 ruling on a class action lawsuit regarding commissions paid to real estate agents has had people buzzing about the impact. The lawsuit that started in Missouri alleged an anticompetitive agreement that resulted in sellers paying inflated commissions to real estate agents and brokers. The defendants, including the National Association of Realtors, denied the allegations and the court has not decided the defendants did anything wrong. At issue is the allegation sellers or buyers

Read More »
B2B Stories

Failure is an Option

I recently assigned the MBA students in my Operations and Supply Chain Management course a very challenging case study to analyze. As I assigned the case, it brought back memories for me of the first time I assigned this case to a class of very gifted full-time MBA students at a previous institution at which I served as a faculty member. I team-taught the course with another faculty member who called me the day before the case analysis was due to ask me if I had recently checked the “Blackboard”

Read More »
Cyber Security

Stopping Breaches Part 2

In Part One of our P.U.T.T. segment yesterday, Cross Link Consulting’s Patrick Reynolds talked about a client seeing the signs of a breach. In Part Two of this video, he shares a “must-have” to prevent this at your business.

Read More »