B2B Stories

Veteran wins big at Fort Eisenhower PX

Retired Staff Sgt. James Mabry uses his MILITARY STAR® card whenever he shops at the Fort Eisenhower Exchange because he likes earning rewards points on his purchases. A swipe of the card late last year led to an entirely different reward: having his entire card balance paid off. Mabry was randomly selected as one of five grand prize winners in the 10th Annual MILITARY STAR Your Holiday Bill Is on Us sweepstakes. He was presented with a mock check representing his $8,122.50 balance—now paid in full—during a celebration at the Fort Eisenhower

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Consumer Stories

Oscars Recap: Nuanced Highs and the Big Disappointment

This year’s Oscar ceremony was the shortest in years – a rapid-fire cavalcade that barely had time to breathe. Despite this, it produced some real surprises, good and bad. Oppenheimer, unsurprisingly, won the top awards of the night, including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Director. The film provided the path for actors, Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey, Jr., as well as director, Christopher Nolan, to finally win their Oscars. It was one of a handful of “finally” moments. Nolan made a particularly inspired speech, emphasizing how

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B2B Stories

Multi-million dollar hiring plan

One of the Augusta area’s largest employers is hanging out the “Help Wanted” sign. Augusta University’s targeted student enrollment growth means the university itself needs to grow. Just over $6 million will be allocated for the immediate addition of 43 new faculty, 24 new full-time staff, two temporary positions, and 42 new student-worker positions. A portion will be used to add infrastructure supporting the new hires. The university needs additional faculty and staff after notching a student enrollment of 10,546 for fall 2023. That is a 7.5% increase over fall

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B2B Podcasting

Double-digit losses during pandemic

Covid didn’t play fair with any business, but some were hurt more than others. African American-owned and Hispanic-owned businesses suffered the most. Mike Petchenik has more in today’s Biz Bits.

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Cyber Security

Phishing fears

How do “bad actors” get to you through phishing? Let us count the ways. Emailing you with an invoice you don’t owe is one example. There are many others as Patrick Reynolds explains in today’s edition of P.U.T.T.

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Cyber Security

For the bad guy, it’s always a good day for phishing

Phishing scams account for nearly 22 percent of all data breaches that occur, thus, securing it a position as one of the most prevalent cybercrimes. Nearly 83% of companies experienced phishing attacks. Patrick Reynolds has more in today’s edition of P.U.T.T.

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B2B Stories

Major retailer coming to North Augusta

A former grocery store in North Augusta will become a third location in the Aiken-Augusta area for a major national retail business. Hobby Lobby has signed a lease to move into the former BI-LO on Edgefield Road. It is in the Edgewood Square Shopping Center at 101 Edgewood Drive. BI-LO closed the store in 2019. The space briefly was home to the OTB Bargain Outlet. The location is halfway between at least five grocery stores on Edgefield Road from Walnut Lane to E. Martintown Road, making finding a new tenant

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B2B Stories

Asking the key questions to make your organization better

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of attending a retreat for the Medical College of Georgia (MCG) Foundation, which I am honored to serve on its Board. While there were many highlights to the retreat, one that really stood out to me was a presentation and discussion led by Dr. Mike Comer, President of The Hayes Group. The Hayes Group is a consulting firm that specializes in organizational and individual development, including working with boards and providing executive coaching. Dr. Comer’s time with us included a discussion about what

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Darin Myers

Coach Darin: Business success: Why having an accountability partner is key

In my time working with business owners, I’ve found out that in general, a common theme is facing challenges and key decision-making alone. On the other hand, I have also found entrepreneurs who have managed to make this journey easier and fun. Their secret? Oftentimes, having the support of an accountability partner made the difference between successfully moving forward or simply going broke. Here are 5 reasons why it’s crucial to have an accountability partner to support you on your journey as a business owner. 1. Motivation The journey of

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