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B2B Stories

Columbia County Chamber transitions into 2026

There is a new President and CEO of the Columbia County Chamber. He is a familiar face. Health Taylor will step into the role on February 1. Currently President and CEO of the Dublin-Laurens County Chamber of Commerce, Taylor is no stranger to the CSRA. He served as Vice President of the Columbia County Chamber and Vice President of Business and Community Development for the Aiken Chamber of Commerce. “Love the fact that he’s coming in here already knowing the community, has ties in the community, and already has relationships

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Dana Lynn McIntyre January 9, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

Celebrating 75 years in North Augusta

What do the UN Headquarters opening in New York City, the premiere of I Love Lucy, ratification of the 22nd amendment limiting Presidential terms, and the beginning of the North Augusta Chamber of Commerce have in common? All happened in 1951. “When I came here in 2012, a lot of folks that lived in North Augusta didn’t know we had a chamber,” President and CEO Terra Carroll told ABD. “I think because it was a bedroom community, and some of the activities that we did were really isolated to in-house

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Dana Lynn McIntyre January 9, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

Brinks Tavern launches catering and business lunch delivery after 4 months

It is a New Year with new initiatives for Ed and Mickie DeFelice and the rest of the team at Brinkley’s Restaurant Group in North Augusta. Now that the upscale sports bar is established in the new Beacon Bluff Center at 200 Georgia Avenue, the operators are setting their sights on outreach to the community with the launch of business lunch deliveries and catering. This reporter and his photographer wife, Melissa, enjoyed a New Year’s lunch sampling a number of small plates, entrees, and desserts. The ambience had something for

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Neil Gordon January 8, 2026 No Comments
Closings

Augusta Food Retailer Closes Store; Relocates HQ to Florida

It’s been a “nutty 13-year run” for the Kyzers in the CSRA. A few years ago, they moved their family to Florida’s coast just south of Savannah. Now, they’ve moved their headquarters and bakery to the beach. Watanut will still have a big presence in the CSRA. The store at 3309 Washington Road in Martinez closed on December 31, 2025. The Kyzers began their roasted nut and baked shortbread gift business on Jones Street in Augusta, moved to Walton’s Corner, and then to Washington Road.  Handmade daily to order, all

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Neil Gordon January 8, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

TOP 10 LIST: 2026 Predictions and Hopes

Publisher’s Note: What happens in the economy, financial markets, the Federal Reserve, and government/politics affects our business environment and personal finances in the CSRA.  Dr. Rick Franza’s 2025 predictions graded out as a “B”, which would make his students proud! WHAT WILL HAPPEN ECONOMICALLY IN 2026? In some cases, Dr. Franza is separating his predictions from his hopes. Without further ado and in ode to David Letterman, here is Dr. Rick Franza’s Top 10 List. The U.S. Economy, Financial Markets, and the Federal Reserve Prediction #1: GDP Growth for the

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Dr. Rick Franza, AU Hull College Professor January 8, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

Aiken set economic records in 2025

Aiken is looking back at a year when the number of visitors pushed tourism to reach new levels. Aiken welcomed an estimated 10,000 more visitors in 2025 than it did in 2024. That translates to a 10% growth rate. Why? Speaking with ABD, Eric Gordon, Tourism Manager for the City of Aiken’s Visit Aiken initiative, attributed the growth to an aggressive marketing campaign. “We definitely have put more of Aiken forward in the way of different kinds of advertising, social, digital, print, television, billboard,” he listed. “We have a broader

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Dana Lynn McIntyre January 7, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

50-year business sold to Reynolds Street company

Two family-founded companies are coming together to grow business in the CSRA and Columbia, South Carolina. KAMO Facility Solutions & Supplies, a family-owned distributor of janitorial supplies and equipment, founded in 1947 and based in downtown Augusta, just acquired Waper, Inc., a family-owned company founded in 1973 and based in Columbia, S.C. This will be KAMO’s second Columbia office. KAMO’s headquarters are at 1326 Reynolds Street in Augusta. As part of the transition, Waper will continue operating as “Waper — A KAMO Company,” ensuring continuity for customers, employees, and partners

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Neil Gordon January 7, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

FIFA World Cup and Augusta!

Although FIFA activities will be centered around Atlanta, Destination Augusta jumped on the opportunity to sell the Garden City to those millions of tourists visiting to watch the World Cup competition. It is part of the “Make Yourself at Home in Georgia” campaign. “We participated in a cooperative advertising placement, digital advertising placement in the United Kingdom, which is one of our biggest international markets for the state of Georgia, alongside Canada and Germany,” Karen Lee Davis, Chief Marketing Officer with Destination Augusta, told ABD. “Those who are going to

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Dana Lynn McIntyre January 6, 2026 No Comments
Consumer Stories

Simon Says: If you hire, chances are you won’t fire

The current labor market has been described as a “low hire, low fire” economy. The graph below shows the number of hires per month in Georgia along with the number of separations. Hiring rose after the pandemic, peaking at 325,000 in February 2022. Separations, including layoffs and voluntary quits, followed a similar upward trend but peaked later in June 2022. Hiring and separations have declined to about half their peak level in the latest data for October 2025. Hires are about 20,000 per month lower than their long-term average, and

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Dr. Simon Medcalfe, AU Hull College of Business Economics Professor January 6, 2026 No Comments
Awards

CSRA “C” Store Owner wins national award in midst of legal battles

Greg Parker, owner of several CSRA Parkers Kitchen stores and more than 100 regional stores, just won a national industry award. At the same time, he’s involved in several legal issues related to the Murdaugh family in the Low Country of South Carolina. Earlier in December, Parker was in Austin, Texas, to accept the 2025 Retailer Executive of the Year award by Convenience Store News. The award coincided with Parkers Kitchen’s 50th year in business, while surpassing 100 stores in Georgia and South Carolina. Parker is routinely lauded for his

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Neil Gordon January 5, 2026 No Comments
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