B2B Stories

Cyber Center welcomes students for unique event

About 100 high school students from Georgia and South Carolina participated in the inaugural Cyber STEMfest at the Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center. Students from nine high schools, including Lincoln County, Davidson, and North Augusta, along with a few home-schooled students, attended the Sept. 13 event. Todd Gay, director of Outreach and Engagement, said schools across the area, from K-12 through high schools, ask to visit the Cyber Center to learn what is offered, particularly when it comes to education and training. “That’s a big part of our mission,

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B2B Stories

Sponsored: Happy Birthday Kevin and Hyatt Insurance!

Editor’s Note: Happy 27th birthday to a great friend of ABD, Kevin Hyatt! He is also approaching his first anniversary in business and has taken the CSRA by storm with his initiative to help people save money on their insurance… Including many ABD members, who provided testimonials below. Kevin Hyatt is a walking (and stationary) billboard for his Hyatt Agency, LLC firm. You may have noticed his outdoor billboard while shopping at Costco or noticed him networking at area Chambers of Commerce, on “Thirsty Thursdays” at GreenJackets games, and twice

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Faith

From bargains to blessings

When does a bargain become a blessing? I sought the answer to that question with my visit to Harlem. There, I met with Loreen Reynolds (president) and Stephaney Crenshaw (vice president) of the board of the non-profit Attic Treasures thrift store. Both have volunteered for many years and are having a wide-ranging positive impact in Harlem and neighboring communities. In 2008, the thrift store in town was about to close its doors. Five local folks decided to step in and rent more space. Their goal was to create a thrift

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Shawna Woodward

THE NEWEST REAL ESTATE SCAM – PHANTOM SELLER FRAUD

Earlier this week, the kind people from Hull Barrett in Evans stopped by our office and gave us an earful about the most recent closing dilemma to be on the lookout for in seller fraud. Seller fraud is not a new thing. Typically, it looks like a seller who intentionally covers up defects at a home or where they attempt to sell a home with money owed to contractors before they are publicly recorded. This new type of fraud is something I’ve decided to call a phantom seller. These malicious

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Darin Myers

Coach Darin: Not your father’s business leadership

Today’s business leaders bear little resemblance to the top brass of yesteryear. Business leadership has evolved significantly over the last 50 years, driven in large part by changes in technology and societal values. Business owners, who in the 1970’s were mostly middle-aged men, tended to run their companies with a top-down leadership approach. This autocratic management style was characterized by a dominant chain of command, limited employee empowerment, and almost non-existent transparency. While perhaps standard operating procedure back in the Disco Decade, today the dynamic feels heavy-handed, unmotivating, and maybe

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B2B Podcasting

No shakes or burgers from local national franchise

For breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the fast food franchise, Steak N Shake was a hit. Even though they are making a comeback nationally, Augusta is not on the list of profitability. Mike Petchenik has the latest in today’s Biz Bits.

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B2B Stories

Chamber recognizes citizen panel overseeing major road projects

The Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce has honored the men who have been leading the ambitious road projects in East Central Georgia. This is the 10th year that road projects in the Department of Transportation’s District 12 have been funded by a transportation special purpose local option sales tax (T-SPLOST). The individuals recognized were Phil Wahl, James Kendrick, Mark Ivey, Ben Tarbutton III, and James Alfriend who make up the Citizen Review Panel (CRP) that oversees progress. Assisting the panel was Don Grantham, a former GDOT board member, and former

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B2B Stories

Through the strikes, Hollywood reflects corporate realities

Dylan James graduated from the Savannah College of Art & Design with a BFA in Dramatic Writing. He has studied both the ‘show’ and ‘business’ aspects of show business since childhood, and writes through sociological analysis, seeking relevance in the art and commerce for the moment. In today’s column, he offers his opinion on the Hollywood labor strikes and the facts on their economic impact for Georgia. It’s been nearly seventeen weeks since the Writers Guild of America (WGA) reached their negotiation deadline with the Alliance of Motion Picture &

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B2B Stories

Georgia takes bite out of the Big Apple, Augusta in Top 3 film locations

Georgia is celebrating 50 years of the Georgia Film Office. Yesterday, Governor Brian Kemp announced another blockbuster year for the film and television industry as the Peach State surpasses New York in the number of film studios and sound stages. The state hosted 390 productions, represented by 31 feature films, 55 independent films, 241 television and episodic productions, 40 commercials, and 23 music videos between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023, amounting to more than $4 billion pumped into Georgia’s economy. Augusta is a big part of the industry’s

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B2B Stories

Paid training leads to well-paying job

A local ambulance service is offering paid training for a position that pays $50,000 a year. Gold Cross Emergency Medical Service is offering a three-week class to become certified as an Emergency Medical Responder (EMR). EMR is a relatively new category in the field of emergency medical services. It was created as a result of staff shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Georgia just started allowing us to do this over a year ago, because COVID-19 just wreaked havoc with everybody, and there’s a huge shortage of healthcare and EMS too,”

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