B2B Stories

Knowing your “order winners” and “order qualifiers”

Regular readers of this column know that I am teaching two courses this semester: a graduate course in Strategic Management and an undergraduate course in Operations and Supply Chain Management. While the topics covered in these courses will diverge throughout most of the semester, they start out in a very similar place for important reasons. In the first couple of weeks of both courses, I spent a significant amount of time on how firms compete in their markets. Since strategy is all about determining how to devise a plan for

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B2B Podcasting

What is the secret of success for ADP?

They are seen as a model of how to do it right from recruiting to retention, training, and support programs. What makes ADP tick? Mike Petchenik has the 411 in today’s Biz Bits.

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Closings

The CSRA will be a little less sweet without Cyndi’s

Ten years ago, Cyndi’s Sweet Shoppe opened on Laurens Street in downtown, Aiken, S.C. What started out as her husband Dick’s idea for a nostalgic candy store, soon also became hers. She loved the area because they were surrounded by other wonderful shops. Social media has weighed in heavily on the fact that Cyndi’s is closing. This was her post on her Facebook page to her loyal customers. With great sadness, Cyndi’s is CLOSING, it is true. After 10 years of being in business, our landlord, the former owner of

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Closings

Steak N Shake abruptly closes; auction set for furniture/equipment

Steak N Shake, which started strongly in 2012 with a local franchisee group and 130 employees —suddenly closed last week for good, according to the franchisee and an auction house overseeing the sale of 103 pieces of furniture and equipment left behind. “I brought this to Augusta. I loved the product myself with great steakburgers and milkshakes, said franchisee, Preston Moss, who closed down the operation with partner, Andy Pye last week. He said it was time due to many economic factors and that he is busier than ever with

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Consumer Stories

Partnership provides unique training ground for healthcare workers

A public-private partnership will soon be providing hundreds of new potential employees for the healthcare industry. The first cohorts of students studying at Augusta Technical College’s School of Health Sciences are nearing the end of their training in disciplines ranging from medical assistants, to radiology, to nursing and more. These will be the first students to graduate from Augusta Tech’s partnership with Piedmont Hospital, creating a new health sciences campus at University Hospital Summerville on Wrightsboro Road. That was previously known as Trinity Hospital and began serving Augusta in 1952

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B2B Stories

Simon Says: Struggles for Startups

A couple of weeks ago, ABD ran a story about Clubhou.se and startups. Eric Parker, president and CEO of Make Startups stated that only 17% of entrepreneurs were able to get funding, while Congressman Rick Allen bemoaned the bureaucracy that inhibits startups. A new paper published by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta sheds further light on business startups. They use applications for Employer Identification Numbers (EINs) as a measure of entrepreneurial idea generation. They then track how many of these ideas and EIN applications turn into employer businesses within

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B2B Podcasting

Big boost for CSRA workforce

With the labor market showing some recent ups and downs, Mike Petchenik reports on some positive news for area workforce development in today’s Biz Bits.

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B2B Stories

5 steps to a successful marketing campaign

Marketing is one of the most important aspects of any business because it helps to attract and retain customers, increase brand awareness, and generate revenue. However, marketing can also be challenging, as it requires creativity, strategy, and execution. Here are five tips that can help you create a winning marketing campaign using the 5 STEPS framework: Target, Theme, Tools, Tactics, and Track. # 1 -Target The first step of any marketing campaign is to identify your target audience. Who are you trying to reach with your message? What are their

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Closings

Fuse restaurant fizzles out

One of the CSRA’s most popular eateries is closing. Comments have poured in on social media in the past few days. In response to inquiries, Chef Chris Najmola sent a message to customers through the Fuse Facebook page. Aiken, It has been a pleasure serving you and the team here at Fuse has so much to be proud of, but it does not look like we can keep going. There are so many things about Fuse that made it very literally, a dream come true. We’ve helped you celebrate so many

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B2B Stories

Chamber hosts roundtable for business owners

The owner of a fledgling business in North Augusta is looking for advice on drawing customers to her website. Kizzy Harris started her business about a year ago. Little Mizz Cutties is a web-based, kid’s boutique offering clothing, seasonal items, and accessories. “I sell kids clothing from infants to maybe five, six seven. I’m looking for ways to learn how to promote my business more to get more revenue,” she said. “I’m interested in different grants and stuff for small businesses. So, I’m just out here trying to get ideas

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