B2B Stories

The retention wars are underway: are you well armed?

In this week’s edition of Augusta Business Daily’s “Mondays with Rick,” Gary Kauffman and I discussed the issue of retaining employees. We talked about how retention is critically important during times of tight job markets, such as those we have been experiencing in recent months and years. We had been expecting a little relief in the job market due to an anticipated recession, given the Federal Reserve’s increase of interest rates in the face of high inflation. However, recent economic data indicate an increasing likelihood of a “soft landing,” meaning

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B2B Podcasting

Juggling employee flexibility

During the pandemic, balancing work from home or the office became unfamiliar territory for many businesses. Robin Baxley, co-owner of Best Office Solutions, offered insight on the subject during ABD’s Business EXPO a couple of months ago. It’s still a topic of conversation for business owners.

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B2B Stories

Impact of the growing process for future CSRA healthcare

Building new hospitals, covering rural healthcare, and addressing the needs of an aging population are being discussed in a series of meetings by a Georgia House of Representatives committee. Today’s topic was suggestions of how best to modernize the state’s Certificate of Need (CON) process for CSRA healthcare. The CON process, administered by the Georgia Department of Community Health, determines that a new or expanded healthcare service or facility is needed. Included on the list of healthcare facilities and services are the construction of new hospitals, new and expanding nursing

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Awards/Celebrations

CSRA hospital receives national recognition for performance

Aiken Regional Medical Centers has been named a 2023-2024 U.S. News & World Report High Performing Hospital for Heart Failure and Stroke. This is the highest award a hospital can earn for U.S. News Best Hospitals Procedures & Conditions ratings. “I’m exceptionally proud and honored to be a part of a team that continues to receive national recognition,” said Matt Merrifield, chief executive officer at Aiken Regional Medical Centers. “With safety as our top priority, we are dedicated to delivering high-quality, compassionate care to each patient and family member in our facility.

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B2B Stories

The thirteen “Cs” which define extraordinary leadership

Confidence, Consistency, Consideration, Courage, Charity, Competence, Compassion, Communication, Courtesy, Comedy, Curiosity, Creativity, and Collaboration put ordinary leaders in the extraordinary category.   Confidence. The best leaders have self-confidence unmarred by arrogance. Good examples in the military were Colin Powell and George Marshall. In industry, Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, in the media, Judy Woodruff, David Gergen, David Brooks, and Tom Friedman, in the CSRA, Shell Berry, CEO of the Community Foundation and Kim Evans, CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Augusta are among the best and brightest. Consistency.  Leaders

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B2B Stories

Local sports training facility to host open house

Tedrick Hudson offers the CSRA’s only group volleyball skills training program for kids as young as 7, but people often stop by his business to find out what he does. Hudson, owner of Next Level Training Academy located at 3839 Martinez Blvd., Suite 1 in Martinez, will host an open house on Saturday, Aug. 12, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. He said the event will be an opportunity to show the community his sports training facility, which specializes in not only volleyball, but also basketball and athletic performance training

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Consumer Stories

Simon Says: Local study finds disparities in women’s health screenings

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death amongst women worldwide. Cervical cancer is the third leading cause of cancer deaths amongst women worldwide. Fortunately, in the U.S., early detection is possible with mammograms and Pap smears. However, there is a substantial difference between states on the percentage of women undertaking these screenings. Women ages 18-64 who report having a Pap smear within the past three years are as low as 64% in Utah, Wyoming, and Idaho, and as high as 80% in Connecticut. In Rhode Island, 81% of

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Awards/Celebrations

Local financial planner smokes his way into the national BBQ spotlight

Editor’s note: I’ve written hundreds of stories over the years, but I will never forget when I interviewed Kurt Mueller, prior to his speaking at the ABD Expo in October 2022. The subject was financial planning for Apollon Wealth Management. At one point, I asked him what he was passionate about, and his reply was my family, helping people with their finances, and barbecue. That threw me for a loop, but here’s the rest of the story. There’s no doubt you’re passionate about barbecuing when you travel 2,000 miles from

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Cyber Security

Preventing cyber-attack chaos

Don’t be mistaken, just because your business isn’t experiencing daily attacks on its physical security, you are still under cyber-attack. Hackers wish to do your business harm and you need to have a security posture that will protect your organization against anything that could bring it down. They are not only interested in the monetary value that an attack would mean, but they also just like the chaos that is caused when they are able to break into your system. The best defense against these attacks is having a good

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