
Keeping employees happy is a win-win
At ABD’s recent Business EXPO, Simon Medcalfe shared his thoughts on ways to squelch the “quit” factor in our workplaces. Do you offer these at your company?

At ABD’s recent Business EXPO, Simon Medcalfe shared his thoughts on ways to squelch the “quit” factor in our workplaces. Do you offer these at your company?

The City of Augusta would like to meet anyone who is looking for a job matching current and future openings. The city’s Human Resources Department is holding three Mega Hiring Events throughout August. The events will be on Tuesdays, from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. in the Linda W. Beazley Room on the first floor of the Municipal Building at 535 Telfair Street. On August 3, interested applicants can meet with officials from the Augusta Fire Department, Richmond County Correctional Institution, Marshal’s Office, Sheriff’s Office, E-911 Communications department, Coroner’s Office,

For the last five years, Phillip Weisner and Andre Leon have owned a successful downtown coffee shop, but in a few weeks, they plan to open a second location in Columbia County that will replace a former fast food restaurant location. On Saturday, Aug. 19, Weisner and Leon, owners of Ubora Coffee Roasters located at 1128 Jones St., plan to celebrate the grand opening of their new shop located at 116 North Belair Road in Evans, the former home of Gary’s Hamburgers. Weisner said they would like to hold a

Last week, I reported record-high employment numbers in the Augusta Metropolitan Statistical Area for the leisure and hospitality industry. Total employment is also nearing a record high, standing currently (May) at 246,100. The record high is 246, 500 in January 2020. Unfortunately, some other measures of the strength of the labor market are not as robust. After spending the whole of 2022 at 3.5%, the unemployment rate started to rise in 2023. It currently stands at 3.8%, still low by historical standards. Part of the reason for the increase may

Dr. Rick Franza, Professor of Management at the Hull College of Business, discusses a different, timely business topic each Monday in this column. This week, he talks about taking part in the global economy. The interview has been edited for clarity and impact. ABD: We often hear about the need to take part in the global economy. How do you define the term “global economy?” Rick: The term global economy is redundant. All business is international now, all economy is global. You can’t isolate your economy. There are raw materials

Rosy Ortiz came to Aiken from Veracruz, Mexico 23 years ago. During that time, she worked for several restaurants, but last week, she and her business partner, Juanita Brito, opened their own place, Taqueria El Charrito. Mexican food is second only to Chinese cuisine in popularity. While you can find popular dishes including carnitas, tamales, and burritos on their menu, Ortiz is very proud of the tacos they serve. “We have five or six different types of tacos available. Everything from the corn tortilla to the salsa, Pico de Gallo,

Cyberthreats are all around us and the primary threat vector for your business is email. This method of attack is the easiest way for hackers to attack your system. Employees will run across emails enticing them to click on links that would lead them to corrupt sites that would infect your network. To combat these attacks, good spam software is important. That software must include URL rewrites to make sure your email is as protected as possible. For example, you have a link in your email and see that it

With football season just around the corner, a national restaurant chain is hoping to score a touchdown by opening a new CSRA location. Atlanta-based, Touchdown Wings plans to open a new location at 3328 Wrightsboro Road, next door to Walmart in Augusta, replacing Baldinos Giant Jersey Subs, which closed last month. The restaurant is scheduled to open in October, according to the company’s website. Touchdown Wings currently offers 30 flavors of chicken wings, including spicy ranch, lemon pepper, teriyaki, and Cajun, as well as burgers, sandwiches, salads, and seafood. The

Dr. Simon Medcalfe weighs in on recruiting and employee retention following The Great Resignation, aka the Big Quit and the Great Reshuffle. This panel discussion was part of the ABD Business EXPO held in May.

The company Amy Christian works for doesn’t have a response plan for an active shooter event, but she plans to discuss the need to develop one with the company’s owner. Yesterday, Christian, Director of Business Development for Dickinson Architects, was one of many local business leaders who attended this month’s Third Thursday Business Builder presented by the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce. The topic was preparing for an active shooter. “We haven’t done any drills, but we’re definitely going to start talking about it,” she said. The speakers were Augusta