B2B Stories

Helping entrepreneurs while checking off your Christmas List

There is a special retail event tomorrow at Augusta University (AU) on a campus more commonly associated with cybersecurity. The Holiday Maker’s market is on Friday from 11 AM to 3:30 PM at the Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center (GCITC) on Grace Hopper Lane. Tina Baggott, AU’s interim executive vice president for Strategic Partnerships and Economic Development, told ABD the market has two goals. First, to offer early Christmas shopping with unique items created by students and faculty. The second purpose is to foster entrepreneurship, particularly among student vendors.

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Consumer Stories

Local & Holiday shopping expected to hit record levels

A leading industry organization has checked the trends, conducted surveys, crunched the numbers, and believes spending for the 2025 holiday buying season will top $1 trillion. Ray Carnes, founder of Recteq in Evans and part-owner, says he can tell already it’s going to be a strong holiday season. Friends and others are constantly asking, “When will Black Friday sales start?” Carnes says the earlier people ask, the better their season is. The National Retail Federation (NRF) lists the time between November 1st and December 31st as the holiday shopping season.

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B2B Stories

60-year company makes acquisition for future growth

To celebrate its 60th anniversary, Pollock Company acquired a 36-year-old company to add the last piece of their technology offering in the CSRA. Advanced Technology Communications (ATG) was founded in 1989, and its customers will now be part of Pollock Company’s ecosystem of end-to-end technology services. “This acquisition is about more than growth—it’s about investing locally and offering a scope of services and level of convenience that doesn’t currently exist in this market,” said Ed Pollock, CEO of Pollock Company, which is headquartered on 1711 Central Avenue in Augusta with

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B2B Stories

Popular restaurant to replace closed one in Martinez

Chicken Fingers Restaurant is preparing to open its second location on 3909 Washington Road in Martinez. It’s in the former Gary’s Hamburgers restaurant. ABD first told you that Gary Gibson made the difficult decision to close his Gary’s Hamburgers restaurant in Martinez after more than a decade. He told ABD he was unable to staff it. Our article is HERE. Chicken Fingers’ other location opened in May 2017 at 4118 Evans to Locks Road in a shopping plaza in Evans, near the Lakeside Schools. Chicken Fingers restaurant most closely resembles

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B2B Stories

Military Intelligence Veteran develops $1 million business in CSRA

Luke Cain joined the Marine Corps after 9/11, serving 16 years in the Military Intelligence community. “I deployed 3 times while active, and deployed again after getting out as a contractor in the military community,” said the Evans resident. Cain had no college degree or business background. “Civilian life didn’t have the same structure and standards,” said Cain. He looked for a team and found it in the Pest Control industry. “Mosquito Squad is made up of numerous locations and owners across the US. We all share our experiences and

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B2B Stories

Entrepreneurial Summit wraps up with lessons learned

The Startup Champions Network (SCN) fall summit is in the books, and attendees carried the flavor of Augusta with them as they departed. The network, started in 2014 to provide leaders of entrepreneurial ecosystems the support and tools to foster success, holds two summits each year. This marked the first time Augusta has been the host. Leading the Augusta event were Eric Parker and Grace Belangia, co-founders of theClubhou.se, based in the Georgia Cyber Innovation and Technology Center. They are also behind Make Startups Augusta, a project to nurture entrepreneurship.

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Consumer Stories

Asbestos and Mold Regulations: What every Georgia & South Carolina business owner should know

Publisher’s Note: My wife and I discovered black mold at a West Augusta office building we lease. What responsibilities do employers or building owners have when hidden mold and asbestos get discovered? Joseph Galpin from Augusta’s EnviroPro 360 explains. https://enviropro360.com/blog/is-your-building-breaking-the-law-asbestos-and-mold-regulations-every-georgia-south-carolina-business-owner-should-know/

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Consumer Stories

National toilet paper/paper towel brand launches in CSRA

In 2009, Augusta’s Ray Carnes built his family-focused legacy with Recteq. In 2023, he expanded his brand with Ray Ray’s car wash. Now, he hopes to be king of the paper towel and toilet paper space, designed for healthier homes and cleaner living. “At Recteq, we built products that changed the way people cook — Throne Bamboo does the same for how people clean,” said Ray Carnes, founder of Throne Bamboo. “We spent 18 months perfecting every detail so families could have products that are good for their homes and

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B2B Stories

Gearing up for Georgia’s 2026 legislative session

The Columbia County Exhibition Center was filled on Thursday with business owners and community leadership eager to get insights into the 2026 Georgia Legislative session. The Columbia County Chamber of Commerce’s annual Legislative Breakfast brought together state Senator Lee Anderson (R-District 24) and Representatives Dr. Mark Newton (R-District 127) and Gary Richardson (R-District 125) for a panel discussion. “I think it’s important for the business community to know what’s coming, to know what’s going to be discussed in Atlanta, to be able to talk to members and to be able

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B2B Stories

Bank with 3 branches in the CSRA is sold

Southern Financial Corporation and Southern Bank entered into a definitive agreement to sell their Georgia branches to Palmetto Citizens Federal Credit Union (“Palmetto Citizens”). Palmetto Citizens will acquire the physical locations in Richmond and Burke counties. A little more than $100 million in deposits and loan accounts associated with Southern Bank’s four branches located in Georgia will be transferred upon consummation of the transaction. Southern Bank will continue to operate as an independent community bank. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2026, subject to customary

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