B2B Stories

Job training and placement for military earns award for local college

Underemployment is one of the greatest issues faced by returning veterans — and by their spouses, who often lose ground through constant relocations. Aiken Technical College has earned a national award for programs aimed at reversing that trend and helping them prepare for their education and career. Aiken Tech has been presented with a Military Friendly® School award by Viqtory’s Military Friendly® brand. This is the 12th consecutive year the College has received the designation. The College also received the Military Friendly® School gold award for exceeding standards. Final ratings

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Shawna Woodward

Real Talk Real Estate: Top 3 points to focus on when selling your home

This is the time of year people get the itch to sell their homes. Whether you have been waiting for spring to come, or the beautiful sunny days have you thinking about making a big move, here is some wise advice on what to focus on while you are getting ready. I have been selling real estate for 18 years in the CSRA and I have seen a lot of homes. Back some years ago, I remember having a home for sale that I felt was less than desirable in

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Consumer Stories

New Dollar General location in CSRA to replace former Chinese restaurant

A year ago, a Harlem Chinese restaurant was destroyed in a fire, but a retail chain with more than 19,000 stores throughout the U.S. is building a new location in its place. Construction is underway on a new Dollar General store on the site that was formerly occupied by China One, which was located next door to Smith Farm Supply at 170 East Milledgeville Road. Harlem currently has two stores: one is located down the street at 601 West Milledgeville Road, and the other is at 863 Louisville Road near

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Darin Myers

Coach Darin: Remote Work: Where We Were, Where We Are, and Where We’re Headed

Working remotely has been a part of our lives since the beginning of human existence. It started with the hunters and gatherers. Even as late as the 1800’s, most business owners ran their services from their own homes. But then came the industrial revolution, which transplanted the bulk of the labor market to factories, offices, or other places of business for more than a century. It really wasn’t until the 1990’s that the Work from Home (WFH) employment model started popping up again as a desirable employment model and a

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Restaurants/Food

Business Lunch Review: World of Beer

Editor’s Note: Wes Hennings never met a meal he walked away from and is an opinionated eater! Each Thursday, he shares the results of a business lunch he’s had with a colleague as a way to advise our business community on the good, bad, and the tasty across the CSRA. He doesn’t let ABD or the restaurant know where he is going and his opinions are his own. He grades the restaurants he visits on a 1-5 scale with “5” being outstanding. We call this our “Real Business Lunch Review”.

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Consumer Stories

CSRA personal trainer helps clients break chains and achieve better fitness

Brian Lynce wants his clients to understand they don’t have to be bodybuilders to reap the benefits of regular exercise. Lynce owns Breaking Chains Fitness, a personal training business located at 6690 Swint Combs Road in Harlem. He offers individual and small-group training, as well as high-intensity interval training classes, in a building located just outside of his home. Lynce celebrated its soft opening in Oct. 2022 and plans to hold the grand opening at the end of May. “I’m certified in personal training and corrective exercise,” he said. Corrective

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Consumer Stories

Part of Jones Creek Golf Course will reopen next month

Jones Creek Golf Course is getting a fresh breath of air after lying dormant for five years. Bond Golf Global of Aiken is working to open The Practice Club, a Top Tracer facility, on the driving range. The facility is expected to be open by April 3. “Being the golf course it was, it didn’t need to be closed,” said Andrew Brooks, owner and founder of Bond Golf. “What we decided to do, in conjunction with golf course owner, Julian Saul, is inject some life and start the ball rolling.

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B2B Stories

CSRA engineering firm opens 4th Regional office

Some of the most iconic buildings and architectural landscape projects in the CSRA were envisioned and produced by CRANSTON. With headquarters in Augusta, as well as the coastal communities of Charleston and Hilton Head, S.C., the firm has expanded to the outskirts of Aiken to serve South Carolina’s Midlands region. CRANSTON, an engineering, landscape architecture, surveying, and planning firm opened a new office at 1476 Columbia Highway North, just outside of Aiken. “Our vision for regional growth includes an expansion of our practice lines, including transportation, water resource management, land

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Consumer Stories

Bundt cake company with two CSRA locations celebrates cookie’s 111th birthday

About five weeks before the Titanic sank, America’s favorite sandwich cookie was born. The company now known as Nabisco created the first OREO cookies in New York City on March 6, 1912. To celebrate the brand’s 111th birthday, all Nothing Bundt Cakes locations nationwide held a giveaway on Monday. The first 111 guests in line at 1:11 p.m. (local time) received a free OREO Cookies & Cream Bundtlet. Susan See and her husband, James, own the Evans and Aiken locations. “It was so much fun singing ‘Happy Birthday’ and seeing

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