B2B Stories

Onboarding CSRA new hires the right way—right away!

Companies face challenges with hiring new employees and retaining those they have. Sometimes, how an employee is brought on board can make all the difference. Employers from Child Enrichment and PC Techware were among attendees who appreciated the lessons shared by TeKay Brown-Taylor, President and CEO of Brownstone Mediation Services. It was presented by the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce at its Third Thursday event on October 16. Her topic was “Beyond the Job Posting: How to Keep Employees Engaged and Loyal.” Brown-Taylor said there are important steps that need

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Closings

Supermarket ends run in CSRA; partners with national brand

The last remaining Harveys Supermarket in Southgate Plaza will be closing in the next few weeks, as a familiar brand will take over the store’s footprint. “We can confirm that we have made the decision to divest the Harveys Supermarket to Piggly Wiggly, with projected plans to transition the store in early November, “said a media person from Southeastern Grocers Media representing Harveys. This marks a return for Piggly Wiggly in South Augusta, as there used to be a store on Deans Bridge Road. What is not known, is how many

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B2B Stories

Insights from the next leader at Augusta Tech

The Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) has named Dr. Kendricks Hooker as the next president of Augusta Technical College. He is currently provost of Cabarrus College of Health Sciences in North Carolina. Hooker will take over as president of Augusta Tech on Jan. 2, 2026, succeeding Dr. Jermaine Whirl who accepted the position of president of Savannah State University. ABD had the opportunity to interview Hooker by phone and learn his plans for the college. Hooker believed he had the skill set TCSG was looking for based on the

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B2B Stories

Simon Says: Augusta growing economy over last 5 years

Publisher’s Note: One of the impacts of the government shutdown is that the Bureau of Labor Statistics has not released any economic data this month. It is only scheduled to release the Consumer Price Index on October 24th to meet statutory deadlines necessary to ensure timely payment of social security benefits. That didn’t stop AU/ABD Economist, Dr. Simon Medcalfe from digging into other numbers. Other economic data is available from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, although this is based on a range of government data and is unlikely to

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B2B Stories

Guest Column: Why Augusta entrepreneurs should attend a start-up summit here

Publishers Note: Paul O’Brien posted this guest column on social media recently. ABD thinks it’s worthwhile to re-post in light of the fact a huge event is happening in Augusta in early November. Paul is nationally renowned and has spent 25 years in advocacy, startups, and policy. Focused on public affairs, legislative strategy, media, coalitions, and business development. Background in Venture Capital (VC), economic development, polling, and communications. In just a little less than a month, in Augusta, Georgia, the nation’s top startup ecosystem builders and national ecosystem support organizations convene to

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B2B Stories

Signing Day for Future Business Leaders

It’s a big deal when a high school athlete goes to signing day and announces his or her next step. The first-ever signing day for business is coming up. Dr. Mark Thompson explains in his own words. “You think about that high school student that signs their letter of intent to play some sport at some college, well, we want to do the same thing, but have the students basically sign that commitment of having completed an internship at some business. We also think that it’s an opportunity to bring

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Consumer Stories

Restaurant Rises From the Ashes Tonight

18 months ago, Pizza Hut burned to the ground in the Augusta area. This afternoon, the restaurant re-opens with help from the community. Christine Smith from Christine’s Farm to Fork Restaurant in Edgefield reached out to ABD about today’s 4 PM Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting at the restaurant at 733 Augusta Road in Edgefield. She and the Loves of Love Family Ministry stepped in after the fire on April 24th of 2024. They raised thousands of dollars to support employees who lost their jobs. Pizza Hut moved some employees

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B2B Stories

Unique career education and training starts tomorrow!

Augusta University (AU) is beginning a series of workshops to help military veterans, active duty members, and their families understand what local programs and services are available. The program is called the Military Community Engagement Series. It starts on October 21 with the D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF). The goal is to make AU a hub of information for the military community. “I have found that many times, students or the community may not venture into something that’s unknown,” Stefane Raulerson, AU’s Director of Military and Veteran

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B2B Stories

Hull Video: Sports-Like “Signing Day”

In some ways, sports is a lot like business, where teams compete on a daily basis to succeed. The Hull College of Business is about to implement a tried-and-true tradition in sports—to the business school. Dr. Mark Thompson explains in this video.

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Consumer Stories

Gaming Center to open 2nd location in Columbia County

Grand Opening festivities for Express TCG will be announced soon in a new shopping center built off I-20. Gaming enthusiasts will be able to hop on and off Exit 183 to play and shop at the Green Point Shopping Center in Harlem. Express TCG will be near Jersey Mike’s, which was the first tenant. It is the 2nd store for Express TCG for Michael King, who is a Fort Gordon veteran. The first store opened more than 4 years ago on Edgefield Road in a strip center in North Augusta,

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