Consumer Stories

Local foundation awards nonprofit grants, calls on business community for help

The Community Foundation for the CSRA has announced that more than $616,000 will be awarded to local non-profit organizations, thanks to help from individual donors and community partners, such as the Masters Tournament. But there are numerous opportunities for businesses to provide funding for nonprofits, according to Shell Berry. Berry, President and CEO of the Community Foundation, said she would love to find businesses willing to fund organizations that didn’t receive money from the Community Grants Fund this year. “We’d love for more to participate; all the organizations have been

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B2B Stories

Scammers now use text messages to snare the unaware

Several months ago, I received an alarming text message: $699 had been charged to my PayPal account for a Pixel 6 phone! It was alarming for several reasons: I had purchased a Pixel 6 phone earlier in the year, and I only use PayPal to receive payments and knew I only had about $3 in the account. The text provided a phone number to call, purportedly to PayPal, if I questioned the purchase. I called, but after several minutes of the person at the other insisting I go online to

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Digital Marketing

Free Access: Add a social media influencer to your digital marketing

Last week, we talked about six trends in digital marketing we expect to see in 2023. This week, we will dive into influencer marketing. If you recall a couple of months ago, we shared about one of our clients, Callie Richards of HotPinkandGlitter.com, in our intro to online influencer’s article (read it here). Callie has grown from 500,000 TikTok followers to more than 620,000 in the past three months. The Rise of Social Influencers Social influencers realize huge gains in popularity and effectiveness. Influencer marketing has emerged as a powerful

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B2B Stories

Trucking company expands with purchase of longtime dealership

Matthews Motors, a truck and trailer service company in Augusta, has acquired Venture Auto Sales of Augusta. The acquisition joins two long-standing and successful family-owned businesses in the CSRA. With the acquisition, Matthews will have a complete portfolio of sales of light-, medium- and heavy-duty trucks to go along with its reputation for providing quality service for all makes and models. Matthews will keep all of Venture’s employees to expand its pre-owned automotive division. Matthews Motors has been in business since 1991, but has been steadily expanding its services. Earlier

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Consumer Stories

Columbia County farm owner to offer goat yoga class this weekend

Jeanette Norris loves kids, whether they have two legs or four. Norris, a pediatrician and owner of a 10-acre farm off Columbia Road in Grovetown, will offer her first goat yoga class on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Peaceful Warrior Apothecary, 324 South Belair Road, Martinez. The one-hour outdoor class, which will include six to eight of her friendliest goats, is called Pet-A-Goat Yoga. “It’s a regular yoga class with goats jumping around,” she said. “Our goats are very friendly, and people love to pet them.” Norris bought the farm

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Consumer Stories

Local antique shop begins first week in new spot

After being closed for three months, a local antique shop re-opened in its new location on Friday. Mema Had One has relocated from 2328 Washington Road to 135 Davis Road across the street from Good Earth Produce & Garden Center. The former location closed on Aug. 31. While the new location is much smaller, it will only be filled with items people want to buy, such as toys, artwork, collectibles, and gifts, according to the business’s co-owner, Pam Hayes. “We’re excited about the more curated items,” Hayes said. “We pride

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B2B Stories

Local assisted living community sold to Arizona-based real estate firm

A local assisted living and memory care community has been sold for an undisclosed amount. Last month, Inspired Healthcare Capital, an Arizona-based private equity real estate firm, purchased Thrive at Augusta from Drake Real Estate Partners, a New York-based investment firm, according to an article from Seniors Housing Business. CBRE Senior Housing, a commercial real estate investment firm, arranged the sale of the 85-unit property located at 313 Furys Ferry Road in Martinez. “Thrive Senior Living will continue to manage the community,” the article said. Thrive at Augusta President, Melita

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