Southern cooking show host and entrepreneur, Vera Stewart talks with host, Deke Copenhaver on The Change Maker podcast about the beginnings of her business, food competition appearances, and how she continues to give back to young people teaching them life skills and good manners.
It’s official, we have entered the “Holiday Season!” I, for one, am thoroughly enjoying the Backstreet Boys’ new holiday album that dropped in October. I feel like I’m always trying to find new Christmas music that I like. Download “A Very Backstreet Christmas” and let me know if you like it. Speaking of something new, how about a new or new-to-you house!! I wanted to share three advantages of buying or selling during the holiday season. Let’s start with the one that I think is a huge advantage that no
ABD wondered how many millions of dollars in acquisition or renovation costs Chick-Fil-A paid to expand its store to include the old Mi Rancho property. The operators didn’t want to discuss those numbers or how many millions in increased sales they believe is possible. Chick-fil-A, 3066 Washington Road, celebrated its grand re-opening yesterday morning. The new store has a larger parking lot, a fully updated kitchen, patio seating, two drive-thru lanes, and a drive-thru door instead of a window, according to franchise operator, John Powell. “Employees won’t be leaning out
The timing may not have been ideal for Brooke Thomas to open a boutique in downtown Aiken. She signed the lease on her Laurens Street shop in March 2020, right before the pandemic shut everything down, but she used the downtime to complete renovations. A few months later, when shoppers began to venture out, Ginger Bee Boutique was ready. Ever since, there has been a hive of activity at her shop. Even at the age of 24, Thomas was ready for that as well. She has a passion for fashion
Darin Myers is the local facilitator of The Alternative Board (TAB), a peer-to-peer advisory board designed to help company leaders maximize their opportunities and work through challenges. Darin recently retired after a 30-year career in the nuclear industry as the leader of Plant Vogtle I and II. He has proven success regarding strategic planning and alignment, employee development, organizational performance improvement, accountability, and coaching. Recently, he started a family business in Augusta focused on home health care, providing him the knowledge and experience surrounding small- to medium-sized business operators. There
Lack of transportation prevents many from getting or keeping a job. But a new non-profit staffing agency in Augusta has eliminated that barrier to employment for its workers. First Step Staffing, which is located at 1765 Broad St. in the Salvation Army’s First Stop Center, opened its doors on Monday, Oct. 3. The agency primarily provides staffing services for entry-level light-industrial and warehouse jobs, according to its Chief Mission Officer, Kellie Brownlow. “These are jobs that people with barriers to employment can succeed in right away,” Brownlow said. She said
New and much bigger than before, Chick-fil-A at 3066 Washington Road will re-open for business this morning. The Chick-fil-A location had been closed for remodeling since April. A First Bite Ceremony takes place at 9:30 a.m. and the restaurant officially opens at 10:30 a.m. “Chick-fil-A is synonymous with quality, so it’s important to ensure that our restaurant is a modern, efficient and hospitable destination for our guests,” said John Powell, the franchise operator with more than 20 years of experience. “We want our guests to have a great experience that
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 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”. Food
Christina Purkapile often reassures her customers that even if they’ve never picked up a tool in their lives, they can still create their own wooden crafts. Purkapile owns Nailed It DIY Studio Evans located at 7025 Evans Town Center Blvd., Suite 217 near Stay. Social Tap & Table. She launched the business on Friday, Oct. 7. Purkapile compares her business to Build-A-Bear Workshop, except it uses wood. She gives her customers all the materials and helps when they need to complete custom wood projects, such as signs. Many are initially
Last week, I reported the labor force was down 500 people in the local area. Unfortunately, I was not specific about the “local” bit. I was referring to the Augusta Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), while the headline referenced the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA). These are not the same with the MSA including Burke, Columbia, Lincoln, McDuffie, and Richmond counties in Georgia and Aiken and Edgefield counties in South Carolina. The CSRA is a 13-county region, entirely within Georgia as seen in the map below (source: csrarc.ga.gov). The CSRA does
