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Business group peppers mayor-elect for answers

Mayor-elect Garnett Johnson got “real” with realtors from the Greater Augusta Association of Realtors—and they responded with some good questions. Johnson, born in East Augusta, asked the group with 2,000 members to recommend Richmond County along with Columbia County. Realtors asked for updates on what they consider obstacles to those recommendations. The following are some questions from the capacity crowd of more than 200 professionals. They’ve been edited for clarity and length. Realtor: What about the safety aspect of going to downtown Augusta? GJ: We need to improve the quality

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B2B Stories

Local entrepreneur takes the risk and discovers a passion for beauty

Camarie Casper was able to do something many aspiring entrepreneurs only dream about: She quit her full-time job as a dental assistant and opened her own business. But the licensed esthetician and tattoo artist caution others to take their time and figure out if that’s the best path for them to take. Casper, the owner of Charmed Beauty Company located at 119 Davis Road, Unit 5B, offers eyelash extensions and permanent makeup, which involves using tattoos to replace a client’s natural eyebrows. Some of these clients lost their eyebrows due

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Consumer Stories

New leadership for two CSRA hospitals

Doctor’s Hospital in Augusta has tapped Joanna Conley as the CEO of the HCA-owned facility. Conley has served in healthcare and leadership roles with HCA in Nashville and Kissimmee, Fla., prior to assuming her role in Augusta. She holds a B.S. Degree in Public Health, Health Policy and Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MBA from Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management. Conley is also a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. She assumes the role following the retirement of CEO,

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Consumer Stories

Starbucks to open new Columbia County location

No matter where you live in the CSRA, you probably don’t have to drive very far to get to a Starbucks. The coffee giant will soon bring another location to Columbia County. The land has been cleared to make room for the new store, which will be located between Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen and Taco Bell on South Belair Road in Martinez. Starbucks already has numerous shops throughout Columbia County and the CSRA, including Grovetown, Evans, Augusta, and North Augusta. Coffee lovers can also visit locations in local Kroger and Target

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Shawna Woodward

Free Access: Real Talk Real Estate: Don’t believe everything you hear in the news about housing

Let me answer the main question everyone has these days: How’s the market? Well, I don’t expect our market to collapse or fall apart, and I am pretty certain that a monumental drop in values is not forecasted for our market. You cannot believe everything you hear on the news, my friends! Make sure you remember we are not a big metropolis like Los Angeles or Chicago. We have a very stable economy here. Every sector of the employment world can be found in our special little town! We have

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Consumer Stories

Faith Friday: Sweet tale of retirement to proprietorship gives local woman new outlook of purpose

The logo of one local business depicts a cheerful, apron-donned woman whose head is in the shape of an icing-drizzled Bundt cake. However, for Katrina Golden, baking homemade goodies from scratch is not only in her head but also in her heart. The 52-year-old retiree is now taking her heart’s desire to the masses through Lil Mama’s Sweets and Treats. “My husband and son operate the business with me and we also have a small staff,” Golden said. “We started this business after I retired from the Social Security Administration

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Consumer Stories

Local nonprofit to host 5K for a worthy cause

On Tuesday, in only two hours, the Augusta Dream Center provided food for 138 CSRA families, according to its Executive Director, Kellie Cardona. In about three weeks, with help from its corporate sponsors and the local community, the Center will host a race to help feed more families. The nonprofit will hold its third annual Run for Hope 5K on Saturday, Sept. 10 at 9 a.m. at its offices located at 3364 Peach Orchard Road in south Augusta, behind Stevens Creek Church. Corporate sponsors for the event include Cadence Bank,

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B2B Stories

Purpose-Fueled Leadership: Local pastor launches coaching group for Christian entrepreneurs

By the time Yannik McKie was 16, he had already experienced the pain of losing both of his parents to AIDS. But now, the local business owner, pastor, and nonprofit leader wants to help Christian entrepreneurs turn their pain into both a purpose and profits. McKie, founder, and CEO of Living in Purpose, a leadership training company, has launched a monthly program called the Purpose-Fueled Leadership Group Coaching. The group will meet on the third Wednesday of each month 6-8 p.m. at the Purpose Center located at 1650 Olive Road

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B2B Stories

Thoughts from the General: Doing the right thing – the power of integrity

I have the joy of teaching leadership in many settings. My favorite audiences are Emory University scholars (in three separate programs – the Executive MBA, MBA, and BBA programs). Trust, compassion, and integrity are always stressed. The following are four examples of integrity. An auditor blows the whistle  In the Pentagon, a major, who was an auditor, discovered that an Air Force general officer had manipulated a secret United States Air Force bank account. Over years, the general pocketed more than $300,000. Despite risks to his career, the young major forcefully raised the

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B2B Stories

Allstate exploits a loophole to raise auto insurance rates in Georgia

The good hands of Allstate insurance are dipping deeper into the pockets of Georgia policyholders. According to Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner, John King, Allstate is using a loophole in Georgia’s law to increase automobile insurance rates by 25 percent. “I am angry and disappointed that Allstate has chosen to exploit a loophole in state law to implement such a substantial increase in costs on hardworking Georgians when families are already struggling with historic inflation everywhere from the gas pump to the grocery store,” King said in a statement.

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