B2B Stories

EXCLUSIVE: Airport leader reacts to “deep negotiations” with prospective airline

A curious removal on the Tuesday, September 2nd agenda at the Augusta Richmond County Commission meeting is shedding light on efforts to bring a 3rd airline to the Augusta Regional Airport. ABD received a copy of the agenda, which read in part: “Currently, AGS staff are in advanced negotiations with a prospective airline,” read the agenda item. “If this comes to fruition, the prospective airline will provide direct service to/from Augusta to two new markets with the possibility of additional future routes. Following a Wednesday, September 3rd meeting of an

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B2B Stories

Meeting the need for career development

The Hull College of Business has created a successful strategy for meeting the needs of a growing workforce. The school has focused on the development of one-on-one advice through internships with area employers. The major benefit is honing professional development skills. Please click to watch this short clip ahead.

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Consumer Stories

Selling Fun and Football at New Tavern

Mike Iezzi is proud to be a serial restaurateur, even in his 60’s. Less than a year after selling 12 CSRA Wendy’s locations, he’s at it again with two different concepts. He’s invested in and is helping to run a relaxing restaurant in North Augusta and is about to fulfill a dream— opening a sports bar with a well-stocked game room. He and three other partners are close to opening the Langley Tavern on 2549 Jefferson Davis Highway in Warrenville. It’s the land that once was a Dollar General and

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Consumer Stories

Businesses band together to fight cancer during annual event

A local organization’s mission to fund innovative research at the Georgia Cancer Center (GCC) has a deep bench of allies from area businesses. Registration is underway for PaceDay 2025, set for Sunday, Oct. 5. The annual event is sponsored by Paceline, a nonprofit organization that supports cancer research at GCC. “The mission at Paceline is simply to bring communities and organizations together around ending cancer,” Martyn Jones, Paceline’s President, told ABD. “Officially, our mission statement is that we’re a movement of communities and organizations setting the pace to end cancer.

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B2B Stories

EXCLUSIVE: Upgrades underway on security checkpoints at the airport

Construction is underway on improvements at Augusta Regional Airport (AGS) that will help passengers get through security more quickly. The work is the terminal checkpoint modernization project. It will change the existing two-lane Transportation Security Administration checkpoint initially to three lanes with the ability to add a fourth lane. “We are reorienting the lines in a different direction, and with that, we’re able to add two extra lines, so we will start out at the end of this project with three full security lines with the potential to expand to

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B2B Stories

Local Grocer expanding inside and outside

A Neighborhood Walmart is gearing up for a Grand Re-Opening party by making major changes to its business model and its decor. The Evans store at Furys Ferry and Evans to Locks Road is preparing for expansion in the pick-up and delivery part of its business. The parking lot is being retrofitted to accommodate more customers. Inside, staff members are expanding the customer service/pick-up area. They are also re-imagining the Pharmacy section. Row by row signage will change, while contractors are giving the concrete floors and walls a fresh coat

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Consumer Stories

How a Political Commentator Led to an Augusta AI discussion

I am a fan of Michael Smerconish, who hosts a daily (Monday to Friday, 9 am to Noon Eastern) radio show on SiriusXM’s POTUS Channel and a weekly (Saturday, 9 am to 10 am Eastern) television show on CNN. Despite being on two left-leaning channels (POTUS and CNN), Smerconish is known for being a centrist, so much so that the theme song of his radio show is Stealers Wheel’s “Stuck in the Middle with You.” His proclivity to call things down the middle is very appealing to me, particularly in

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Closings

Healthy restaurant closing this month

The ownership team at SolFood restaurant in Surrey Center put their heart and soul into building a unique, wellness lunch spot for the CSRA. You can raise a glass of green juice or a plate of green goddess salmon sliders until it closes on September 26th. If restaurants are judged on how customers enjoyed the food, then SolFood was very successful in its five-year run. After 300-plus Google reviews, the café garnered an average rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars. SolFood is open 25 hours per week for lunch

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B2B Stories

New tenant moved into the former Procter and Gamble Building

A new sign has been installed on the former Procter and Gamble building on Mike Padgett Highway and Marvin Griffin Road, announcing the arrival of Richmond County’s newest corporate citizen. Generac, the Wisconsin-based manufacturer of portable and backup generators for residential and commercial use, has opened a distribution center. The 500,000 sq. ft. center joins E-Z-Go Textron on the old P&G property. “Our newest facility here in Augusta, Georgia, today is a big reflection point. This has been a large investment for us as we’ve cemented our south and Southeast,”

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B2B Stories

Simon Says: CSRA housing getting expensive

When I moved to Augusta over 20 years ago, one of the selling points was its affordability, especially for housing. Unfortunately, that may be changing. According to the Home Ownership Affordability Monitor tracked by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, housing in the Augusta Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) has been unaffordable since May 2022. Housing unaffordability is defined by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development as annual costs of home ownership exceed 30 percent of the annual household income. Costs include principal and interest on mortgage loans, associated

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