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Consumer Stories

Masks are coming off at local businesses

To mask or not to mask – that is the question. Because the number of COVID-19 cases has declined in recent weeks, ABD contacted local business leaders to find out if they have relaxed or even eliminated their mask policies. When the pandemic officially hit the United States in March 2020, most grocery stores, retail shops, and restaurants required everyone, including employees, to wear a mask. While some national businesses haven’t changed their policies yet, many local businesses have. Robyn Kelley, the owner of Trendz Salon located on Riverwatch Parkway

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Josh Heath March 17, 2022 No Comments
B2B Stories

March Madness brackets cost businesses lost productivity but gain an employee morale boost

March Madness could cost Augusta and Aiken businesses some lost productive work time, but could gain them a tighter-knit workforce. The annual NCAA college basketball tournament kicks off today and culminates on April 4 in New Orleans. According to WalletHub.com, 29 percent of workers fill out their tournament brackets to participate in work pools. Overall, about 50 million people participate in some type of bracket pool. The downside of that is that the average worker spends six hours watching tournament games and 56 percent of Millennials say they’re willing to

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Gary Kauffman March 17, 2022 No Comments
Consumer Stories

CSRA company makes it to Elite 8 in Manufacturing Madness contest

March is not just for college basketball’s big dance. Another contest recognizes the Coolest Thing Made in South Carolina and Generac has made the cut to advance to the Top 8. Nominations and popular votes were cast back in February. The competition was fierce with several CSRA companies in the running, including Bridgestone, Shaw, Zeus, and Huggies. Generac’s Guardian Home Backup Generator, made in Trenton, now faces competitors from across the state like Lockheed Martin’s F-16, Scout boats, Electrolux Refrigerators, and Honda Talon ATVs. While there’s no doubt that F-16s

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Mitzi Oxford March 17, 2022 No Comments
B2B Stories

Pick your priorities rather than trying to balance everything, panelists advise women leaders

It’s impossible for female business leaders to balance the many hats they wear as professionals, wives, and mothers, just to name a few. That was the opinion offered by Dr. Patrice Buckner Jackson, founder and facilitator of EduCare Training and Consulting, LLC at the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce’s March Women in Business program. “You’ll never have a balance,” said Jackson, affectionately known as Dr. PBJ. “Give yourself permission to be in the priority of the moment.” She was one of three panelists along with Kim Evans, Executive Director of

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Josh Heath March 17, 2022 No Comments
Consumer Stories

Business Lunch Review: Boll Weevil

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

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Wes Hennings March 17, 2022 No Comments
B2B Stories

Simon Says: More than a third of Georgians worked from home during a pandemic

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has just released the results of a survey of private-sector establishments about their response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which began two years ago. The survey was conducted between July and September 2021 and found that 34.5 percent of firms nationally increased telework. This is the same percentage as in Georgia; in South Carolina, it was 31.2 percent. More than 60 percent of firms plan on keeping the increases permanent once the pandemic is over. Firms also increased their offering of flexible work hours (24.6 percent

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Dr. Simon Medcalfe, AU Economics Professor March 16, 2022 No Comments
B2B Stories

Location for Wild Wing Cafe return to Augusta is approved

Dozens of wing sauces and live music will be making a wild comeback in the Garden City soon. On March 7th, the planning commission recommended the rezoning of the two single-family homes—which sit less than a half-mile from the entrance to the Village at Riverwatch shopping center anchored by Costco. Late Tuesday afternoon, City of Augusta commissioners approved the rezoning of 1046 and 1050 Alexander Drive to make way for the return of the Wild Wing Cafe franchise to Augusta. The prototype Wild Wing Cafe two-story restaurant and bar will

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Neil Gordon March 16, 2022 No Comments
Consumer Stories

Longtime nonprofit gets a new look

When you hear the name Golden Harvest Food Bank, you may think of food donations, volunteers, and feeding hungry families, but Amy Breitmann and the Board of Directors want the brand to reflect the organization’s mission both now and in the future. Breitmann, Golden Harvest’s President and CEO, unveiled the nonprofit’s new brand on Tuesday, March 15 in its Augusta warehouse located at 3310 Commerce Drive. She and her team worked with Wier / Stewart, a local advertising and marketing firm, to develop the rebranding campaign. Wier / Stewart created

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Josh Heath March 16, 2022 No Comments
Consumer Stories

Local game shop rolls dice and donates $6,000 to CSRA nonprofit

It’s not every day a Dungeons & Dragons tournament raises money for charity, but a group of local players came together on Saturday, March 12 to enjoy the fantasy role-playing game and support a worthy cause at the same time. Cardboard Castle Games, located at 672 Mullins Colony Drive next to Belk in Evans, hosted the all-day tournament to support Child Enrichment Inc., a local nonprofit. The store, which sells a variety of board and table-top games, also donated a portion of its sales and sold raffle tickets for $5

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Josh Heath March 16, 2022 No Comments
B2B Stories

An event featuring Mark Alison to help businesspeople unlock the power of their brains

A more powerful and efficient way to use your brain can give people a fulfilled, less stressful life. That will be the point of a presentation by Mark Alison, 9-11 a.m. March 24, hosted by Auben Realty at 909 Walker St., Augusta. Called Future Planning, the presentation will show people how to access the power of their brains to create a clear direction in life. Alison, an entrepreneur, founded Alison Group’s marketing firm, now merged with Alison South, has many years of experience in motivational speaking. “People who attend this

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Gary Kauffman March 16, 2022 No Comments
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