Consumer Stories

Faith Friday: World-class chef returns home with Ramen specialties and faith to make it work

Traveling the world from Alaska to Puerto Rico to the Virgin Islands, working in some of the most upscale hotels imaginable, has led Chef Reggie White back to where it all began: Home. The native Augustan’s culinary curiosity began when he was a child. He graduated high school, then attended Johnson and Wales University to clinch a culinary arts degree. About three years ago, Black Lotus Cuisine, LLC, was born. “After all of the traveling I did, I wanted to come work with my own company,” said the 33-year-old husband

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Consumer Stories

Leukemia & Lymphoma Society announces Man & Woman of the Year candidates

Every 180 seconds, somebody in the United States dies of blood cancer. And in today’s times of uncertainty, patients need support more than ever. The Georgia-South Carolina Region of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) has announced the 11 candidates who will be running in Augusta’s 2022 Man & Woman of the Year campaign – a philanthropic competition to fight blood cancer among a group of motivated and dedicated individuals in communities across the United States. The funds raised through Man & Woman of the Year are used for research,

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Shawna Woodward

Free Access: Real Talk Real Estate: Men vs. women in real estate negotiations

Recently, Realtor.com wrote an article titled: ‘Why Women Might Beat Men at Negotiating a Real Estate Deal.’ Of course, as a male real estate agent, I was intrigued by this article title and by how polarizing it is. Obviously, I dug in! Now I know that this would generally be a touchy subject, so I would like to preface my article by informing you that the writer of this article, Kimberly Dawn Neumann, was focused on masculine negotiating techniques vs. feminine negotiating techniques and not just men vs. women. The

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B2B Stories

Ex-Major Leaguer makes pitch to help CSRA businesses save on health benefits costs

Drive, hard work and asking questions propelled Tom Mastny to a three-year Major League baseball career. Now, he’s using those same attributes to help CSRA businesses contain health care costs. Mastny is CEO of The Pennant Group, a health benefits company that helps employers dig deeper to discover the reasons for high health costs and then find ways to reduce or contain those costs. “It’s the ‘hidden paycheck,’” Mastny said about the health care costs. “Most employees don’t understand all the things taken out of their check, and if you

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Consumer Stories

New retail center opening with ‘perfect’ tenant mix

A new retail center in west Augusta will allow local residents the opportunity to grab lunch, get a haircut and complete an intense workout, although not necessarily in that order. Three new franchise locations are coming to the center, which is located at 3602 Exchange Lane off Walton Way Extension: McAlister’s Deli, V’s Barbershop and Orangetheory Fitness, according to Juli Means, Director of Marketing for Jordan Trotter Commercial Real Estate, LLC. Means said these businesses will also be located less than a mile from the Augusta Exchange shopping center. “This

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Consumer Stories

Business Lunch Review: 2 Boys Pizza and Grill

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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B2B Stories

Simon Says: War is not good for the economy, here or abroad

I have been asked over the past 10 days to provide an opinion on the impact of the Russia invasion of Ukraine on the local economy. I have struggled to say anything but the blindingly obvious: Oil prices will go up, and so therefore will gas prices! With a little reflection, here are my more considered thoughts: War is not good for the economy! Anyone who has seen the physical destruction in Ukraine, or followed the depreciation of the ruble, and subsequent hike in Russian interest rates, could not fail

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Consumer Stories

Local hairstylist opens salon to let blondes have more fun

As the saying goes, “Blondes have more fun.” Whitney Harrington enjoys giving her clients the chance to find that out for themselves. Harrington, a local licensed cosmetologist, plans to open TBH Salon in the next couple of weeks. The salon, located at 200 Miramar Drive off Columbia Road in Martinez, will offer an array of services, including haircutting, coloring and styling. “I specialize in blonde hair and extensions,” she said. “We have several girls who can do anything with hair.” TBH stands for The Blonde Hairstylist. She has seven years’

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