Consumer Stories

New grocer opens in area ignored by other supermarkets

It’s been more than 15 years since Gurley’s supermarket was open at 464 Greene Street in downtown Augusta. For Kroger at 501 15th Street, it has been more than eight years since it closed. Now, a Broad Street entrepreneur has opened the Downtown Corner Store in a modest 3,000 square foot building. The building at 1018 Broad Street used to be “Flowers on Broad.” It’s in between an art gallery and a gift shop in an eclectic block in downtown Augusta— and a few doors down from the owner’s other

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B2B Stories

Simon Says: 2025’s Been a Good Year!

It has been a while since I updated the Augusta Labor Market Index (LMI) because the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis had not updated its website since December. Recently, it did so through April, and the Augusta LMI has increased by 0.5 percent from December and is 1.2 percent higher than April 2024. The LMI measures labor market vitality through five components: employment, unemployment rate, labor force, average weekly earnings, and average weekly hours worked. Over the past five months, employment increased by 1,200, and the unemployment rate fell

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Consumer Stories

Part One: Not your father’s video games

Augusta University (AU) has added to its sports lineup, but not in the traditional sense. This team does not need to even step outside, and it is calling for new members. AU’s Esports program is based in the Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center, complete with a dedicated room as an arena for activities. It provides opportunities to participate in competitive esports leagues and tournaments using a shared passion for video games to meet other students. Esports at AU had gone dormant following the 2019-2020 season. It was revived in

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B2B Stories

Busy late July for Augusta banker and parent company

The Augusta market president for a Southeastern Bank has had a busy few weeks, from a trip to the New York Stock Exchange, also to receive an honor across the Peach State. All while the parent company of his bank acquired another bank! Chris McLaughlin from Colony Bank in Evans will be serving a three-year term as a member of the Leadership Georgia Bankers Association Board of Directors. Leadership GBA supports the advancement of career bankers by providing leadership development training, serving as a forum through which career bankers can network and

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Consumer Stories

Add On for Bass Pro Shops and Cabelas

A new service center is now open between Bass Pro Shops/Cabelas and Top Golf at the far end of the Village at Riverwatch. Power Pros is the installation and service arm of the outdoor-focused businesses. Technicians specialize in marine and ATV electronics and accessories. They are equipped to service and handle a variety of needs, such as the setup of fish finders, TRACKER motors, GPS systems, and much more. Their certified technicians are there to ensure that your boats and ATVs are ready for peak performance. Jordan Trotter Commercial Real

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B2B Stories

Success for sales strategies seminar coming soon

The Columbia County Chamber of Commerce is holding its final Business Institute of 2025 on August 7th. Russell Lahodny, President and CEO of the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce, told ABD the program was originally going to be called the Small Business Institute, but they realized the information offered benefits for businesses of all sizes. It provides a unique, face-to-face forum to learn tips and tricks to improve their business. “There are so many opportunities on the internet that you can sit down and watch YouTube videos all day long,

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B2B Stories

Always Sunny in Augusta

Once the sun sets on the hot summer, there will be another option to keep your tan year-round. The fourth location of Palm Beach Tan between Evans and Augusta is going to replace the Cardboard Castle Games shop located between Belk’s and Larson Chiropractor in the Mullins Colony Shopping Center. Palm Beach Tan offers spray tans, tanning beds, and skincare products from its 650 centers nationwide. Local stores include one less than a mile away on 4276 Washington Road next to Publix, plus a store at 4115 Columbia Road and

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B2B Stories

August meetings and conventions coming in HOT!

The temperatures are hot, and so are the projections for the economic impact of visitors headed to the Augusta River Region for meetings, reunions, and other events. More than 7,000 visitors will be in town, generating almost $6,400,000 in the month of August. The largest boost comes from the TechNet conference to be held in mid-August. This will be the 12th year TechNet has been hosted in Augusta. It brings in at least 6,000 attendees, with more than half coming from outside Georgia and South Carolina. That conference alone is estimated to generate more

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B2B Stories

Finding financial backing for women entrepreneurs

A recent speaker to an Aiken and national audience said women own 14 million businesses in the U.S., which is about 39% of all businesses, a mixture of independent companies and franchises. They employ than 11 million and generate two and a half trillion dollars in income. In 2024, women launched 49% of all new businesses. The challenge is locating a funding source. The unique challenges facing women small business owners looking for funding were the focus of a recent webinar. Offered by Greater Aiken SCORE, the webinar was led

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B2B Stories

CSRA company expanding programs to meet supply and demand

One of the largest employers in the CSRA, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS), is enhancing its industrial supply base. The initiative aims to increase the capability and capacity of SRNS suppliers and manufacturers to meet and perform critical mission scopes for the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). “The Supplier Technical Assessment and Validation program (STAV) is a significant benefit for our suppliers and manufacturers, bridging the gap between part requirements, manufacturing capabilities, and demonstrated execution,” said Wayne Potter, SRNS Supplier Relationship Development (SRD) Manager

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