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UPDATE: Second dine and dash suspect identified

Editor’s Note: This story is an update to a story ABD brought you about a dine-and-dash incident that occurred at Taqueria El Rey – a local Mexican restaurant – on Tuesday, Jan. 18. Two female diners left the restaurant without paying their $55 bill, even after a video posted on Facebook showed they were chased to the parking lot by an employee. ABD has learned the identity of the second suspect in the Columbia County dine-and-dash case. According to Maj. Steve Morris with the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, the suspect’s

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Consumer Stories

Sports training company coming to Evans

A national baseball and softball training company is launching a new franchise in Evans (see photo above story). D-BAT, which is expected to open by the end of February, will be located at 705 North Belair Road near Roots Produce. The franchise will be owned by Corey and Kim Carpenter, and Bryce and Riki Massey. Corey played wide receiver for the Georgia Bulldogs, while Bryce played baseball for Augusta University and now serves as a teacher, athletic director, and coach with the Columbia County School System. The 20,000-square-foot facility will

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Consumer Stories

Georgia Business News: Delta extends flight bookings

    In today’s audio segment from the Capitol in Atlanta, Mike Petchenik warns business owners about a scam, highlights extra caffeine Coke and says Delta is putting in more customer friendly policies, in light of Covid.  

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B2B Stories

“Oh No, Not Again!”

Is it just me, or… “Oh No, Not Again!” “If I see that Kohl’s commercial one more time, I’m going to scream,” she said from a far-away city last November. I had no idea what she was talking about. Clearly the Kohl’s marketing algorithm had found her and her favorite platforms, while the same software knew there wasn’t much gold to be found from me and my channels. The question is, what’s the sweet spot of an effective video/commercial performance life before it loses its power to persuade? Remember when

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B2B Stories

How Chick-Fil-A inspired a “nice” CSRA company

Today’s business minute is about being in the right place at the right time to launch some internal and external marketing to define your company. David Beckum had a “nice” experience in line grabbing a meal!

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Martinez restaurateur forgives customer for alleged crime

An alleged dine-and-dash incident at a local Mexican restaurant landed one woman in jail for free-loading on the main course, but this story has a sweeter ending. According to The Jail Report www.augustacrime.com, Chondrea Mayfield (see photo above story), of Grovetown, was arrested on Thursday, Jan. 20 for theft of services for allegedly leaving a restaurant without paying her bill. Mayfield – a drill instructor at Fort Gordon – will be required to appear in court to answer to the misdemeanor charge. The next day, Ramiro Galvan – owner of

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B2B Stories

TUESDAY EVENT: A Re-charge and Re-connect for Aiken YP’s

You are fresh out of college and pursuing your career path. What was your first job? Was it in your hometown or did you move to a new city? Either way, the Young Professional programs hosted by area Chambers of Commerce are important for several reasons. First, it’s a prime way to network. Second, opportunities often present themselves. Third, the program can play a role in developing a personal and professional balance for the 22- to 40-year-old young professionals making their way in the business world. Along the way, COVID

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B2B Stories

Mondays with Rick: SBDC workshop

Editor’s Note: Dr. Rick Franza, Dean of AU’s Hull College of Business, chats with ABD each week on something topical in the Augusta business community. This week’s topic focuses on an event with the SBDC, an organization Rick admires from his days at Kennesaw State University—witnessing their impact there. Our conversations are edited for brevity and impact.   ABD: Rick, you attended a recent panel discussion at the UGA Small Business Development Center. What were your overall impressions? Rick: The biggest general takeaway is that a small business owner cannot

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