Tue, May 19, 2026

Facebook-f Youtube Instagram
Newsletter Sign up
Show Support
Menu
B2B Stories

Local food franchisee experiences “smooth” growth

Reginald Foster and his wife, Zenna, currently own five stores in Georgia and North Carolina, including Augusta, Evans, and Fort Bragg. He will soon open two new locations in Grovetown and a second store on Fort Bragg. (Photo taken from franchisetimes.com) For many business owners, owning seven stores would probably sound like a daunting task, but for Reginald Foster, it’s much less challenging than his previous job. Foster – franchise owner for the Tropical Smoothie Cafe and an Army veteran who served 25 years – and his wife, Zenna, currently

Read More »
Josh Heath June 23, 2021 No Comments
B2B Stories

Aiken Chamber “Buy Local” event brings out a crowd

David Jameson, long-time President of the Aiken Chamber of Commerce is photographed at the event here with United Way of Aiken Sharon Rodgers during the sold-out event. (Photo provided by Aiken Chamber of Commerce) David Jameson, president of the Aiken Chamber of Commerce, was enthusiastic about the turnout for the group’s “Buy Local” expo at the Exhibit Hall at the Western Carolina State Fair Grounds last Thursday, June 17. But then, does anybody remember when David wasn’t enthusiastic about having a good day in Aiken? A few days before the

Read More »
Stephen Delaney Hale June 23, 2021 No Comments
B2B Stories

Augusta real estate brokers to redevelop historic Florida property

Summer House Real Estate brokers James and Jenny Schaffer have a flair for making people feel “at home”. Their boutique, three-story office on the 2600 block of Washington Road is part real estate office and part venue for the community. The Schaffers are also huge proponents of preserving the environment as evidenced by their gifts to the Water Mission Project. Jenny Schaffer, who also brokers an office in Fernandina Beach spoke to the hometown newspaper and told a reporter she has been interested in this property for many years and

Read More »
Neil Gordon June 22, 2021 No Comments
Consumer Stories

Local entrepreneur launches luxury pop-up picnic business

Keosha Parris launched Picnic N Parris – a luxury pop-up picnic business – on Saturday, June 19. Keosha Parris has started a business that’s the first of its kind in the CSRA. Parris – owner of Picnic N Parris – offers clients a luxury pop-up picnic experience. She officially launched her business, which provides elegant picnics for various occasions, including dates, anniversaries, birthdays, and baby showers, on Saturday, June 19. “I just moved here in Sept. 2020, but there wasn’t much opportunity to explore” because of COVID, says the military

Read More »
Josh Heath June 21, 2021 No Comments
B2B Stories

Springtime Water brand growing nationally in midst of droughts

Southern Beverage CEO David Byrd in his Appling conference room with a few of his popular friends. (Photo by Neil Gordon) David Byrd is proud of the fact that CSRA TPS stores sell his bottled Springtime water for just $.59. Byrd likes that his family-owned Southern Beverage bottling company is a little fish swimming in a big water pond—populated by Nestle’s Deerpark, Coca-Cola’s Dasani, and Fiji Water amongst others. Why is Springtime water at a lower price point? “We don’t run million-dollar Super Bowl ads,” said Byrd from his humble

Read More »
Neil Gordon June 21, 2021 No Comments
Consumer Stories

Long-time South Augusta seafood restaurant to reopen after fire damage

T’s Restaurant has been open in South Augusta since 1952 and closed on Labor Day 2020 due to a fire that caused damage to the inside of the restaurant. (Photo from T’s website) A popular family-owned South Augusta seafood restaurant plans to reopen after being closed for several months due to a fire. Located at 3416 Mike Padgett Highway, T’s Restaurant has been in business for close to 70 years. According to the restaurant’s website, it opened in its current location in 1952 and has been closed since Sept. 7,

Read More »
Josh Heath June 18, 2021 No Comments
B2B Stories

Local company that helps nonprofits raise money adds business coaching services

This photo was taken at the ABD Business Expo, which was held at the Columbia County Performing Arts Center on May 27. Pictured from left are Hollis Bush, senior director of programs and services for ForcesUnited, Faith Edmondson, ABD publisher Neil Gordon, and Ashley Ashe. Gateway Grant Services helps nonprofits like ForcesUnited receive funding. (Photo taken from Faith Edmondson’s LinkedIn profile) Faith Edmondson and Ashley Ashe primarily help nonprofits receive funding through grant writing and virtual fundraising, but they have now branched out to help small businesses succeed. Edmondson and

Read More »
Josh Heath June 18, 2021 No Comments
B2B Stories

“Gone fishing” and other retirement options for older CSRA business owners

Dinesh Hasija, Ph.D. (photo courtesy of AU Hull College of Business) Like many U.S. cities, Augusta is experiencing an aging population. This trend impacts local businesses in several ways, from hiring a qualified workforce to business owners’ succession planning. This article will focus on how business owners can successfully navigate their succession planning. Retirement can be an emotional stage for business owners who have built a socio-economic wealth throughout their time. However, when business owners are planning their retirement, the majority of focus is on economic wealth, and less on

Read More »
Dinesh Hasija, Ph.D. June 17, 2021 No Comments
B2B Stories

Employees of local automotive company sent letter of sale

The John Harris Shop on Evans to Locks Road in Evans is one of the three CSRA collision shops sold to Gerber Collision. (photo from John Harris website) More than 50 technicians and support staff at The John Harris Body Shop in downtown Augusta, Evans, and Grovetown are about to undergo a big change. ABD’s learned the company was just sold to Gerber Collision and Glass, a publicly traded company. Employees got a letter from founders John and Campbell Harris, who opted to sell the company after 46 years in

Read More »
Neil Gordon June 17, 2021 No Comments
Consumer Stories

Housing prices soar with a limited supply and increasing demand

Larry Miller has worked in the real estate industry for more than four decades, but he’s never seen anything like the current housing market. It’s “the most unusual market since I started in 1979,” says Miller, real estate broker and owner of Century 21 Larry Miller Realty, Inc. A limited number of houses on the market coupled with strong demand from buyers has caused housing prices to skyrocket. Because of this intense competition, buyers often offer to pay more than the asking price. Miller explains this trend will continue as

Read More »
Josh Heath June 11, 2021 No Comments
Load More