B2B Stories

Traffic and Travel Solutions for the tournaments

The first Practice round for the Augusta National Women’s Amateur (ANWA) begins this morning, marking the beginning of Metro Augusta’s busiest travel season. Traffic will start to increase, and activity levels are high at Augusta Regional Airport (AGS). In addition to the regularly scheduled destinations of Washington D.C., Dallas, Charlotte, and Atlanta, Delta and American Airlines will offer additional direct flights to accommodate increased travel demand.  From April 5th through April 13th, Delta Air Lines will offer direct flights to Austin (AUS), Detroit (DTW), New York (JFK) and (LGA), Boston

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B2B Stories

Simon Says: Trend for retail spaces in the CSRA

Service-based tenants leased over half of the total retail space in 2025 for the first time, according to CoStar.  There are a few examples in local shopping centers. (See below) Crunch Fitness replaced the goods-based Bed Bath & Beyond in the Augusta Exchange shopping center. In the Village Plaza at 270 Bobby Jones Expressway, a former Electronics and Appliance store is getting replaced with a service provider. Nail salons and Botox (medical) bars are also increasingly located in retail real estate. These trends show up in local employment numbers for

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Awards

Top businesswoman announced in Columbia County

The CEO of a local hospital has a special appreciation for this year’s Businesswoman of the Year, picked at the annual Women of Influence Executive luncheon. It is organized by the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce and recognizes women in business who demonstrate the highest level of leadership, professionalism, and community involvement.  The 2026 Businesswoman of the Year in Columbia County is Dr. Quynh Spicer, founder of Thomson Family Dental, Harlem Family Dental, and Home Instead Augusta.  “I actually have no idea what to say. I truly am humbled to

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Consumer Stories

Nonprofits benefit from companies’ kindness

About 15 different sponsors kicked in money to cover many of the expenses incurred by two different non-profits at yesterday’s 30th Annual Triple Crown Golf Classic at Woodside Country Club. In keeping with the “30” theme, Aiken Regional Medical Center sponsored the hole-in-one competitions, which featured two $15,000 prizes. Amongst other sponsors, lunch was handled by the local Chick-Fil-A and beverages at the cart were sponsored by Security Federal. Stokes Hodges Ford was one of the golf cart sponsors. 200 golfers helped raise more than the goal of $30,000, which

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B2B Stories

Can TSA agents handle influx of golf fans?

The first wave of golf fans will begin arriving in Augusta on Tuesday to attend the Augusta National Women’s Amateur (ANWA). That kicks off the arrival of thousands of air travelers coming to Augusta for the Masters Tournament, ANWA and Drive, Chip and Putt. Funding for TSA agents is entering its second month of uncertainty. Leadership at Augusta Regional Airport (AGS) is helping agents as the airport braces for its busiest time of year.  “We are concerned about the current shutdown and how it affects the TSA employees at Augusta

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B2B Podcasting

Huge grand opening for one restaurant; another one planned soon

One of the largest CSRA ribbon cuttings in recent memory kicked off a big weekend for a new West Augusta restaurant, while its neighbor to the far left expects to open within a few weeks. Dave’s Hot Chicken leaders told Augusta Business Daily its soft opening did very well the day before, on Thursday, March 28th. With a nod to the upcoming Masters tournament, DHC provided a golf simulator (far right) and a mystery envelope giveaway for the first 500 guests on Friday. During the weekend, several schools, first responders,

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B2B Stories

Pitching solutions for community problems

Augusta University (AU) undergraduate and graduate students were joined by non-student entrepreneurs for the 2026 INNOVATE: Pitches with a Purpose Pitch Competition. This is the seventh year for the event, coordinated by AU, the Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center (GCITC), along with partners Vinea Capital, Aurubis Richmond, LLC, and VA (Veterans Affairs) Health Administration. The competition, created in 2019, is a 5-minute platform for teams to pitch their ideas to address challenges and improve our community. The goal is to address local challenges, support startups, and drive regional growth.

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Consumer Stories

Upscale retailer moving into high-end plaza

Swank will have a new neighbor this summer in Evans. It’s a retail shop the owners are quite familiar with. The third Posh Tots children’s boutique is 1300 square feet and will open next to Swank in the shopping center with anchor store Publix at 5117 Washington Road, outside of Riverwood. It replaces the Madison Julia hair salon, which closed. The Bassali family owns both Posh Tots and Swank, and has paired them together before. Posh Tots and Swank are also part of that newish West Lake Commons shopping center.

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Consumer Stories

Fat Man’s Hospitality Grows Again

ABD’s learned that the Fat Man’s Hospitality Group is trying to open Bradley’s BBQ around May 1st and then begin plans to open a new event center. These are just a few nuggets learned while putting together THIS video on Brad Usry, that played at the Junior Achievement Hall of Fame ceremony last week.  If you used to go to Fat  Man’s Forest, you HAVE to watch this for some old-time video and photos.

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B2B Stories

Searching for the ultimate work-life balance

A new so-called generation is emerging, joining baby boomers, GenX, millennials, and GenZ, and it is primarily a female demographic. Many women are juggling multiple roles, including careers, raising children, managing their households, and increasingly, caring for aging parents. They are becoming known as the Sandwich Generation.  The North Augusta Chamber of Commerce sponsored “Caught in the Middle: Women of the Sandwich Generation.”  Leading the discussion was a panel of women with diverse backgrounds: Yvette Harris, Co-owner, Horizon Motor Coach Amy Hane, Owner, Long Term Liaisons Jennifer Turman, HR Manager,

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