Sat, October 17, 2026

Facebook-f Youtube Instagram
Newsletter Sign up
Show Support
Menu

B2B Stories
B2B Stories

Marco Rubio’s Look Back to Move Us Forward: What He Nailed and What He Missed

Last week, while on a diplomatic trip through Europe, U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, gave a speech at Pnyx Hill in Athens, Greece, where ancient Athenians held democratic assemblies.  This was a fitting location for Rubio’s speech, which the Editorial Board of the Wall Street Journal called its “speech of the year.” I thought he hit the target and also missed a few opportunities. It directly ties the lineage of modern America back to ancient Greece. While some commentators saw this speech as a rationalization for “America First” or

Read More »
Dr. Rick Franza, Professor, AU Hull College of Business October 15, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

The impact of tourism in Augusta and statewide

Tickets are on sale for the annual Augusta State of Tourism (ASOT) event. We’ll learn whether visitor spending hits $1 billion.  Sponsored by Destination Augusta, the event brings into focus the impact the tourism and hospitality industry has on Metro Augusta. President and CEO Bennish Brown told ABD the celebration brings together all of Destination Augusta’s partners, including the Augusta Sports Council. “No success happens in Augusta, at least from the tourism space, without us collectively working,” he said. “So, our annual Augusta State of Tourism is when we just

Read More »
Dana Lynn McIntyre October 14, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

Local companies spark Halloween event

A local realtor and sweet shop from a merchants association are excited to announce the lineup for a huge annual “fun-raiser.” DEFOOR Realty and Main Street Treats are leading the way at the Trick or Treat festival on Main Street in Harlem on Thursday, October 29th. The event is part of the Spooky To Be Hungry event to generate non-perishable food for organizations like the Fishes and Loaves Food Bank and The Golden Harvest Bank. The cost of admission is a canned good. The drop-off point is at the Harlem

Read More »
Neil Gordon October 14, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

AI takes aim at manufacturing jobs

The Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center (GCITC) hosted a 53-foot mobile center combining robotics, artificial intelligence, and advanced manufacturing technology. This marked a return visit by the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs (RICE) and Georgia Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing (Georgia AIM). The mobile studio invited students and professionals to have firsthand experience with the latest technology.  “What we’re trying to do today is expose those that are seeking jobs in the manufacturing industry, especially in advanced manufacturing,” GCITC executive director Eric Toler explained for ABD. “Show them how AI

Read More »
Dana Lynn McIntyre October 13, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

Columbia County pushing workforce development concepts with a new leader

Finding a trained workforce is a concern across all business sectors, and the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce has someone focused on the challenge. Dr. Nicole Spencer has joined the chamber as the Workforce Development Manager. She will coordinate initiatives designed for workforce development and education. “It will be kind of similar to what I’m doing, workforce development, working on creating programs that lead into a workforce, creating that pipeline, working with the school system, which I did a lot at Augusta Tech, so it just, you know, seemed like

Read More »
Dana Lynn McIntyre October 9, 2026 No Comments
Awards/Celebrations

Hammering Home Business Success: What We Can Learn from The Home Depot

We’re #1! When we say that in Georgia, it’s usually about sports teams like the Braves’ dominance in the NL East or the Georgia Bulldogs annually contending for football titles.   In 2026, Area Development magazine ranked Georgia the #1 state for business for the 13th year in a row. In addition, we recently learned that Georgia is also the home of the #1 business in the country using one very important metric.   The Home Depot (traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol HD) is the highest-returning

Read More »
Dr. Rick Franza, Professor, AU Hull College of Business October 8, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

More graduates in the trades to support CSRA service companies in 2027 and 2028

Goodwill and Helms College are ready to train and graduate 400 more skilled workers in HVAC, Refrigeration, and Electrical trades. That’s all thanks to a $1 million benefactor. BlackRock Future Builders, a national philanthropic initiative funded by The BlackRock Foundation, is providing the money. Goodwill of Middle Georgia and the CSRA is one of 15 organizations to be selected from more than 1,000 applications for grants nationwide.  The grant will help Goodwill of Middle Georgia and the CSRA expand its established HVAC/R diploma program at the current Helms College campuses

Read More »
Neil Gordon October 7, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

3rd Generation Company President leads major expansion in CSRA

The buzz for the last month is that Busby’s was moving to Evans to better serve Columbia County clients and better train its staff. It’s true. The Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting earlier this week officially opened the Busby’s training center at 3001 McCrary Court off of Industrial Park Drive—near others in the home industry like Ivey Homes and Mulherin Lumber. Busby’s is a family-owned and operated HVAC company and has served the CSRA for more than 80 years. Its longtime headquarters will remain at 1236 Gordon Park Road off of

Read More »
Neil Gordon October 7, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

Simon Says: Economy heading in the right direction

The numbers add up for Augusta’s Leading Economics Index (LEI) in August. Overall—up nearly 3% as four of the key five sectors are surging ahead. Overall, the LEI increased 2.7 percent on the month, although the three-month moving average (3MA) was down 0.3%. I like to use the 3MA because local economic indicators can be very volatile on a month-to-month basis, so the 3MA gives a better idea of the trend.  Residential building permits increased 14 percent, and initial claims for unemployment insurance decreased 45 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial

Read More »
Dr. Simon Medcalfe, AU Hull College of Business Economics Professor October 6, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

Cybersecurity Awareness Month: AI Do’s and Don’ts

You may wonder what AI has to do with cybersecurity? The answer is a lot! Your data can be compromised by just feeding information about your company.  If you have 20 minutes in the car, at the office, or at home—I hope you’ll watch/listen to this podcast. Greg Baker from CMA Technology shares some important lessons learned.

Read More »
Neil Gordon October 6, 2026 No Comments
Load More