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Business Coaching
B2B Stories

Huge Sign CSRA Economy Is Improving

SCORE sets record on mentoring small businesses in a 16-county area of the CSRA. 30 Certified Mentors and Volunteers worked with over 355 Small Business Clients in 2025. The Chapter’s territory includes Aiken, Augusta, North Augusta, and a total of sixteen counties. Mentoring services have been provided for three phases of a Small Business’s journey. The Idea and How Do I Start Phase…The How Do I Grow My Business Phase…And finally, The Time Is Right to Sell and/or Retire Phase. As a Non-Profit, all Mentoring Services are free and confidential.

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Neil Gordon January 12, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

Busy year ahead for Accelerate Augusta

Augusta’s newest small business incubator is laying out an ambitious schedule for its first full year in operation. Executive Director Shaun Andrews told ABD they will be focusing on what he called the Three “Fs”: Foundation, funding, and the future for entrepreneurs. Accelerate Augusta, a partnership between Augusta Technical College and the Downtown Development Authority, officially opened in October 2025. It is in the former Greater Augusta Chamber of Commerce building at 600 Broad Street. The microenterprise center was created to support entrepreneurs, start-ups, and help local small businesses develop

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Dana Lynn McIntyre January 5, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

Jerry Maguire was right: Show Me the Money

One of the biggest hurdles facing any budding entrepreneur or small business owner is how to find the seed money to grow the idea. A national organization, which has a chapter in Aiken County, offered solutions to the dilemma in a recent online seminar titled “Finding Grants and Sponsorships: Locate Opportunities, Apply Confidently, Stand Out to Funders.” The online seminar was led by Cheryl Smith, CEO of Dewlyn Nonprofit Services (https://dewlyn.com/), who also provides services to small businesses. Her presentation included where to find grants and how to successfully apply.

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Dana Lynn McIntyre December 30, 2025 No Comments
B2B Stories

CSRA Masterclass on best business practices

Read a good business book lately? 5 CSRA company leaders did the work for you! Here is what they found to help you with your day-to-day work. Panelists from five different types of business, Andrea Bowles, Blanchard & Calhoun Real Estate; Elisha Ford, ER at Sweetwater & Martintown; Greg Greenawalt, Gracious Hospitality Services; Isaac Kelly, Aiken Staffing Associates, and Cynthia Rhodes, Rhodes-Porter Group, presented “Moments That Move Us: Five Powerful Messages to Shape Business & Leadership.” Andrea Bowles introduced attendees to “The Energy Clock” by Molly Fletcher. Fletcher’s premise is

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Dana Lynn McIntyre December 15, 2025 No Comments
B2B Stories

How to juggle 4 balls in the air without dropping one

When Samantha (Sam) Corujo needs quiet time, she’ll relax on the balcony of Summer House Realty, overlooking Augusta National. It’s a welcome retreat from her traditional real estate office downstairs and three other businesses she’s built. So, how does she juggle all four companies? For the highly energetic entrepreneur, it’s a combination of discipline, exercise, micro-bursting, and creating think time. ” I get up, I go to the gym early, and then I come home, and there’s that little sacred two-hour window of time where I can handle all my

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Neil Gordon November 18, 2025 No Comments
B2B Stories

Succession Planning: A Braves New World

On Monday, the Atlanta Braves named Walt Weiss as its 49th manager in franchise history, taking over for Brian Snitker, who retired at the conclusion of the 2025 season after being the Braves manager since early in the 2016 season. Snitker took over the Braves amid a team rebuild but helped quickly turn things around, leading the team to six straight National League East championships from 2018 to 2023, with an additional playoff appearance in 2024 and a World Series championship in 2021. Since 1901, only Snitker’s mentor, Bobby Cox,

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Dr. Rick Franza, AU Hull College Professor November 6, 2025 No Comments
B2B Stories

The Shelf Life of Leadership – Part 2

Publisher’s Note: Dr. Franza has his clipboard and is back on the football field this week, continuing his column looking at similarities between college football coaches and your bosses in the CSRA. Is there such a thing as a shelf-life for either? How can people in leadership direct their teams long-term? Since my column last week, two more college football coaches were fired, Jay Norvell at Colorado State, and the more high-profile firing of Florida’s Billy Napier. However, neither of these firings can be characterized as “shelf-life expirations”.   Both Norvell

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Dr. Rick Franza, AU Hull College of Business October 23, 2025 No Comments
B2B Stories

Onboarding CSRA new hires the right way—right away!

Companies face challenges with hiring new employees and retaining those they have. Sometimes, how an employee is brought on board can make all the difference. Employers from Child Enrichment and PC Techware were among attendees who appreciated the lessons shared by TeKay Brown-Taylor, President and CEO of Brownstone Mediation Services. It was presented by the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce at its Third Thursday event on October 16. Her topic was “Beyond the Job Posting: How to Keep Employees Engaged and Loyal.” Brown-Taylor said there are important steps that need

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Dana Lynn McIntyre October 22, 2025 No Comments
B2B Stories

The Shelf Life of Leadership – Part 1

Publisher’s Note: If you follow college football, you’ve probably heard that Penn State fired its football coach, James Franklin. Pay close attention to Dr. Rick Franza’s column this week as it relates to your boss(es). Franza explains that the shelf life of coaches may mirror the length of service of those charged with managing companies in the CSRA. In the more than eight years that I have been writing columns for multiple print and online publications in Augusta, this time of the year always provides fertile ground for applying business

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Dr. Rick Franza, AU Hull College of Business October 16, 2025 No Comments
B2B Stories

Accountability: The Essential Ingredient for Growth and Success

Editor’s Note: Sometimes, sports mirror business. Destination Augusta reports when the Augusta Sports Council brings in a sporting event to town, it can mean millions of dollars in economic impact. Sports and business are about competition. Teams of either have to be held accountable. Dr. Rick Franza traveled from his classroom on Walton Way to South Bend, Indiana, to show how the “Fighting Irish” can help you win at your CSRA Company. When Your Team at Work Gets Off To A Bad Start This past weekend, I returned to my

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Dr. Rick Franza October 9, 2025 No Comments
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