Economics

B2B Stories

America at 250: The Greatest Country for Business

PUBLISHER’S NOTE: Saturday night, I took my daughter to a birthday celebration like none other at Truist Park in Atlanta. WOW! She may be a little young to be reflective of our country’s special independence. I am not. Nor is Dr. Rick Franza.  RICK FRANZA: Such is the time for our country’s reflection on the 250th anniversary of our Declaration of Independence from England. I will attempt to explain why the United States is the best country for business, using the spelling of A-M-E-R-I-C-A to provide my rationale. While I

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B2B Stories

Georgia’s economy, energy, and how Augusta is part of the puzzle

An editorial written by the president and CEO of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce points to one of the reasons the state’s economy is strong, and Metro Augusta plays an important role. Chris Clark’s Op-ed piece examined factors pushing Georgia to record-breaking economic development over the past six years. Just shy of $175 million in investment from more than 2,600 projects, creating 255,000 jobs.  More significantly, Clark (See above photo) said 83% of that investment was found outside of Metro Atlanta. With the arrival of Aurubis Richmond, LLC and the

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B2B Stories

The economics of FIFA and the World Cup

The World Cup is well underway, and as expected, India, the West Indies, England, and Australia are topping their groups as I write.  Oh sorry. That’s actually the women’s cricket World Cup happening right now in England. Most US-based sports fans are probably more aware of the soccer World Cup happening across the US, Canada, and Mexico. As the tournament heads into the knockout stages, the big guns of Germany, Argentina, Brazil, and (er, hum) the United States Men’s National Team (abbreviated USMNT for no reason, we don’t have GMNT

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B2B Stories

One of largest CSRA Employers wins 2026 Patriot Award

Five area Chambers of Commerce teamed up for an annual event honoring the men and women associated with Fort Gordon. The Columbia County, Augusta Metro, Greater Augusta Black, North Augusta, and Thomson-McDuffie County Chambers of Commerce hosted the Military Appreciation Luncheon. The Columbia County Exhibition Center was draped in red, white, and blue, with every seat filled. The event also marked the presentation of the 2026 Patriot Award, marking the fourth year the honor has been presented. “It honors businesses and individuals to show support for a military community going

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B2B Stories

The Challenge of Messaging to Multiple Audiences

I have followed the recent negotiations between the United States and Iran with much interest. As I noted in last week’s column, how these negotiations progress can significantly impact our economy and national security. I am watching closely to see how these negotiations impact Iran’s future nuclear weapon capability. However, as always, I watch situations like these for lessons learned we can apply to our business environments.   In this case, the most interesting and potentially valuable lesson we can learn from these negotiations is how President Trump and his proxies,

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B2B Stories

Augusta’s airport looks for ways to keep up with growing demand

The recent onslaught of travelers during Masters tournament caused a special meeting of the Augusta Aviation Commission committee. The meeting of the Air Services Committee was to do an airport-wide critique of services that directly impacted arrival and departure operations. Committee chairman Randy Sasser told ABD he called the meeting to find opportunities for improvement in airport operations, adding air travel continues to grow, and Augusta needs to keep pace. At no time is that more obvious than the two weeks when golf fans from around the world arrive for

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B2B Stories

Business Profile: Mr. Clean Machine USA

ABD: Please tell our readers which hotel we met at and how your service benefits them in ways we probably wouldn’t think of. MCM USA: We were at the Home2 Suites in Grovetown. They wanted to get their image scores up and to create a sanitized environment for their patrons. We are using our drone to soft wash the building exterior and will also use it to clean the windows. Additionally, we are cleaning wood pergolas and all the concrete surfaces. It’s a complete cleaning high and low! ABD: Explain

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B2B Stories

Your Money and The News: Three Big Stories that Could Impact You

There is a famous saying about financial markets this time of year, which is “Sell in May and go away.” This old Wall Street adage advised investors to sell their stocks in the spring and stay out of the market during the summer months to avoid historically weaker performance.   However, while historical data has often shown that markets tend to hold true to this adage, with the rest of the year outperforming Summer, financial experts generally advise not to act on this rhyme. The reasons for this include that trying

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B2B Stories

Data centers and Georgia’s energy needs

The Georgia Chamber of Commerce’s recent examination of the state’s energy supply included a panel discussion on a topic garnering great interest in the Augusta area. The 2026 State of Energy focused on energy and infrastructure, one of the five pillars in the Georgia 2050 strategic plan. In his opening remarks, chamber president and CEO Chris Clark announced the organization will launch two new initiatives focusing specifically on data centers. One will be the “Data Center-Ready” designation. The purpose is to help elected officials and communities make informed decisions about

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B2B Stories

Augusta area energy needs today and into the future

Publisher’s Note: Georgia Power has a strong rebate program, and Studio Gordon LLC is considering it in the building ABD has a little space. The goal is to preserve energy. GP pays 70% of the costs for energy-efficient lighting/installation, and a local business pays 30%. The savings in your power bill will pay for the lighting upgrades in roughly a year. Dana Lynn McIntyre looks at the bigger picture in this report. With the ever changing landscape for energy demands, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce assembled experts to examine what the

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