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Economics
B2B Stories

Airport’s wish list of new airline and projects

Augusta Regional Airport presented its proposed list to the Finance Committee members of the Augusta-Richmond County Commissioners in hopes of receiving Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) funds. The update included some interest from a new airline in working with Augusta Regional Airport. The list outlined by Herbert Judon, Jr., Executive Director of Augusta Regional Airport, was brief, just two items. One is a $6 million expansion of ramp space on the airport’s southeast side. The other, $20 million, would be for the construction of two additional hangars. While

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Dana Lynn McIntyre June 29, 2025 No Comments
B2B Stories

Time for Social Security reform…avoid the iceberg!

Last Wednesday (June 18), the Social Security Trustees released their annual report on the financial status of the program. The 2025 report projects that Social Security will become insolvent in 2033. Such insolvency means that the Social Security trust funds will not have enough money to pay promised benefits in full and on time. If this insolvency is not addressed, in 2033, retirees will face an automatic 23% benefit cut under the law. The problem will continue to get worse as more and more baby boomers like me continue to

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Dr. Rick Franza June 24, 2025 No Comments
B2B Stories

Quality healthcare = healthy economic development

The importance of a vibrant healthcare system and its impact on economic development was highlighted by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s 1Q report. The Foundation examined the first of five pillars that the Chamber has identified in its Georgia 2050 initiative: Regional Prosperity and Healthy Communities. “Georgians need access to quality healthcare to sustain vibrant communities with a quality of life that attracts and retains the next generation of talent,” the report began. It is a message that resonates with Russell Lahodny, President and CEO of the Columbia County

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Dana Lynn McIntyre June 24, 2025 No Comments
B2B Stories

Simon Says: CSRA economy dips in April

There is a lot of uncertainty and volatility in the economy at the moment, and that can also be seen in the local data. The Augusta Leading Economics Index (LEI) fell 3.8 percent in April from March, but increased 0.6 percent on a three-month moving average. It is 1.3 percent higher than a year ago (0.9 percent using the moving average). Looking at only changes from March, all five components of the LEI deteriorated in April.  Residential construction permits returned to more normal levels after March’s bumper month. Initial claims

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Dr. Simon Medcalfe June 23, 2025 No Comments
Awards/Celebrations

Paying tribute to area military personnel

The Columbia County Exhibition Center hosted a full house, awash in red, white, and blue to honor Fort Gordon, the Augusta area’s largest and one of its oldest employers. It was established in 1941 as Camp Gordon. The Columbia County Chamber, North Augusta Chamber, Alliance for Fort Gordon, Greater Augusta Black Chamber, Thomson-McDuffie Chamber, and Veteran Golfers Association co-sponsored the annual Military Appreciation Luncheon, part of the Executive Luncheon Series. Among the speakers was Dr. Tom Clark, Executive Director of the Alliance for Fort Gordon, who retired from the post

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Dana Lynn McIntyre June 19, 2025 No Comments
Awards/Celebrations

Juneteenth: CSRA celebrations, closings, and challenges

Today is Juneteenth, the 4th consecutive year June 19 has been celebrated as a federal holiday to commemorate the ending of slavery in the United States. In the CSRA, festivals are planned for those who may be off work, and there are closings that may impact those who aren’t. The vast majority of area banks will be closed today. Also, the United States Post Office will not be delivering mail, but UPS and FedEx will be delivering today. For most other companies, it will be business as usual. Greater Augusta

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Mitzi Oxford June 18, 2025 No Comments
B2B Stories

Simon Says: 2025 Job Market and Economy

It’s been an interesting start economically to 2025. Dr. Simon Medcalfe did a deep dive into the numbers to see where we started and where we are heading. Here’s the audio version.

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Dr. Simon Medcalfe June 16, 2025 No Comments
B2B Stories

USCA to meet the need for electrical engineers

A constantly growing need for trained electrical engineers has prompted USCA to add to its degree program catalog. In a news release, USCA said the Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (BSEE) will focus on teaching students how to design, test, build, and maintain electrical and electronic systems. It will be launched in the Fall 2026 semester. Scott McKay, Dean of the College of Sciences and Engineering, told ABD that adding the new program was a lengthy process. “We basically got a ground swell of interest from our regional industry

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Dana Lynn McIntyre June 10, 2025 No Comments
B2B Stories

Simon Says: Job Gains

The number of job postings that require at least one artificial intelligence (AI) skill has increased from 0.5 percent in 2010 to 1.7 percent in 2024. This is according to a new study by three economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. This growth in demand is due to more technical roles used to produce AI and more workers using AI at their jobs. Over one-quarter of workers have used AI at work. AI skills are more than being able to use ChatGPT. Top AI skills for Bachelor’s or

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Dr. Simon Medcalfe June 9, 2025 No Comments
B2B Stories

SRMC helps save $2 billion for DOE

Savannah River Mission Completion (SRMC) has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) strategic sourcing program for contributing $38 million of a $2 billion total cost savings over three years. The Supply Chain Management Center (SCMC) recently passed a significant milestone, achieving more than $2 billion in savings by National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and DOE Environmental Management (EM) prime contractors across the country. SCMC is a strategic supply chain program dedicated to simplifying the buying process to enable savings for those prime contractors. SCMC helps sites stretch

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Staff Report June 5, 2025 No Comments
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