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Economics
B2B Stories

Simon Says: Job Jolts in the CSRA/Georgia

The Augusta Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) ended the year with another record employment level. In December, there were 248,400 people employed in the area, the highest on record. Six months in 2025 had record employment, and nine months saw month-on-month employment growth. It may have been ten without Hurricane Helene. Over the year, employment grew by 2,800, or 1.1%. One of my favorite podcasts is a BBC show called More or Less. They like to ask, “Is that a big number?,” in other words, what is the context or comparison?

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Dr. Simon Medcalfe February 10, 2025 No Comments
B2B Stories

Space travel from Augusta!

An organization that focuses on the state of the aerospace industry today and looking to the future has scheduled its annual event to bring industry experts to Augusta. The Skyworx Innovation Exchange is set for March 13 at the Hull McKnight Building at the Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center. The goal is to showcase new aerospace technologies with presentations from diverse groups in the industry. “We have an original equipment manufacturer for the Advanced Air Mobility, which we have the acronym AAM for, and it’s just the new technologies

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Dana Lynn McIntyre February 10, 2025 No Comments
B2B Stories

Business is booming in South Carolina

Gov. Henry McMaster (R) highlighted business growth, economic development, and education in his 2025 State of the State address. McMaster said the state’s attractive climate for business has translated to more than $44.7 billion in new capital investment and 92,000 jobs. That’s resulted in a revenue surplus of more than $1.8 billion. He said 2024 is continuing the pattern created over the previous seven years. “It was no surprise that 2024 was once again a successful year for economic growth and investment,” he told the joint session of the state

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Dana Lynn McIntyre February 6, 2025 No Comments
B2B Stories

$4.9 million Manufacturing Training Collaborative

A trio of mobile advanced manufacturing labs that will bring critical workforce training resources to rural areas across South Carolina were unveiled this week. The event at the William H. “Billy” O’Dell Upstate Center for Manufacturing Excellence in Greenwood was the result of a unique collaborative initiative between Piedmont Technical College, Aiken Technical College, and Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College. Funding for the mobile labs’ initiative came from a four-year, $4.9 million Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grant provided by the U.S. Department of Labor. The purpose of the grant is to address

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Staff Report February 4, 2025 No Comments
B2B Stories

Unveiling a comprehensive tort reform strategy

Ga. Gov. Brian Kemp (R) unveiled a package of tort reform legislation during a news conference at the state capital. Kemp said the legislation he is proposing will level the playing field in the courtroom for large and small businesses while protecting the rights of individuals to pursue legal action when they are harmed. “First, I believe that business owners have a responsibility to keep their customers and the public safe on their premises, but they should not be held liable for criminal acts of a third party outside of

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Dana Lynn McIntyre February 4, 2025 No Comments
B2B Stories

Security changes at Augusta’s airport

The Augusta Aviation Commission gave the green light to the next step to expand security checkpoints at Augusta Regional Airport. Members approved a work authorization of $449,438 for consultant Mead and Hunt for the terminal checkpoint modernization project. “This is testing. This is everything outside the bounds of the contract is included in this. It is also extra oversight,” explained Elizabeth Giles, Senior Construction Project Manager at the airport. “This is a very technical project. It’s a critical project. It affects every aspect of our operations inside this building. So,

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Dana Lynn McIntyre February 3, 2025 No Comments
B2B Stories

Simon Says: Kudos to McDuffie and Edgefield

The Bureau of Economic Analysis has released Gross Domestic Product data for the counties of the Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) for 2023. Gross domestic product (GDP) measures the value of all final goods and services produced in the county in 2023. It is adjusted for inflation. The fastest-growing county in the MSA was McDuffie County at 6.3%, the sixteenth fastest-growing county in Georgia. Edgefield County grew at 6%, the sixth fastest in South Carolina. Burke County’s GDP fell by 2.9 percent in 2023. Overall, the MSA’s real (inflation-adjusted) GDP was

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Dr. Simon Medcalfe February 3, 2025 No Comments
B2B Stories

Boot Camp to Benefit CSRA Construction Boom

Augusta Technical College is bringing a program to train multiple disciplines within the building trades in a minimal amount of time. Construction Ready is an Atlanta-based 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that believes careers in the skilled trades should be just as important as those requiring four-year degrees. Formerly known as the Construction Education Foundation of Georgia (CEFGA), it focuses on skills training for the construction industry. The program will be offered at Augusta Tech in March. “It is 20-day boot camp offering individuals from the community to come in and learn

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Dana Lynn McIntyre January 30, 2025 No Comments
B2B Stories

Branding Accelerate Augusta

The leadership developing the microenterprise center under construction on Broad Street gave the first look at the symbol that will mark the facility. Two logos for Accelerate Augusta were unveiled, including one incorporating partner, SRP Federal Credit Union. “We were honored when the opportunity arose to partner with Augusta Tech on Accelerate Augusta,” Ed Jenkins, CEO of the financial institution told ABD. “We quickly saw the impact we believe it can make, not just on Augusta, but the CSRA as its incubator launches small and new entrepreneurial businesses. We just

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Dana Lynn McIntyre January 29, 2025 No Comments
B2B Stories

$30k Helene Help for the Arts

The Greater Augusta Arts Council awarded 51 local creatives with Hurricane Relief Micro-Grants through the C.R.E.A.T.I.V.E. Grant initiative. This program, led by the Council’s new Executive Director, Denise Tucker, provided critical support to artists impacted by Hurricane Helene. C.R.E.A.T.I.V.E. FUND (Creative Relief for Emergencies and Assistance) Individual Vital Empowerment was designed to provide support to CSRA Individual Member Artists as they re-imagine & rebuild during the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene. Micro-Grants of $500-$1000 were distributed to support costs associated with replacing supplies or a lost gig during this time. The $30,000

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Staff Report January 28, 2025 No Comments
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