Economics

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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B2B Stories

Data center pros and cons in CSRA

Will Williams, President and CEO of Western SC, has three data center projects under construction in Aiken County. He has a few lessons learned he can share with his colleagues in other CSRA counties, ready to dive into the deep end of the data waters. In Aiken County, the Meta facility being built in the Sage Mill Industrial Park is the largest of three data centers under construction in Aiken County. Williams said a solar field in Orangeburg County will help power the Meta center. “Aiken Electric is the provider,

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B2B Stories

Future data centers in the CSRA

A topic generating national headlines—and local controversy— drew a large crowd to the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce’s Member Economic Luncheon.  Dennis Trotter, AMCC Board member, introduced a panel of experts and shared the data center’s impact on his firm. “Just in our office, that we do for our commercial real estate business, we’ve seen these become very emotionally charged issues on one end,” he began. “But, with the other end being extremely large capital investment in our community, an enormous amount of tax generation for all our various governments

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B2B Stories

$375 million set aside to improve city of Augusta

Funding for a project that will open up more of South Augusta to business, residential, and commercial growth has the green light. Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax 9 (SPLOST 9) was approved by more than 58.5% of the more than 22,000 residents who cast a ballot. It is a $375 million package that will take effect when SPLOST 8 wraps up this fall. Money for a project from the Augusta Economic Development Authority (AEDA) is among those on the approved list.  AEDA received $22 million of the $25 million

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B2B Stories

Are Data Centers a good idea in the CSRA?

Circle next Thursday on your calendar to learn more about a controversial economic opportunity for the CSRA: Data Centers. The Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce will host its upcoming Member Economic Luncheon, “Data Centers: Regional Opportunity & Growth,” on Thursday, May 28, 2026, at the Augusta Marriott at the Convention Center. The luncheon will feature a panel discussion with industry and policy leaders focused on the growing role of data centers in Georgia and the opportunities they create for Augusta and the surrounding region. Attendees will gain insight into the

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