Our Mike Petchenik has a recap today of how our community, Ft. Eisenhower, and large companies in the CSRA fared during Hurricane Helene.
Hurricane Helene took a significant economic toll on small businesses in Georgia, according to new data from Fiserv. At the height of the storm’s impact, consumer spending came to a virtual standstill, with statewide small business sales plummeting 19% from 9/26-9/29 (compared to the same period in 2023). Since 9/30, though, sales have recovered somewhat – up 5.5% year-over-year, driven by a surge in spending on lumber, hardware, and accommodations. Fiserv measures spending at some 2 million small businesses nationwide every month – but can also track sales over specific
The Savannah Rapids Pavilion has hosted Chamber of Commerce meetings and has been a popular choice for weddings and other events. Because of damage from Hurricane Helene, many of those events will be postponed for quite a while. A planned $8 million had been set aside for renovation. Now, that will have to be revisited based on damage to the facility from Hurricane Helene. Officials in Columbia County have been briefed on the extent of damage done to the 25,000-square-foot Savannah Rapids Pavilion conference center. Sitting high atop an 80-foot
Our neighbors across the river who are looking for answers and help for Hurricane Helene relief have two great opportunities, one today, Thursday, October 17, and another tomorrow, Friday, October 18 at Team South Carolina County Days. Gov. Henry McMaster and Lieutenant Governor Pamela S. Evette, other state and federal officials, and representatives from nonprofits will host the information-filled events in Allendale on Thursday and Aiken on Friday. Team South Carolina County Days provides residents affected by Hurricane Helene with a one-stop opportunity to learn about relief resources available to them.
An industry group has released its predictions for retail spending through the upcoming holiday season. The National Retail Federation (NRF) is predicting a steady growth in sales through November and December. It defines the holiday season as Nov. 1 through Dec. 31, six days shorter than the 2023 holiday period. ABD sat in on a virtual briefing NRF provided for reporters on Tuesday. It included NRF President and CEO, Matthew Shay, and NRF Chief Economist, Jack Kleinhenz. NRF predicts winter holiday spending will increase between 2.5% and 3.5% over last
Small businesses and individuals in need of financial assistance can now meet in person with federal agencies. The Small Business Administration (SBA) and FEMA have set up locations to assist people in storm-impacted counties in Georgia and South Carolina. The centers have been set up to facilitate applications for federal monies available for small businesses and individuals. One of the centers is available at The Hub for Community Innovation at 631 Chafee St. in Augusta. A news release from Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff said staff at the FEMA Disaster Recovery
Employment in the Augusta Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) continued to grow for the fourth consecutive month. In August, employment was 247,800, up 700 from July. 3,300 net new jobs have been created in the last year. Over two-thirds of the net new jobs were created in the education and health services sector, reflecting national trends. Private education and health services jobs have grown by 3.8 percent over the last 12 months. Government employment represented almost a quarter of the net new jobs in the Augusta MSA over the last year.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) has wrapped up a series of roundtable discussions collecting information on the need for tort reform in the state. The final session was held at Waffle House headquarters in Norcross, Ga, and was attended by elected officials and business leaders from 12 companies across the state. ABD sat in on the session virtually. In his welcoming remarks, Joe Rogers III, CEO of Waffle House, said Georgia has reached a crisis point in the civil litigation, one that will likely be impacted by the devastation from
It’s been 13 days since Hurricane Helene slammed into the CSRA. Publix, which has seven locations throughout the area, is focused on continuing deliveries to those stores even as their corporate headquarters in Lakeland, Florida is in the middle of a direct hit from Hurricane Milton. As the CSRA recovers from Hurricane Helene, ABD contacted Jared Glover, Media Relations Manager for Publix. Glover’s area covers Augusta, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and Kentucky. These are his responses to our questions regarding any impact. ABD: Will closures of more than 500 Florida
While small businesses across Richmond County are fighting their way back from Hurricane Helene, the county’s largest businesses are assessing their situation. “Most of our industries, from what I can tell, were spared,” Cal Wray, President of the Augusta Economic Development Authority (AEDA) told ABD. “Several of the larger ones were without power for four or five days. The last big one that I knew that came back online was last Wednesday. Think most of our manufacturing is back up and running.” A number of the largest employers are in
