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Economics
B2B Stories

New crop of nurses hitting the job market

A new cohort of 50 nurses and patient care technicians is ready to be snapped up by a healthcare industry hungry for staff. Aiken Technical College (ATC) held the traditional pinning ceremony on Dec. 11 for the most recent graduates of their healthcare programs. Dr. Hannah Williams, Dean of the School of Nursing, said current and growing job openings make for an extremely bright future for graduates. “We know in healthcare, there are so many deficits, that we’re short nurses, we’re short patient care techs, often, our students have a

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Dana Lynn McIntyre December 17, 2023 No Comments
B2B Stories

The year 2024: Looking into my crystal ball

Last week, Augusta University’s Hull College of Business held its annual Economic Forecast Breakfast, and my inimitable colleague, Dr. Simon Medcalfe, gave his uniquely informative and amusing take on what the local economy may have in store for us in the coming year. Dr. Medcalfe has inspired me to break out my crystal ball to provide you with my predictions on a number of business-related topics for the coming year. Every time I do a column like this one, I recommend that you print it out and save it, so

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Dr. Rick Franza December 12, 2023 No Comments
B2B Stories

Simon Says: There’s an economic benefit to wildlife management

My son graduates from the University of Georgia (UGA) with a Bachelor’s Degree in Wildlife Sciences on Friday. He has done some pretty cool stuff in his degree including collaring lions in Namibia and rocket-netting ducks in Louisiana. Next year, he starts work at the Savannah River Ecology Lab on the Savannah River Site. Wildlife management can be viewed from an economic perspective. For example, there are benefits and costs associated with game animals. Hunters enjoy the outdoors and the meat it provides. Studies of the benefit of hunting deer

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dr-simon-medcalfe December 11, 2023 No Comments
B2B Stories

Fresh start for a familiar building in Augusta

A 20th-century building that was a hub of activity in Augusta is being re-purposed for 21st-century use. The former headquarters for the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce will become an incubator for new businesses and an accelerator for exciting businesses. A partnership between Augusta Technical College (ATC) and Augusta’s Downtown Development Authority (DDA) will turn the building at 600 Broad Street into a microenterprise center. It will be called Accelerate Augusta. ATC President, Dr. Jermaine Whirl said the main room can be used for business owners to pitch their businesses,

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Dana Lynn McIntyre December 10, 2023 No Comments
B2B Stories

Peering into the economic outlook crystal ball

Augusta University (AU) continued a longtime tradition of putting a spotlight on the area economy over the past year and predictions for the coming year. Dr. Simon Medcalfe led the university’s annual Economic Forecast breakfast on Thursday. Medcalfe, a professor of economics at AU and contributor for the Augusta Business Daily, began with an overview of changes in types of business, percentage of employment, and population growth. Between 2004 and 2023, Medcalfe said the mixture of industries, including hospitality, healthcare, education, and manufacturing, while looking different on the surface, remain

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Dana Lynn McIntyre and Neil Gordon December 7, 2023 No Comments
B2B Stories

Multimillion-dollar CSRA business gets help from local college and foundation

The inventory value of horses and their equipment in Aiken County is $68 million. The horse business includes stabling, saddles and bridles, feed, workout rings, riding apparel, and farrier fees, not to mention the visitors who spend money attending polo and steeplechase events. This fall, Aiken Technical College partnered with the Aiken Horse Park Foundation to create a new equine technician course through the College’s Office of Continuing Education. The inaugural cohort of students were recognized during a completion ceremony yesterday at Great Oaks Equine Assisted Programs location, 1123 Edgefield Highway

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mitzi-oxford December 6, 2023 No Comments
B2B Stories

Georgians could see a drop in personal income taxes

Gov. Brian Kemp has announced a goal to speed up the reduction in personal income taxes that was approved last year. The process will mean amending HB 1437 during the 2024 session of the General Assembly that begins in January. It provided for stepping down the income tax rate by ten basis points incrementally, beginning in 2025 and continuing by 0.1% annually until the rate, currently 5.75% on incomes over $7,000 a year, reaches 4.99%. “When I signed the largest income tax cut in state history in 2022, I did

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dana-lynn-mcintyre December 5, 2023 No Comments
B2B Stories

Forecasting the economic future of the CSRA

While it may seem that the economic picture for Augusta is about as clear as the muddy banks of the Savannah River, there are a few signs of hope for 2024. One of the sure bets is learning the ups and downs of the Labor Market Index (LMI), Leading Economic Index (LEI), measuring the value of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), among many other contributing factors, and how those will impact your business in 2024. Dr. Simon Medcalfe is a Professor of Economics and Finance at the James M. Hull College of Business at

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mitzi-oxford December 5, 2023 No Comments
B2B Podcasting

Ready to work

See how the Augusta Technical College is using a new platform to help students find jobs in today’s edition of BizBits with Mike Petchenik.

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Mike Petchenik December 5, 2023 No Comments
B2B Stories

For employers, it’s a war out there!

The Georgia Chamber Foundation has issued its 4th quarter economic report, and the title, the War for Talent, sums up what the state is facing. The report looks at where Georgia stands in filling current job openings and anticipating future needs. It states that Georgia’s current workforce participation rate is about 61%, meaning 40% of adults are not engaged in the workforce. That translates to 3.2 million Georgians. At the same time, there are more than 350,000 job openings in each quarter. The Chamber Foundation says the War for Talent

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dana-lynn-mcintyre December 4, 2023 No Comments
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