B2B Stories

B2B Stories

Kemp signs legislation targeting workforce and education

Ga. Gov. Brian Kemp (R) has signed more than half a dozen bills dealing with workforce development that were passed during the 2024 session of the Georgia Legislature. One of the bills, House Bill 982, requires the State Workforce Development Board to create a high-demand career list. The goal is to make sure the state is creating programs and educational opportunities to fill the most critically needed jobs. “Every job creator who calls Georgia home and every prospective company looking to expand tells me that, along with our business-friendly environment

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B2B Podcasting

What happens when you hit rock bottom in biz?

Sometimes, perhaps through no fault of your own, your business hits rock bottom. What’s next? You have nowhere to go but up. That’s when you are on a roll. In Stephanie Stuckey’s case, it’s a pecan log roll.

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B2B Stories

Equity in Opportunity, Not Equity in Outcomes: The Case for Appropriate DEI

After taking a three-week hiatus, I thought I would “come out swinging” with a column on a controversial, yet critically important topic: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, or DEI. While the term DEI is a relatively new one, it has its roots in the civil rights movement in the 1960’s. While its origins are primarily race-related, over time, DEI addressed a number of identities, such as gender, sexual orientation, and ethnicity, along with race. Early on, DEI was primarily informed by affirmative action and other equal employment legislation, but DEI programming

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B2B Podcasting

The “A-Ha” moment in business

Every business, whether a startup or a few months in, has it. It’s that moment when you know what is going to stick and take you to the next level. Stephanie Stuckey shared hers with the crowd at the ABD Inspire 2024 Conference recently. We hope this inspires you to pecan log “roll” with the punches.

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B2B Stories

Simon Says: Local labor market still struggling post-Covid

Over the last couple of weeks, I have reported that Augusta employment has surpassed pre-COVID levels, but the overall labor market is still suffering from long COVID. What about other areas of the state of Georgia? Employment in Georgia stands over a quarter of a million jobs higher in March 2024 than it did in February 2020. Three metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) generated over three-quarters of the job growth, Atlanta, Savannah, and Gainesville. Atlanta itself accounted for two-thirds of the job growth indicating the role the capital city pays in

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B2B Stories

A taste of Miami opens in the CSRA

Aiken is now home to an establishment that offers Latin jazz, flamenco performances, tasty dishes, cocktails, and premium cigars. Rhumba Rum and Cigar Lounge opened at 321 Richland West in Aiken, the former location of Antique Emporium which closed last year. Rhumba held a soft opening in April and a grand opening on May 9. Born in Cuba, Rhumba owner, Elier Alberto lived in Miami for 22 years working in nightclubs that served up Latin cuisine, Latin jazz, and fine cigars. Miami is known for its thriving nightlife and sandy

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B2B Stories

Augusta Airport celebrates multi-million $ improvements

Elected and business leaders from across metro Augusta recently celebrated the completion of the terminal building expansion at Augusta Regional Airport. The project includes reconfiguring Gates 3 and 4 which adds about 2,000 square feet of usable space to the east end of the terminal. Herbert Judon, Jr., Executive Director of the airport, said, although the amount of additional space is relatively small, it is very valuable and marks an important jump forward for the airport. “When the building was built back in 2008, the airline fleets were a little

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B2B Stories

The building blocks to starting a business

When someone wants to start their own business, the first step is the idea. The next step is often “Now what?” The Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce’s Third Thursday session set out to answer that question. Called “From Concept to Conquest,” it brought together three experts. Michael Newton with Make Start Ups at theClubhou.se, Andrew Garnett from the Greater Aiken Chapter of SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives), and Shelby Carl, representing the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center (UGA SBDC) each shared their expertise. As his organization’s name

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B2B Podcasting

No room at the inn!

Great news on the manufacturing front in both Augusta and Aiken. Mike Petchenik has more in this week’s Biz Bits.

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B2B Podcasting

Hitting Rock Bottom

Stephanie Stuckey’s turnaround in the family brand is nothing short of remarkable. Recently, she told our ABD’s Inspire 24 audience how it almost didn’t happen after reaching her lowest moment.

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