B2B Stories

B2B Stories

One down and one to go at Augusta Airport

Fast on the heels of the 2024 Masters Tournament, Augusta National Women’s Amateur, and the Drive, Chip and Putt Competition, Augusta Regional Airport is preparing for another large-scale event. The second annual Augusta Air Show is set for May 25 and 26. The U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor Demo Team is this year’s headliner. According to the team’s media guide, the team is stationed at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia and “performs precision aerial maneuvers to demonstrate the unique capabilities of the fifth-generation fighter aircraft. The team also teams

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B2B Stories

Simon Says: What’s leading to the current LEI?

The Augusta Leading Economic Index (LEI) fell 0.1 percent in February from January. It remains 0.2 percent higher than February 2023. The components that contributed positively to growth were initial claims for unemployment insurance, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, and job openings. Residential housing permits and higher inflation negatively impacted the index. Initial claims for unemployment insurance fell 69 percent in February from January. While claims normally fall in February, this percentage decline is the largest post-Covid. This bodes well for continuing low unemployment in the area. The Dow Jones

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B2B Stories

New restaurant answers the call for country cookin’

Greg Pierce has his finger on the pulse of the CSRA when it comes to food. He already owns The Feed Sack in Aiken which opened a couple of years ago. A year later, he opened the second location of the popular eatery in North Augusta. Two weeks ago, Pierce opened a new restaurant, The Proper Plate, at 119 Laurens Street in Aiken. “Everybody kept telling me there is no longer an option for country cooking around town or a meat and three as many folks call it. So, we

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B2B Stories

New laws support military spouse workforce

Gov. Brian Kemp (R) continues his near-daily flurry of bill signings to cap off the 2024 legislative session. The most recent set of bills is focused on supporting the military, from veterans to active duty and their families, as well as improving recruitment opportunities. Kemp was joined by Speaker of the House Jon Burns (R), members of the General Assembly, and state and local elected leaders. “Every day is a great day to support our military. And we’re proud to do just that, and recognize those achievements today,” said Burns

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B2B Stories

Sponsored Article: The Hyatt Agency set to “Inspire” with service and savings

Tomorrow, April 30th, is the big day for not only Augusta Business Daily’s Inspire 2024 Conference, but for The Hyatt Agency, LLC, who will be a vendor at the event from 7:30 am-11:00 am at The Hyatt House Ballroom, located at 1268 Broad Street in Downtown Augusta. “We wanted to participate in the Inspire 2024 event to show our support of Augusta Business Daily and the local business community,” said owner of The Hyatt Agency, LLC, Kevin Hyatt. The Hyatt Agency, LLC offers all types of insurance from home, auto,

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B2B Stories

$850 million investment for manufacturing plant announced

Construction has started on a new, battery-grade manufacturing facility in Augusta. Syensqo is building an EV manufacturing facility beside their existing plant, formerly known as Solvay Polymers. “I would say, EV is one component. But I would say, it’s adding manufacturing, advanced manufacturing, while they supply the EV,” explained Cal Wray, President of the Augusta Economic Development Authority, who attended the event. “They also supply 456 other industries, all of which can use the material. So, I would say it’s more of the growth of our advanced manufacturing hub that

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B2B Stories

How Parenting Helped Make Me Be a Better Leader/Manager

Last week, both my older daughter, who lives in Atlanta, and I had birthdays. She turned 26 and I turned a number significantly higher. Earlier this week, my younger daughter flew in from Seattle and my wife and I drove in from Augusta so that the four of us could celebrate the recent birthdays. Being with my two daughters (the younger turns 24 next month) caused me to reflect on over a quarter century of being a parent. In an interesting parallel, I became an academic department chair of approximately

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B2B Stories

Simon Says: Earnings take a hit!

I have already reported the decline in employment in the Augusta Metropolitan Statistical Area of just 200 jobs in February. Other labor market economic data is now available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The unemployment rate remained unchanged in February at 3.7%, while there was a small increase in the labor force of 277 people. The average weekly earnings declined to $932.59, the lowest since June last year. This represents a decrease of 3.5 percent over the last year at a time when inflation is still running at 3.2%.

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B2B Stories

Potential $285 million to fund school upgrades and property tax relief

Aiken County voters will be asked to decide the fate of the current one-cent sales tax that is funding projects in the school district. School district leadership outlined the value of continuing the tax during the April 18 Good Morning North Augusta Breakfast sponsored by the North Augusta Chamber of Commerce. Superintendent King Laurence told ABD it is important for the district to provide top-quality education in state-of-the-art facilities. He said it is important for students, teachers, and the community. “When businesses and families come to an area, one of

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