B2B Stories

B2B Stories

Ins and outs of doing business with the State of Georgia

Representatives of the Georgia Department of Administrative Services (DOAS) led a special edition of the Metro Augusta Chamber of Commerce’s Business Builder series with a focus on getting government contracts. The chamber offers the series to provide information on issues that are key to area businesses. The sessions are normally held on Thursdays, and Rhodes Porter Business Development Logistics Management sponsored the special edition. “In this series, we are sponsoring, thanks to Augusta Metro Chamber, we will have a common theme around resources and industries that we actually use within

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B2B Stories

ABD Correction of Goodwill Expansion on 15th/Walton Way

Letter to the Editor: The following was written by James K. Stiff, President, Goodwill of Middle Georgia & the CSRA, Helms College. Thank you for the recent coverage in the Augusta Business Daily on the revitalization of vacant buildings in Augusta, notably the transformation of a former drugstore into a new Goodwill retail training store on Walton Way. We appreciate your attention to the economic developments in our community and are thankful for the great quote from Mayor Johnson regarding the new human and economic energy Goodwill brings to the CSRA.

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B2B Stories

Reducing variability and uncertainty: Unlocking more business success

Hopefully, you enjoyed Sunday’s Super Bowl game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers as much as I did. Although I didn’t have a significant rooting interest in the game (for transparency, I was pulling for the 49ers), I was able to enjoy the exciting back-and-forth action that ultimately ended with the Chiefs winning in overtime. As most long-time readers of my columns know, I often watch sports with an eye toward what lessons I can learn that can be applied to the world of business. In

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B2B Stories

Education generates big bucks in Georgia

Latest figures released by the University of Georgia show the multi-billion dollar impact it has on the Peach State. A news release from the university said UGA’s economic impact in 2023 jumped to a record $8.1 billion. The figures released a year ago showed the university’s impact was $7.6 billion. The study measures the value of the school’s teaching, research, and public service. Among the reasons for the growth, the university cited an increase in students at the undergraduate and graduate levels, public service and outreach programs, and robust research

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B2B Stories

Love and $: Financial tips for success

Happy Valentine’s Day! It’s a day of flowers, chocolates, romantic dinners, and proposals. Nearly six million couples will become engaged today. Beyond romance, there are some practical tips to make the future as sweet as the present. That includes aligning your thoughts on financial habits and goals. According to a new Bank of America survey which examined the investing mindsets, motivations, and habits of affluent young adults, Millennials and Gen Z are making smart choices with their money. However, men and women in this cohort differ in views on money

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B2B Podcasting

Ex LEO makes Headway with new biz

“We meet by accident.” Not a good way to meet, but when you have a car accident, there is a new collision business that is ready to help. This one is manned by an owner who understands better than most that accidents happen. Mike Petchenik has the rest of the story in today’s Biz Bits.

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B2B Stories

Challenges get the best of local restaurant and take-out business

Editor’s note: The best part of my job is writing about new businesses. During the interview process, the excitement is palpable. The hardest part is telling the story of the ones that close. Telling those stories brings a different set of emotions to the table. Like most entrepreneurs, Jennifer Steller, owner of A Steller Kitchen, followed her dream which was to open a restaurant. Along the way, she endured some big challenges, including opening her doors in the midst of Covid and later her husband was diagnosed with two brain

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B2B Stories

Putting empty Augusta buildings back to work

Augusta-Richmond County will soon see a series of vacant buildings finding new life for different purposes. The most recent is the former Rite Aid/Eckerd Drugs store on Walton Way at 15th Street. It re-opened on Feb. 8 as a retail store and training center for Goodwill Industries of Middle Georgia and the CSRA. That came on the heels of Goodwill turning the former Georgia Federal Bank on Washington Road at Furys Ferry Road into its welcome center for Helms College. Both locations had been commercial tracts, generating property taxes for

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B2B Podcasting

How much is your honey worth?

Heads up! Don’t miss Wednesday, February 14. It’s Valentine’s Day. You don’t want to end up in the doghouse. Mike Petchenik has more on big spending for the big day.

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B2B Stories

Simon Says: Augusta LMI in the middle of the pack

The fastest-growing Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) labor market in Georgia for 2023 was Dalton, followed by Columbus and Rome. Dalton’s Labor Market Index (LMI) which includes employment, unemployment, labor force, hours worked, and average weekly earnings, increased by 2.9% in 2023. Columbus LMI grew by 2.6% and Rome by 2.3%. Augusta grew at 1.1% as did the state of Georgia as a whole. Perhaps surprisingly, some MSAs that have racked up strong growth in the last few years were less robust in 2023. Atlanta’s LMI grew by just 0.8%, Gainesville

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