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B2B Stories

Busy year ahead for Accelerate Augusta

Augusta’s newest small business incubator is laying out an ambitious schedule for its first full year in operation. Executive Director Shaun Andrews told ABD they will be focusing on what he called the Three “Fs”: Foundation, funding, and the future for entrepreneurs. Accelerate Augusta, a partnership between Augusta Technical College and the Downtown Development Authority, officially opened in October 2025. It is in the former Greater Augusta Chamber of Commerce building at 600 Broad Street. The microenterprise center was created to support entrepreneurs, start-ups, and help local small businesses develop

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Dana Lynn McIntyre January 5, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

A look back and ahead for economic growth

ABD spoke with the leaders of the Richmond, Columbia, and Burke County economic development offices, as well as Western SC and the SRS Community Reuse Organization (SRSCRO), about their favorite accomplishments of the past 12 months and what is anticipated in the next 12. At the Augusta Economic Development Authority (AEDA), President and CEO Cal Wray said supporting the county’s existing industries topped his list. “With all of the tariff conversation and uncertainty, with the administration change and with politics, and with this last excise tax that the Commission looked at

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Dana Lynn McIntyre December 31, 2025 No Comments
B2B Stories

Jerry Maguire was right: Show Me the Money

One of the biggest hurdles facing any budding entrepreneur or small business owner is how to find the seed money to grow the idea. A national organization, which has a chapter in Aiken County, offered solutions to the dilemma in a recent online seminar titled “Finding Grants and Sponsorships: Locate Opportunities, Apply Confidently, Stand Out to Funders.” The online seminar was led by Cheryl Smith, CEO of Dewlyn Nonprofit Services (https://dewlyn.com/), who also provides services to small businesses. Her presentation included where to find grants and how to successfully apply.

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Dana Lynn McIntyre December 30, 2025 No Comments
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Augusta spotlighted in “Selling Georgia” campaign

Did you know the “Augusta Adventure” made the cut as one of the best trips to take by The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD)? Explore Georgia, the GDEcD office that promotes tourism in the Peach State, has released the 2026 Travel Guide and best places to visit. It breaks down the state by region and highlights areas tailor-made for daytrips. This year, Metro Augusta is one of those spotlighted. “Any guide, whether it’s the Explore Georgia guide or the guide that we create in Augusta, it’s all meant to

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Dana Lynn McIntyre December 29, 2025 No Comments
B2B Stories

Chamber leaders reflect on past and plan for the future

ABD spoke with the leaders of the Richmond, Columbia, and Burke County Chambers of Commerce, as well as those in Aiken and North Augusta. They looked at accomplishments in 2025 and set their sights on 2026. At the region’s largest Chamber of Commerce, Angie Cox, President and CEO of the Augusta Metro Chamber, said 2025 kicked off with a fresh start after recovering from Hurricane Helene. “I think a reenergized approach to engage our members, and we tweaked some programming,” she said. “We were able to change some timing on

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Dana Lynn McIntyre December 24, 2025 No Comments
B2B Stories

Simon Says: The economics of Christmas Trees in the CSRA

The Medcalfe family bought their Christmas Tree from Clarks Hill Christmas Tree Farm last weekend. I know this is late by American standards, but the English don’t have the Friday Thanksgiving tradition. We have been cutting down live Christmas trees since our sons were little boys. We have always enjoyed making an afternoon of the activity, taking the dogs, drinking hot chocolate, decorating, and enjoying the scent in the house. The Farm Bureau has just provided some economic data on Christmas tree farming. Over half of all Christmas trees are

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Dr. Simon Medcalfe, AU Hull College of Business Economics Professor December 23, 2025 No Comments
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Construction underway for training facility at SRS

The first phase of construction of a non-nuclear operations training facility has started at the Savannah River Site (SRS). A news release from Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) said the High-Fidelity Training and Operations Center (HFTOC) is a component of the plutonium pit production mission on-site. “The SRPPF Project team has now started work to transform the existing HFTOC building into a key asset for the pit production mission. SRNS is collaborating with NNSA and our partners as we work with a sense of urgency to deliver on this national

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Dana Lynn McIntyre December 23, 2025 No Comments
B2B Stories

Veterans’ cemetery in Augusta is closer to reality

Just a week before Christmas, the Georgia Department of Veterans Service (GDVS) announced a significant milestone in the decades-long effort to create a state veterans cemetery in Augusta, since the closest one is (pictured) in Milledgeville. A news release from GDVS has learned from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that there is now an opportunity for grant funding to support building a state veterans cemetery near Gracewood State School and Hospital. “Augusta has applied before, but we were too far down the priority list for the available funding

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Dana Lynn McIntyre December 22, 2025 No Comments
B2B Stories

Cuts to major tourism engine in Augusta

Publisher’s Note: As part of the City of Augusta’s $21 million shortfall, non-profits are expected to lose discretionary funding in 2026. For Arts in the Heart, ABD’s learned it will mean the loss of $85,000 used to pay for security fees like sheriff’s department officers. The following is a guest column from M. Denise Tucker, Executive Director. While my priority is to get to work, find solutions, stabilize services, and support the communities that will feel the impact of the City’s decision, as Director of the Arts Council, I could

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Denise Tucker December 19, 2025 No Comments
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Passing the business baton in several CSRA counties

Chambers of Commerce are winding down the current year and preparing for 2026, with a changing of the guard on their boards of directors. The Columbia County Chamber of Commerce’s current board president is Neil Gwynne, owner of the Poolwerx Augusta franchise. Gwynne served as chair as the chamber prepared for its 20th anniversary. “Somebody recently said to me that chambers are all about planting trees that you never get to sit underneath and get the shade from. And if I can help this chamber, plant those trees, and continue

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Dana Lynn McIntyre December 19, 2025 No Comments
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