Georgia Governor Brian Kemp came to Augusta last week to sign three bills, one of which will make it easier for minority, women-owned, and veteran-owned businesses to receive required certifications. Mike Petchenik reports from Atlanta on that and other stories in this week’s Georgia Business Minute.
Last week, I reported an improvement in the labor market variables in the Leading Economic Index (LEI). After falling from mid-summer 2022, there was an improvement in the first two months of this year. Unfortunately, the main indicator of labor market health, employment, has yet to show signs of recovery. As suggested by the decline in the LEI since mid-summer, employment in the Augusta MSA has fallen from 245,200 in November to 241,000 in March (see graph). Education and health services, professional and business services and transportation and utilities all
Business, government and tourism leaders are tallying up the financial impact of the 2023 Masters Golf Tournament and all are showing a return to pre-COVID-19 numbers. One thing everyone agreed on is that this year marked the return for what they were calling a “full blown” Masters Week, a return to pre-pandemic levels, in both number of visitors and excitement. Destination Augusta reports the Augusta/Richmond County lodging sector saw substantial gains in revenue compared to the same time last year. Destination Augusta uses two companies that specialize in data for
A weeklong event kicked off yesterday afternoon at 1028 Broad Street, at the home of 10Twenty-Eight, a new membership and networking lounge. They are in partnership with the Downtown Development Authority this week to showcase small businesses via social media and the week ends on 1st Friday with a shop small business day. It hardly comes as a surprise that a national survey of small business owners found that their top concerns are the economic impact of inflation and interest rates. This week (April 30-May 6) is National Small Business
What better way to engage your company’s team or even prospective clients than with a day or night out to cheer on the GreenJackets? Amy Richardson discusses the package deals and benefits with Sr. Account Executive, Jamie Martin.
Business owners often wear many hats: customer service representative, human resources professional, and marketing manager, just to name a few. But the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce wants to equip local business owners with the skills they need to handle many of those roles effectively. Next week, the Chamber will begin offering its Business Institute, a four-part series of sessions that will cover a variety of topics, at the Columbia County Performing Arts Center in Evans. The program is being sponsored by SRP Federal Credit Union and Savannah River Nuclear
Communities across South Carolina will share in a more than $1.36 billion pot of grant money from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Some of the largest grants are coming to local governments in Aiken, Edgefield, and surrounding counties. The funds are being distributed by the South Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority through its South Carolina Infrastructure Investment Program (SCIIP). The program was created by RIA to be a one-time initiative to invest in water, wastewater, and stormwater systems across the Palmetto State. “The vital infrastructure improvements these funds will deliver
During his visit to Augusta on Monday, Governor Brian Kemp signed House Bill 128 which ensures equity for minority, women, and veteran owned businesses vying for state contracts. “It is going to streamline and expand access to state certifications for minority, women and veteran owned businesses as they navigate the procurement process for contracts,” Kemp explained. “This bill came out of the executive order issued last July directing the Department of Administrative Services to address the challenges these businesses faced in the procurement process. The shared goal of that executive
Leading workspace provider IWG plc helps businesses worldwide embrace a new way of working: one that does not involve long, daily commutes, that offers a more satisfying work/life balance and that saves money. Recent new research shows how a new planning concept of the 15-Minute City is now being adopted around the world. In the future, communities will cater to our every need within a quarter of an hour of where we live. And the final piece of the jigsaw will be provided by flexible workspace solutions that offer all
Gov. Brian Kemp was in Augusta yesterday to sign House Bill 230, which clears the way for a referendum where Richmond County voters can fund an Augusta Entertainment Complex, anchored by a new James Brown Arena. The bill, passed during the 2023 session of Georgia General Assembly, clears the way for a referendum to go before Richmond County voters creating a half cent Coliseum Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, or C-SPLOST that will be added to goods and services purchased in the county. “That facility, well over four decades
