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B2B Stories
B2B Stories

It is your brand, be sure to protect it

An Augusta attorney has advice about an often-overlooked step for every fledgling entrepreneur and individual thinking about starting a business or protecting an existing one. There is a laundry list of top-of-mind steps, including financing, licensing, location, and competition. But just as important is protecting your name and brand. Attorney Rachel Ray with the Enoch Tarver law firm told ABD that a vital, but overlooked step is the need to copyright material for the new business, even something as basic as the name of the business. “If you file that

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Dana Lynn McIntyre June 15, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

Tuesday’s the day to meet key business leaders

The Columbia County Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring an event to give local businesses the chance to interact with representatives from two major companies. The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company and Turner Construction Company’s (separate companies) Local Business Opportunity series is set for Tuesday, June 16, at the Columbia County Exhibition Center. It will provide business owners with the opportunity to meet directly with the procurement teams from both companies. The companies are looking for partners who can provide large-scale site preparation: Sitework & Mass Grading: Bulk earthmoving, site clearing, excavation, and

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Dana Lynn McIntyre June 12, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

Data centers and Georgia’s energy needs

The Georgia Chamber of Commerce’s recent examination of the state’s energy supply included a panel discussion on a topic garnering great interest in the Augusta area. The 2026 State of Energy focused on energy and infrastructure, one of the five pillars in the Georgia 2050 strategic plan. In his opening remarks, chamber president and CEO Chris Clark announced the organization will launch two new initiatives focusing specifically on data centers. One will be the “Data Center-Ready” designation. The purpose is to help elected officials and communities make informed decisions about

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Dana Lynn McIntyre June 11, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

Management “Weiss-dom”: Walt’s Lessons for Leading People

When the Atlanta Braves hired Walt Weiss to be their on-field manager, replacing the retiring Brian Snitker, some fans found the choice to be uninspiring, while some others were upset.   Snitker’s tenure as manager was highly successful, highlighted by six consecutive division championships, seven consecutive playoff appearances, and a World Series championship in the 2021 season.   However, many fans saw his final two years as a downward trend. In 2024, the Braves barely made the playoffs, and in 2025, they won less than half of their games and failed to

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Dr. Rick Franza, Professor, AU Hull College of Business June 11, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

After nearly 40 years, CSRA staffing company changes hands

A long-time sales and business development executive was interested in business ownership.  A 37-year Augusta business owner was interested in retiring.  Much like the staffing business, a perfect match happened. Since 1989, Angela Swarts has been the franchisee of Spherion Staffing and Recruiting, winning the 2024 Franchisee of the Year award—amongst 200 fellow franchisees.  She’s staying on for a period of time as new franchisee Joe Schiavone takes over. The office’s experienced internal staff will remain in place under Schiavone’s leadership. “What stood out most to me throughout this process

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Neil Gordon June 11, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

Four area banks sold to regional credit union

A credit union headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina, is moving deeper into the Peach State—and the CSRA. Southern Financial Corporation announced that their branches in Sardis, Waynesboro, Hephzibah, and Gibson have met regulatory approvals to be sold to Palmetto Citizens Federal Credit Union. The transaction, which is anticipated to close on July 31, 2026, is subject to the fulfillment of customary closing conditions. This strategic sale includes four of the Company’s branches, along with the associated loans, deposits, and fixed assets.

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Neil Gordon June 10, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

Augusta area energy needs today and into the future

Publisher’s Note: Georgia Power has a strong rebate program, and Studio Gordon LLC is considering it in the building ABD has a little space. The goal is to preserve energy. GP pays 70% of the costs for energy-efficient lighting/installation, and a local business pays 30%. The savings in your power bill will pay for the lighting upgrades in roughly a year. Dana Lynn McIntyre looks at the bigger picture in this report. With the ever changing landscape for energy demands, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce assembled experts to examine what the

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Dana Lynn McIntyre June 10, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

Nearly 10 CSRA companies part of first Startup Summer program

No word whether Augustans Skyler Bates and Andres Hoyes of 432 Intelligence set up this co-hort meet and greet for Eric Parker(right), co-founder of Make Startups! The duo, known for their work in the local arts and music scene hope to take their new entertainment, marketing, and talent promotions company to new heights.  The recent party celebrated not only 432 Intelligence, but eight other start-ups that will do business in Augusta/Aiken and share in $500,000 of venture capital.  The first cohort for a two-state partnership to grow entrepreneurship and small

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Dana Lynn McIntyre June 9, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

Local banking legend part of big changes

Phil Wahl’s had just about every job in the financial space in his storied 40-year career at local and national banks in the CSRA. Next month, he’ll add a new title at Security Federal Bank. There are 19 full-service Security Federal locations on both sides of the Savannah River. Wahl’s been President for nearly seven years. Soon, he’ll also be Chief Executive Officer, joining the Board of Directors. Current CEO J. Chris Verenes will be retiring, but remains as Chairman and as a board member. Security Federal announced a few

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Neil Gordon June 8, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

Preparing CSRA students for a career in technology

Teachers from across Georgia and South Carolina committed a week of summer vacation to learn how to best prepare their students for future careers. The Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center (GCITC) campus hosted a weeklong series of classes and workshops providing a classroom-ready cybersecurity curriculum. “The goal of it is to help teachers who are teaching subjects related to cyber and IT, computer science, networking, all of these other subjects,” Danny Etheredge, Director of Training & Workforce Development at GCITC, told ABD. “Help them to start building a community

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Dana Lynn McIntyre June 8, 2026 No Comments
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