B2B Stories

B2B Stories

Mondays with Rick: Small Business Development Center is a valuable local resource

  Dr. Rick Franza, Dean of the Hull College of Business, discusses a different, timely business topic each Monday in this column. This week he talks about the benefits of having a Small Business Development Center office in Augusta. The interview has been edited for clarity and impact. ABD: The CSRA has an active Small Business Development Center, under the auspices of the University of Georgia. What is its history and purpose? Rick: They’ve been around since 1977. Dr. William Flewellan, the dean of the UGA school of business at

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B2B Stories

Evans restaurateurs to launch second location with drive-thru in Augusta

Wilkes Goolsby and his family are expanding their local restaurant by opening a second location, but for him, the most exciting part of the expansion is having a drive-thru. Goolsby, along with his mom and sister, own Goolsby’s located at 4460 Washington Road, Suite 9 across the street from the Evans Walmart. Founded in 2005, the eatery serves a variety of Southern favorites, including fried chicken, sliced ham, and barbecue ribs. The new location will be at 3122 Wrightsboro Road, across the street from Forest Hills Golf Club in Augusta.

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B2B Stories

Insights from JA Discovery Center Tour

Yesterday, while touring Savannah’s JA Discovery Center, I met Travion, a married pastry chef with one child. Even though he’s only 12 and in seventh grade, Travion already earns $44,000 a year, which might not sound like much to some, but I can assure you, it’s the dream salary of many a journalist. Of course, it wasn’t real. Instead, it was a scenario assigned to him in JA Finance Park, a program offered by the center for seventh and eighth-grade students. While this may sound like a field trip, the

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Awards

Dickinson Architects celebrates 40 Years of helping build the CSRA

The skyline in Augusta has been described as spectacular. Dickinson Architects had a hand in developing the view. The firm is celebrating its 40th anniversary tomorrow. What began as a one-person operation housed in the founder’s garage has grown to a full-service architectural and interior design firm credited with some of the most iconic buildings in the Central Savannah River Area. “We’re continuing my father’s vision,” said Dickinson Architects President and CEO, Nick Dickinson. “We’re creating better spaces and better lives for our clients and the community.” Nick Dickinson, Sr.

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Financial/Investing

JA returns to Augusta with new business model

Some Savannah middle school students aren’t even teenagers yet, but they’re already married with children, jobs, and bills. While that may sound impossible, it’s all part of the JA Discovery Center, which is housed on Georgia Southern University’s Armstrong Campus. Yesterday, nearly 30 local educators, school representatives, business leaders, and nonprofit directors traveled from Evans to Savannah to tour the city’s JA Discovery Center, which offers programs for sixth, seventh and eighth-grade students. As part of the tour, they were able to observe students participating in JA Finance Park, which

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B2B Stories

Local business credit expert shares knowledge

An Augusta area financial expert says just 7% of your companies’ vendors and lenders report to the credit bureaus. “No one reports automatically, and you must register your business at the three business credit bureaus to even get a score; it doesn’t just magically appear,” said Regional Managing Partner, Alan Mosher of the J. Galt Finance Suite. He is taking reservations for a free webinar scheduled for next Thursday, February 2. In the seminar, businesses will learn a 7-step process for building credit, starting with the very basics of how

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B2B Stories

CSRA credit union pays out big dividend

SRP Federal Credit Union members started the new year off with some extra cash. In December, the SRP FCU Board of Directors approved a Loyalty Dividend, totaling more than $1.5 million, to be paid out across their membership. The additional dividend was designed to reward SRP members and to recognize the financial strength of the Credit Union. SRP FCU is a member-owned nonprofit financial institution with a volunteer Board of Directors. SRP members can receive higher interest rates on savings, lower rates on loans, and lower fees. “Creating value for

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B2B Stories

Thoughts from the General: The enduring power of thank you notes

During many years leading organizations of various sizes, I learned how much folks enjoy receiving thank you notes—especially those which come from their boss or their boss’s boss. Being fully retired, it is great fun sending off handwritten notes to thank people or to congratulate them for a special accomplishment. These notes are sent to the home address of the individual. This prevents them from being intercepted by an executive assistant or another staff member. Even the most well-known people do not get many notes at their home addresses. One of the best

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B2B Stories

Simon Says: LEI heading in wrong direction

What a difference one month makes in economic data. In my economic forecast for 2023 which I gave in December, four of the five indicators in the Augusta Leading Economic Index (LEI) saw improvements in the October data. In the November data, three indicators moved in a positive direction, but two indicators saw big adverse movements. Inflation in the south fell by 0.1 percent in the month to November but remains at 7.7% on an annual basis. The Dow Jones Industrial Average increased to the end of November at over

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