B2B Stories

B2B Stories

Copper recycler doubles size of Augusta plant, creates more jobs

A new company in the Augusta area is already expanding its facilities before it has finished construction. Aurubis AG, a European copper recycler, has been working on a new facility in Augusta Corporate Park since June, as reported in ABD here. But on Tuesday, the company announced it will invest more money to double the size. Aurubis announced its plans to invest an additional 250 million Euros ($265.8 million U.S.) into the company, which will double its production from 90,000 tons of recycling to 180,000 tons and will hire 75

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B2B Stories

Expanding networks – the gift that keeps on giving

By the time you read this, there will be only four more shopping days until Christmas, only six days left in Hanukkah, and 10 days until the last day, the giving day, of Kwanzaa. Some of you may be considering giving a gift to someone in your business circle. However, there are often concerns about the appropriateness of giving a material gift to your boss, subordinate, colleague, or people you work with in other companies such as vendors/suppliers or distributors. In this season of giving and gratitude, why not give

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B2B Stories

Simon Says: Future trends: Transportation, healthcare support jobs to grow in next decade

In my annual economic forecast presentation a couple of weeks ago, I looked forward to 2023, which I covered in this column last week. I also took a longer timeline through 2031 to see what our economy would look like using Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) occupational projections. There are 22 major occupational groups tracked by the BLS and the charts below show the changes in the top 12 major groups that account for 85 percent of jobs locally. There are several things of interest. First, the top 12 major

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B2B Stories

Holidays bring out online scammers, teens increasingly vulnerable

CSRA residents, like millions of Americans, enjoy the ease of online shopping. But that trend also brings out criminals trying to capitalize on that appeal by running scams and, surprisingly, the fastest growing victim group is teenagers. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Department (SLED) said the end of the year is especially rife with scams and fraud. According to Social Catfish, in the past five years, the number of teenage victims of scams has increased by 1,125 percent and in 2021 resulted in a loss of $101.4 million. Those over

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B2B Stories

Local paint company owner launches CSRA party rental business

Michael Schiebel already owns a local painting company, but he’s excited to announce he’s bouncing into a second business in the party rental industry. Schiebel, owner of A Cut Above Painting Co. in Evans, is launching A Jump Above Party Rentals. The new business will rent out various items, such as bounce houses, cotton candy machines, tables, and chairs, for birthday parties, weddings, and other events. Prior to going into business for himself, he worked for Rainbow Play Systems. “I enjoyed working with families with kids in that industry,” Schiebel

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B2B Stories

Mondays with Rick: Reflecting on 2022 to prepare for 2023

  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 how to review the past year to prepare for the new year. The interview has been edited for clarity and impact. ABD: 2022 is almost in the history books. The end of the year seems like a good time for business leaders to review the past year. Should we just breathe a sigh of relief at having made it through it and move

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B2B Podcasting

Free Access: Giving a gift of relaxation

Massages never get old – and they make great gifts for anyone on your list looking to unwind. Neil Gordon talks with Laurie Pratt, owner of Serenity Massage and Spa about her business and the services it provides.

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B2B Stories

Local Harley-Davidson to launch much larger Augusta dealership

About a week ago, Timms Harley-Davidson of Augusta Inc. held a ceremony to celebrate the groundbreaking of a new, much larger dealership in Augusta. The 40,000-square-foot facility will be located at 129 Mason McKnight Jr. Parkway near Gander RV, CarMax, and Northern Tool + Equipment. Construction is expected to be complete by December 2023, according to the business’s Marketing Manager, Hannah Barrs. Barrs said the current location at 4200 Belair Frontage Road is 31,000 square feet. “It’s incredibly modern with glass windows from floor to ceiling,” she said. “It’s a

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