B2B Stories

The Augusta Leading Economic Index (LEI) fell 0.2 percent in July from June, the first monthly decrease since November 2020. It remains 5.3 percent higher than in July 2021, though the rate of increase has halved from November 2021. Adverse movements were seen in initial claims for unemployment insurance and real deposits in local banks. The positive movement was seen in residential permits and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (at the end of July). Job openings were essentially unchanged. Because job openings are the last bit of data used in

  Georgia is once again named the best place for business and Georgia Power wants to hike its rates. Enjoy the new video format of the Augusta Business Daily Business Update by Mike Petchenik.  

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 what to believe about gloom and doom economic predictions. The interview has been edited for clarity and impact. ABD: Lately a lot of gloom and doom economic predictions have been circulating. What can we or should we believe about them? Rick: I’ve seen guys predicting gloom and doom for the last five years. Eventually, they’ll get it right. Even the guys who predicted the

I often report economic data for the Augusta Metropolitan Statistical Area because the federal government releases this data in a timelier manner than for each individual county. It also makes sense to consider the metro area, as it is defined, in part, by commuting patterns between the constituent counties. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has just released the county-level data for the first quarter of 2022. I know this is not particularly timely or useful for business planning, but it is useful to think about the heterogeneity of our metro

  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 attributes of a good employer. The interview has been edited for clarity and impact. ABD: Earlier this month, Forbes magazine named Augusta University and AU Health to its list of America’s Best Employers, the only Augusta-based company to make the list. Among the factors considered were salaries, working conditions, growth potential, and diversity. What puts AU on this list? Rick: Our diversity