B2B Stories

B2B Stories

Graphix Resource giveaway could light up your business

Brad Kirkland, CEO of Graphix Resource, wears many hats. He is a graphic designer, a website developer, and a marketing guru for small businesses looking to connect with customers. His Graphix Resource company also offers imprinted apparel, vehicle wraps, commercial printing, and custom signage. He is a visionary whose success is built on strong faith and giving back. This is why Kirkland is giving away a $5,000 lighted sign to some lucky business owner. It fits his mission, goals, and values. “A business with no sign is a sign of

Read More »
B2B Stories

Local businesses and individual donors help nonprofits open disability services center

Walton Options for Independent Living and the Walton Foundation for Independence have officially opened their new Center for Disability Rights and Resources in downtown Augusta, thanks to support from several local businesses and individual donors. The non-profit organizations celebrated the grand opening of the $2 million, 6,500-square-foot Center located at 948 Walton Way with a ribbon-cutting hosted by the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce and an open house on Tuesday, July 26, the 32nd anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. To help fund the project, Walton

Read More »
B2B Stories

Power Lunch will explain the value of credit reporting for small businesses

Credit reporting can be a benefit for a small business – it can help a lending institution evaluate your business’ credit worthiness. SRP Federal Credit Union is hosting a lunch to help business owners understand what it all means. SRP’s Community Development and Business Banking teams will present the first session of the SRP Small Business Power Lunch series at 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. on Aug. 10 at the WOW Club at SRP Park in North Augusta. Lunch will be provided. Reservations are needed by Sunday, July 31. For more information

Read More »
B2B Stories

Simon Says: Augusta’s hospitality industry reaches a milestone

A major Augusta milestone was achieved with May’s employment data published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics: Leisure and hospitality employment surpassed the pre-pandemic peak. There were 29,600 people employed in the leisure and hospitality sector in May. The previous peak was 28,000 in May 2019. The sector lost 11,000 jobs in the depths of the stay-at-home orders in spring 2020. Moreover, the leisure and hospitality industry now employs more workers than retail, a position it lost during the pandemic. The retail sector lost about 1,000 jobs in May. As

Read More »
B2B Stories

Stress test: One website ranks Augusta as being full of stress

If you’re feeling relaxed and at ease, maybe you know something the folks at the personal finance website WalletHub don’t. They just ranked Augusta as the 11th-most stressed city in the country. Augusta just missed the top 10, coming in slightly lower than Toledo, Ohio, but well ahead of Atlanta, which ranked 42nd. This may be a little confusing for any local residents who’ve had to drive in the traffic melee in our capital city. How could we be more stressed than that? To figure out what’s going on, we

Read More »
B2B Stories

SRP Federal Credit Union announces new CEO

Eric Jenkins will become the new Chief Executive Officer of SRP Federal Credit Union on Sept. 1. He will succeed interim President, Woody Shuler. Jenkins, a graduate of the University of South Carolina, had served as CEO at Education Credit Union in Amarillo, Texas. “The Board is pleased and excited that Mr. Jenkins will be joining the SRP team as CEO,” said SRP Board Chair, Sandra DeVoe Bland. “His energy, leadership, and vision, fit well with SRP. The Board feels that Mr. Jenkins is the perfect leader to continue and

Read More »
B2B Stories

Aiken Technical College celebrates its 50th anniversary

The average cost of tuition for four-year colleges in South Carolina is around $12,500, but Aiken Technical College’s tuition this fall may be free for eligible S.C. residents. It’s part of the SC WINS scholarship program designed to address workforce shortages in the state. It supplements Lottery Tuition Assistance (LTAP) to help cover tuition and other fees left after applying for other scholarships and grants.  Aiken Tech is in celebration mode for good reason. Offering free tuition, providing community service for United Way and other nonprofits, honoring former employees and

Read More »
B2B Stories

Mondays with Rick: Internships benefit both students and businesses

  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 internships benefit students and businesses. The interview has been edited for clarity and impact. ABD: I know that internships play an important part in education at the College of Business. What is their purpose of them? Rick: We require all of our graduates to have a four-credit internship of at least 120 hours, but typically most students end up working more than

Read More »