B2B Stories

B2B Stories

Music sets the tone for up-and-coming North Augusta business

Kevin Isham is an HVAC tech by day but he is a musician at heart who plays guitar, drums, the harmonica, and banjo. His main goal as a music lover is to provide a venue for listening to good music and that led to Julio’s Cantina in his backyard. He and his wife, Heather, have hosted about 15 small concerts in their backyard. They don’t have a fancy stage, but their backyard draws a crowd of 30 or 40 folks who appreciate live music. The neighbors don’t seem to mind

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B2B Stories

A checklist to improve your non-profit’s fund-raising efforts

Perry M. Smith, Jr. is a teacher, speaker, TV, and radio commentator and best-selling author, and executive producer of four videos. Hundreds of millions of television viewers worldwide came to know him during the 1991 Persian Gulf War for his more than 100 appearances as a military analyst on network television.  Smith served for 30 years in the U. S. Air Force. He commanded the F-15 fighter wing at Bitburg, Germany where he provided leadership to 4000 personnel. Later, he served as the top Air Force planner and as the commandant

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B2B Stories

Don’t panic! Patience is the key to weathering uncertain stock market, financial advisor says

The stock market seems stuck in a downward slide in recent days, and that has made some people nervous about their investments. But Ryan Borders, a certified financial planner with Richard Young Associates in Augusta, says now is the time to wait, not panic. “It is tempting (to panic) because we’re emotional beings,” Borders said. “But you have to take a broader approach. Technically, you’re not losing any money until you sell.” Borders said there are two opposing approaches to investing – time in the market vs. timing the market.

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B2B Stories

Local marketing experts to share effective branding techniques

When you think of popular brands, companies like Starbucks and Nike may come to mind. Branding is one of the most important things business owners do, yet few know how to build a strong brand and convey it to employees and the public, according to Kate Sanders. Sanders, Chief Operating Officer and co-owner of Alison South Marketing Group, along with President Cynthia South, will discuss that topic at the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce’s Third Thursday Business Builder on Thursday, May 19 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the

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B2B Stories

Mondays with Rick: Customer interaction a key to a successful business

  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 one of the important aspects of running a business, the first of a two-part series. The interview has been edited for clarity and impact. ABD: You’ve talked before about how a business can be divided into two parts, the front of the store and the back of the store. How do you define that? Rick: The front of the store is anywhere there

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B2B Stories

Local accident survivor shares inspirational story with business group

Like most business professionals, Jeanna Hancock experiences her share of stress as operations leader with Hargrove Home Inspections. But she was inspired by the harrowing tale Terrence Sansbury shared as guest speaker at this month’s CSRA Home Connections meeting on Wednesday, May 11. Sansbury, who has worked for the Wilson Family YMCA for 22 years, discussed many adversities he has overcome throughout his life, most notably a 1999 motorcycle accident that severely damaged his spinal cord and left him wheelchair-bound. “This wheelchair doesn’t define me,” he said. “My motorcycle accident

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B2B Stories

Trash bin cleaning business does the dirty work for you

It’s a dirty job but someone’s got to do it. CSRA Bin Cleaning, based in North Augusta, is open for businesses to do the job that most of us don’t want to do – clean our trash bins. Owner, Ben Clark explained why people should want clean bins. “Trash bins attract rats because they are a food source, spiders sometimes nest around the bin or the handle, and the bin itself creates a breeding ground for all kinds of germs and pathogens, including E-Coli, Listeria, and Salmonella, among others. Stuff

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B2B Stories

Simon Says: Disputing a website’s ranking of Augusta’s affordability

GoodHire has just released its list of the most affordable cities to live and work in 2022 (https://www.goodhire.com/resources/articles/americas-most-affordable-places). They analyzed data from 155 cities with a labor force greater than 150,000. Top of the list is Sioux Falls, S.D. and Los Angeles was bottom. Georgia cities are represented by Atlanta (11), Savannah (47), and Augusta (117). What?! Atlanta is more affordable than Augusta? Something doesn’t seem right, so I looked at their methodology and the data they used. They used data from seven factors to establish their ranking. Wage growth

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