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B2B Stories
B2B Stories

Aiken company spreads AHH little sunshine with promotional products

What started as a hobby 30 years ago for Jim Hanna, grew into a successful business. He used to play in slow-pitch softball leagues, more than 300 games a year, which led to unique sales opportunities. “I started selling bats out of the back of my car and suddenly everyone wanted one,” he explained. Those sales were a catalyst for the promotional product business that he started. Over time, it grew from bats to banners, signs, T-shirts, vehicle wraps, and everything in between. If you can put a logo on

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Mitzi Oxford March 25, 2022 No Comments
B2B Stories

Fed’s interest rate hike will trickle down to affect CSRA businesses

Raising interest rates to prod people into spending less to fight inflation may sound counterintuitive, but that’s what the nation’s Federal Reserve System is attempting. While the increments may seem small, they will affect local businesses and consumers. “Raising interest rates is the Fed’s main tool to deal with inflation,” said retired banker Dan Blanton, who had served as CEO of Georgia Bank & Trust (now South State). “The historic data bears out that it does work if you give it time.” On March 16, the Federal Reserve Board decided

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Gary Kauffman March 24, 2022 No Comments
B2B Stories

Simon Says: Glimmer of good news for jobs but inflation still a fear

The New Year brought some cheer to several sectors of the Augusta Metropolitan Statistical Area economy.  The retail sector continued to gain jobs, employment in this sector was up 400 and is close to providing 30,000 jobs. Reassuringly, leisure and hospitality added almost 400 jobs as well. Manufacturing added a further 250 jobs and mining, logging, and construction added 400 jobs. Professional and business services saw an increase of over 600 jobs, following five consecutive months of declining jobs. These job gains were offset by losses of about 400 jobs

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Dr. Simon Medcalfe, AU Economics Professor March 23, 2022 No Comments
B2B Stories

Local entrepreneur to make trash cans sparkle

You probably don’t think much about your outdoor trash cans until the stench of three-day-old meatloaf hits you in the face and pesky flies swarm around your head. But Drayton Oswald wants you to leave the chore of cleaning your dirty cans to him. Next month, Oswald plans to launch Spic & Span Georgialina Cans, which will specialize in washing, disinfecting, and deodorizing cans. The home-based business will primarily serve Columbia County residents. Spic & Span will use a simple process that can clean two trash cans at the same

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Josh Heath March 23, 2022 No Comments
B2B Stories

Brace yourselves for the second orthodontics location

A local orthodontist will soon give Columbia County residents another reason to smile. Dr. Lee Andrews II of Rogers & Andrews Orthodontics, whose office is located at 3545 Wheeler Road in Augusta, plans to expand his practice by opening a second location just off I-20 Exit 190 in Grovetown. Andrews and his staff held a groundbreaking ceremony at the site located at 785 Gateway Center Blvd. near Home2 Suites on Thursday, March 10. Alison Andrews, the orthodontist’s wife, said a construction crew has already begun grading the property, and the

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Josh Heath March 22, 2022 No Comments
B2B Stories

Big career changes are icing on the cake for the See family

Susan See was a practicing attorney with Fletcher, Harley, and Fletcher for 25 years. Her husband, James, worked for Rainbow Homes for 35 years. They gave it all up to bake cakes. Two years ago, they opened Nothing Bundt Cakes in Evans. Just over a week ago the doors opened at their second franchise in Aiken. It’s been a sweet transition for both, and cakes are flying off the shelves at both locations. “A friend told me about Nothing Bundt Cakes because she knew of my love for entertaining,” Susan

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Mitzi Oxford March 22, 2022 No Comments
B2B Stories

Masters Week: All In or All Out?

  Don MacNeil is the former Marketing Director of Windsor Jewelers and long-time on-air radio professional.   Is it just me, or… Masters Week: All In or All Out? If you’re reading this, chances are you have some degree of self-promotion planted somewhere and at some cost. This would be the moment – nearly your last – to consider whether running your ads during Masters Week would boost your business or be a waste of time. Consider: A significant number of our neighbors leave town for the week. Are they

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Don MacNeil March 22, 2022 No Comments
B2B Stories

Local real estate professional featured in Georgia magazine

Nancy Carolyn Powell earned her real estate license as a teenager and has more than 20 years of experience in the industry. As her business, Powell & Associates, Inc. has grown, so has her commitment to mentoring the next generation of real estate professionals. The March issue of Georgia Trend Magazine features profiles of Powell, a local broker, and owner of Powell & Associates, Inc., and five other influential female business leaders. Her mother, Marcene Powell, founded the company in Lincolnton in 1992, and she worked for her for many

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Josh Heath March 21, 2022 No Comments
B2B Stories

Mondays with Rick: How the pandemic accelerated automation, remote work, and other new business models

  Dr. Rick Franza, is the Dean of the Hull College of Business who discusses a different, timely business topic each Monday in this column. This week, we take a look at how business models have changed as a result of the pandemic. The interview has been edited for clarity and impact. ABD: Looking back at the last two years, what new or changed business models do you see? Rick: The pandemic didn’t necessarily create a lot of new business models but it accelerated a lot of business models. For

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Gary Kauffman March 21, 2022 No Comments
B2B Stories

A pandemic survival story

Dapper & Co. made the best of a bad situation for themselves and others The pandemic was hard on many local businesses and sadly, some didn’t survive. But others made it through that unsettled period and are still alive. Over the next several weeks we’ll look at their stories and what made the difference for them. Daryl “Dapper” Rolle is the perfect example of the old saying, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.” Rolle, the owner of Dapper & Co. men’s grooming lounge, used the two months his business

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Gary Kauffman March 21, 2022 No Comments
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