B2B Stories

B2B Stories

Simon Says: Hotel and Tourism industries try to dig out from covid

We all know the leisure and hospitality sector has been hardest hit by the pandemic. Leisure and hospitality employment in the Augusta Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) has fallen from more than 28,000 pre-pandemic to 24,000 in December 2021. The leisure and hospitality sector includes hotels and restaurants as well as arts, entertainment and recreation. However, there is some good news from the hotel section of the industry as reported by Smith Travel Research. In Richmond County, both occupancy rates and revenues per available room (RevPAR) were generally higher in 2021

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Georgia agriculture continues to grow

Although Atlanta is one of the largest metropolitan centers in the nation, Georgia is still a largely rural state. In 2021, Georgia ranked 22nd in the nation in field crop values and fourth in the Southeast, according to a report issued by the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. For the year, Georgia crop values were $2.61 billion, a 20 percent jump over 2020. The bulk of that value came from cotton and peanuts. As it has for a long time, Georgia led the nation in peanut production at $774 million,

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IRS changes reporting requirement for mobile payment apps

Mobile payment apps like CashApp and Venmo have been a boon for some small businesses, but a change in the tax law will increase the need for stricter accounting practices. In the past, a business could bring in $20,000 through an app without triggering any additional paperwork, but in 2022 the IRS has lowered that threshold to $600. Any amount of business transactions totaling more than $600 will require the app to send a 1099-K income form to the business. This includes apps that have accounts that hold money, like

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2022’s Alamo Moment

  Don MacNeil is the former Marketing Director of Windsor Jewelers and long-time on-air radio professional.   Is it just me, or… 2022’s Alamo Moment We’re blessed in this country for many reasons, and among them is the happy geographical accident of a 3,000-mile moat on either side of us, which has served us well for our 246 years. It suggests that for us it won’t one day be the Visigoths coming over the hill but a complacent rot from within that does us in, but that’s a discussion for

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Skyrocketing fuel costs hurt local businesses

When Les Perry, General Manager of Riverside Refreshments of Augusta, takes a look at his gas prices from January 2022 compared to January 2021, he sees a staggering figure – a 65 percent increase. With more than 100 trucks on the road daily, the vending supply and beverage distributor is concerned about how much gas prices have increased and how much higher they may go as a result of the conflict in Ukraine. “There’s no question it’s affecting us,” Perry said. “All of our suppliers are facing the exact same

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Mondays with Rick: Russia-Ukraine conflict will impact the CSRA through fuel costs, hacking

  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’re looking at how war between Russia and Ukraine could impact CSRA businesses. The interview has been edited for clarity and impact. ABD: What kind of impact will a war on the other side of the globe have on local businesses? Rick: The most immediate impact is in oil prices. The good news for us is that at 80 degrees, we won’t have

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City’s street light plan will add to business tax burden

Things could get brighter in Augusta, but with the result of increased costs for area businesses. The city plans to expand street lights on various streets and neighborhoods. It will use $1.5 million of the $6 million Rescue Act Funds it received to cover the shortfall of the project. But that won’t cover the ongoing expense of keeping those lights glowing. To cover the increase in the city’s power bill, the city proposed hiking the business tax rate to $175, a 63.5 percent raise of $68. Residential rates would rise

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University Hospital set to become Piedmont Healthcare

In less than a week, University Hospital will become Piedmont Healthcare and the literal signs of that were obvious this week. Sign crews were busy placing the finishing touches on the large Piedmont logo atop the roof at the front of the hospital on Thursday and changing the signage at the hospital entrance as well. Banners with the University Hospital name covered up those new signs for the time being. University starts the transition to Piedmont Healthcare on Tuesday. Piedmont announced a $1 billion partnership with University last May. It

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