B2B Stories

B2B Stories

Strong outlook for back-to-school shopping

As students begin returning to classrooms, parents are hitting stores for clothing and school supplies. The National Retail Federation (NRF) examined consumer data and the impact of tariffs and inflation on back-to-school spending. ABD joined a webinar held by NRF to outline the findings. Mark Mathews, Chief Economist and Executive Director of Research for NRF, said what he refers to as “consumer sentiment” is very low, but he has seen a recent bounce. “When you look at the consumer’s finances, household net worth remains near record highs. We have discretionary

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Awards/Celebrations

CSRA bankers celebrate milestones with trip to New York

Ding ding ding! Ring the bell. Three area bankers, along with Colony Bank’s executive team, board of directors, and division leaders, just got back from Wall Street. The July 15th bell ringing on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange was a joint celebration of Colony’s move onto the NYSE and its 50th Anniversary. “We have been publicly traded for many years on the NASDAQ but made the decision to move to the NYSE last fall,” said ABD member Hugh Hollar, who attended the ceremony with colleagues Chris McLaughlin and Jennifer

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B2B Stories

CSRA college leading the way for cyber training

The University of South Carolina Aiken’s Regional Security Operations Center (RSOC) is leading the charge to improve cybersecurity infrastructure across the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA). By partnering with small-to-midsize governments, municipalities, school districts, and critical infrastructure facilities, the RSOC will provide essential cybersecurity services tailored to local needs. Launched in March 2024, the RSOC is among the first of its kind in South Carolina. It offers cybersecurity students hands-on experience as Tier 1 Security Operations Center Analysts, giving them a competitive edge by preparing them for Tier 2 roles

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B2B Stories

Local Manufacturers score big win against imports

Augusta-based Club Car and Textron, manufacturer of EZ GO and Cushman, led the way in a yearlong battle against Chinese imports of golf carts, personal transportation vehicles, low-speed vehicles, and light utility vehicles (collectively, LSPTVs). The U.S. International Trade Commission has made an affirmative final determination in the antidumping duty (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) investigations on LSPTVs from China. The Commission found that domestic producers have been materially injured by unfairly traded imports of Chinese LSPTVs, paving the way for trade remedy orders to be put in place. The

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B2B Stories

REDI for economic development

Business executives and consultants who specialize in helping companies choose just the right spot for a location have a national database at their fingertips. Called REDI Sites, Readiness Evaluation for Development and Investment, it is provided by the Site Selectors Guild (SSG), an organization created to provide businesses with an experienced location strategy professional. Georgia and South Carolina have programs that highlight properties that are prime spots for new or expanding businesses. In South Carolina, they are called Palmetto Site, administered by the South Carolina Department of Commerce. According to

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B2B Stories

While Tariffs May Hurt, Uncertainty Kills

Editor’s note: In today’s ABD, we are focusing on an article that Dr. Franza wrote about tariffs, which are essentially the same as import duties. This is especially timely for two locally based manufacturers, which just got word about a big win against Chinese imports of their products. Much to the chagrin of many of my readers, particularly those who are University of Georgia football fans, I am an alumnus of the University of Notre Dame and an avid fan of its football program. Unfortunately, although it came close this

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B2B Stories

Simon Says: Hurricane Helene job impact

As the 2025 hurricane season gets underway, the first county-level data capturing the labor market impact of Hurricane Helene last September has just become available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Across the 13 Georgia counties of the Central Savannah River Area Regional Commission (CSRA), employment fell between the third quarter of 2024 and the fourth quarter in 6 counties. The largest decline was 1.75% in Lincoln County. Other counties that saw declining employment were Columbia (0.27%), Hancock (0.68%), Jenkins (1.21%), McDuffie (1.17%), and Washington (0.27%). In Georgia, employment increased

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B2B Stories

NOAA and NWS cuts could impact CSRA

Today we are battling deadly heat index readings, or “feels like temperatures” of more than 100 degrees. Based on flooding of historic proportions in Texas recently, you might be surprised to learn extreme heat is the deadliest weather-related hazard, causing more fatalities than other weather events, including hurricanes, floods, or tornadoes. The cuts from President Trump for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Weather Service (NWS) amount to more than $1.5 billion and a staff reduction of 1,800 employees. That is the beginning as more cuts are

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B2B Stories

The ethical side of AI in the CSRA

The explosive growth in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) brings new tools into the hands of business leaders, schools, and individuals. It provides improved potential for workflow and creativity, but it has also opened up questions about how it is used. The Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce’s July Third Thursday Business Builder focused on “Minds and Machines: Advancing Ethics in AI.” Led by Matthew Jay, CEO of PC Techware, Inc., the session looked at guidelines to keep AI use transparent and ethical. “I know when I say ethics, everybody’s

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B2B Stories

Company helps 1,000 students prepare for the fall

Felice West lives in Grovetown and takes care of her elementary school-aged granddaughters for the summer. The girls will go to classes in Savannah next month. “They needed paper, pens, and notebooks. This really helps me out, “the grandmom said. More than 100 families were in line outside the Bell Auditorium starting an hour before the Hawk Law Group Bookbag Bash on Saturday. The annual event is a perfect fit within the “Hawk Helps” ongoing campaign. “We do personal injury law and try and help families every day, “said Marketing

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