B2B Stories

B2B Stories

Simon Says: A Few Bright Spots in Augusta’s LEI, Except for Buying a Home

The Augusta Leading Economic Index (LEI) increased 0.2 percent in February from January. It is 0.9 percent higher than a year ago. The largest change was seen in initial claims for unemployment insurance, which declined by 65 percent on the month. Initial claims for unemployment insurance often fall in February, but there were just 653 new claims in the Augusta Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) in February, the lowest since November 2019. The percentage decline was greater than the state of Georgia as a whole, which saw claims fall by 40

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B2B Stories

Business groups’ solutions to minimize tariffs

The Georgia Chamber of Commerce is watching how Trump Administration’s tariff policies can impact the state’s economy. The Chamber released Guidance and Advice on Tariffs and Trade Regulations (www.gachamber.com/data/tariffs-briefing-april-16-2025-guidance-advice-on-tariffs-and-trade-regulations/), a 14-page report examining the current situation while providing guidance on ways to mitigate the impact. Coinciding with the release of the report, Chris Clark, President and CEO of the Georgia Chamber, held a virtual news conference with reporters across the state, including ABD. The latest report focused on Georgia’s most valuable sectors, including manufacturing, retail, and agribusiness. One recommendation is

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B2B Stories

2 Questions for The Dean: Student Internships

When your son or daughter gets ready for college, they’ll be faced with juggling classes and perhaps a job, and an internship. If you send them to the Hull College of Business, chances are all three will be taken care of. Here are two questions with the Dean! ABD: You have a very unique internship program, and talk a little bit about the value that it brings to the students that actually go to work while they study. HULL: It’s something that we did a couple of years ago, where

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B2B Stories

Spring Cleaning for Your Business

You’ve heard of spring cleaning at the house, but how about at your business? You could be 1 of 8 CSRA business leaders or HR professionals to receive a one-hour Spring Policy Refresh. Sign up (QUICKLY) in the ad below or at the end of the article below, in which Gia Hunter from Talentworks explains how shaping priorities is JOB 1! Gia Hunter has 20 years of Human Resources experience, including talent development, talent acquisition, compliance, engagement, people operations, career counseling, and conflict management strategies. She is a highly skilled

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B2B Stories

Best of Tech Tips: Where did your marketing email go?

Editor’s Note: Email marketing is big business even for a small business. The 411 on the loss of marketing emails bears repeating. Your future growth may depend upon it. About 80% of small and midsized businesses say that email marketing is their most important online tool for customer retention, but what if the email goes to spam or is lost in cyberspace? Here is what you need to know about DMARC. Managed Nerds owner Sharon Martin has the 411. Having a better understanding of DMARC can save your business time

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B2B Stories

Crossing the Savannah River’s invisible boundary for business development

Participants have been selected for a pitch competition that is trying to encourage business development on both sides of the Savannah River. No Boundaries, sponsored by theClubhou.se, is set for April 23rd at the Amentum Center in Aiken. “We had 57 applications for No Boundaries, and we had startups all the way from Austin to Maryland that applied,” Eric Parker, founder of theClubhou.se, told ABD. “What blew me away was that we had one period where we had 40 applications come through in 24 hours.” From the 57 applications, nine

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Awards

ATC Alumnus to Honor the Best and Brightest

Born in Aiken, South Carolina, as the only son to a single mother of three children, Tim Behling developed an unwavering commitment to leadership and impacting the lives of others through positive engagement. His dream, from the age of 13, has always been to live a life that touched more lives than just his own. He will do that tomorrow, April 17, as the keynote speaker for the Aiken Technical College annual Awards Night Ceremony. Behling graduated in 2015 from ATC, so this marks his tenth anniversary of that event

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B2B Stories

Impact of This Year’s Red Carpet Tour

The red carpet was rolled up, but local participants in the 2025 Red Carpet Tour are following up on connections made during the event. The tour, sponsored by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and hosted by the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce, brought business leaders from around the world to the Garden City. “I’m following up with people we met on the tour, so we haven’t slowed down,” Cal Wray, President of the Augusta Economic Development Authority (AEDA), told ABD. “I’d love to say we get to take this week

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B2B Stories

Mastering Resilience

As the final round of the Masters was about to start this past Sunday, I harkened back to 2011, when at the start of the final round, Rory McIlroy was 12 under par, just like he was this year. However, instead of this year’s two-stroke lead, he had a four-stroke lead at the start of Sunday’s play in 2011. After a pedestrian front nine, Rory stood on the tenth tee at -11, with three others, including Tiger Woods, within one stroke of the lead. As I watched the scoreboard from

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B2B Stories

Simon Says: Trump Impact on Jobs Plus Health/Education Sector Slips

The number of federal employees in the U.S. fell by 10,000 in February from January, reflecting the policies of the Trump administration. In Augusta, the number of federal employees remained unchanged at 10,100. Overall, the government sector (federal, state, and local) in Augusta added 150 employees in February. Local government has the largest number of employees at 21,700 followed by state at 13,500. The government sector is the largest in Augusta with 45,300 employees, or 18 percent of all workers. The next largest sector is professional and business services at

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