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B2B Stories

Internships and apprenticeships help drive local economic growth

An Aiken County manufacturer, undergoing a multi-million dollar expansion, uses its unique relationships to find trained employees. Representatives from Rolls-Royce Solutions America, formerly known as mtu, participated in a panel discussion sponsored by the North Augusta Chamber of Commerce. Karson King, Mechanical Engineer, and A.J. Campbell, CNC Machine Operator, said working with schools like Aiken Technical College and USCA is vital during this period of growth. “Really getting to expand on our young workforce coming in. It’s going to help with skilled workers joining our workforce,” King told ABD. “We

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Dana Lynn McIntyre March 17, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

Simon Says: How far has the CSRA come in 20 years?

About 50% of CSRA counties are growing, and 50% are not. I usually use Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) data for this column, as it is released more frequently than county-level data and is more up-to-date. However, I was giving a talk to the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) Regional Commission on Friday, so I dug into some county-level data.  The CSRA Regional Commission is a group of area economic development organizations from 13 Georgia counties: Burke, Columbia, Glascock, Hancock, Jefferson, Jenkins, Lincoln, McDuffie, Richmond, Taliaferro, Warren, Washington, and Wilkes. By

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Dr. Simon Medcalfe, AU Hull College of Business Economics Professor March 17, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

Major changes in DT Augusta begin this year, thanks to agencies’ collaboration

A portion of the 2017 tourism plan is progressing in 2026, thanks to “Augusta 2035: Blueprint for Action.” It is Augusta Tomorrow’s vision project to grow both Augusta and North Augusta with big input from Destination Augusta. Jennifer Bowen, Chief Strategy Officer, SVP, & Film Commissioner for Destination Augusta, told ABD they are excited about the plan. “We’ve had an opportunity, actually, to be involved in it from the very beginning,” she said. “Bennish (Brown, President and CEO of Destination Augusta) first had an opportunity to serve on the committee

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Dana Lynn McIntyre March 16, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

Expanding hope in Augusta with your help!

Almost $15 million down and about $1 million to go. With your help, construction of a new Center of Hope can begin. The overall cost of the project is $15.7 million. To meet its goal, the Salvation Army has started the public phase of its Standing Together – Restoring Hope capital campaign. The Augusta chapter wants to replace the existing center, currently on Greene Street. It has been in use since 1974. At that time, homelessness in Augusta was predominantly a male issue. “Now we have more women and children

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Dana Lynn McIntyre March 13, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

Mini-MBA: Managing Inventory

Publisher’s Note: Do you have a Costco membership off the Riverwatch Parkway? The Gordons do through our company. My wife loves it, and though I enjoy the experience—there is a certain level of frustration. Dr. Rick Franza continues his “Mini-MBA” lesson with a look at how the pros and cons of a Costco membership are tied to the all-important inventory juggle. Welcome to the second weekly lesson in the “Mini-MBA” I promised you in this column for the month of March. We kicked off the Mini-MBA last week with a

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Dr. Rick Franza, AU Hull College of Business Professor March 12, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

Selling your business to the big crowds in Augusta

A national organization said major events can give small businesses the opportunity to get their product in front of a large crowd. Georgia has two such events this year, including a spring tradition in Augusta (Photo courtesy: www.visitaugusta.com) SCORE, the organization of retired business experts, recently held an online seminar to share advice on best practices to tap into those unique customer bases.  Mark Dobson, a SCORE mentor and President of the investment and development company Eight-Four, LLC, pointed to some of the largest upcoming sporting events, including the Indianapolis

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Dana Lynn McIntyre March 11, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

Major economic news for 2 CSRA Counties

Organizations whose mission is to create partnerships and advance economic development are celebrating financial windfalls. Entrepreneurs and start-ups are right in the middle of it. Economic Development Partnership of Aiken and Edgefield Counties, Inc., better known as Western SC, learned it is one of 14 groups chosen for 2026 Relentless Challenge grants. Collaborating with Western SC are the South Carolina Research Authority and the Aiken Chamber of Commerce. “Our organization is looking for job creation and capital investment opportunities,” Will Williams, President and CEO of Western SC, told ABD. “The

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Dana Lynn McIntyre March 11, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

Good Deeds: Benefactors List Released

Publisher’s Note: On Monday, our Dana Lynn McIntyre reported on a story about different organizations and companies providing $260,000 in scholarships that were distributed by the Aiken Technical College Foundation to 200 students. ATC provided the list of benefactors to ABD below. Aiken County Community Association (ACCA) Aiken Lions Club Aiken Masonic Lodge 156 AFM Aiken Newcomers Club Aiken Performing Arts Aiken Sertoma Club Alfred F. Endler, Jr.  Endowment Angela Crosby Wicker Endowment Ashley J. Little Family Endowment Aiken Technical College Aiken Technical College Faculty Aiken Technical College President Aiken

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Neil Gordon March 10, 2026 No Comments
B2B Podcasting

Simon Says: Progress on CSRA home buying experience

In the last month of February, the interest rate on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages dipped below 6% for the first time since fall of 2022. That, coupled with a key affordability study, is providing some good news to potential homebuyers. This decline in interest rates should provide some relief to potential homebuyers who have found housing increasingly unaffordable over the last three to four years. Housing is defined as unaffordable if housing costs (principal, interest, tax, and insurance) are greater than 30% of median income.  The graph below, which comes from

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Dr. Simon Medcalfe, AU Hull College of Business Economics Professor March 10, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

Guest Column: Airpower of Iran—the secret sauce of success

There are many leadership lessons to be learned from examining the War with Iran—some good lessons, some bad.  The planning, execution, and success of this campaign will be studied for decades. Much of the credit goes to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine and the commander of Centcom, Admiral Brad Cooper.  What leadership skills did they employ? Deep understanding of military history Open to new and creative ideas Willingness to empower subordinates Communication with their bosses Interaction with Israeli military leaders Incorporation of the newest technologies.

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By Major General Perry Smith USAF (ret.) Augusta, Georgia March 9, 2026 No Comments
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