
GRACE under pressure Pt 2
After 40 successful years in real estate, Ann Marie McManus has learned what makes for successful transactions between the buyer and lender. It’s all about G.R.A.C.E.

After 40 successful years in real estate, Ann Marie McManus has learned what makes for successful transactions between the buyer and lender. It’s all about G.R.A.C.E.

As the CSRA continues to fight back from the devastation of Hurricane Helene, area businesses are stepping up to the plate, one of them literally. The Augusta GreenJackets announced plans to open SRP Park from noon until 5 p.m. yesterday offering air conditioning, a chance to recharge phones, and hot dogs and soft drinks from noon until 2 p.m. People will also be able to take home two – 10lb bags of ice. “We’re kind of monitoring around here,” Tom Denlinger, GreenJackets Vice President, told ABD. “But we are fortunate

Entrepreneurs and small business startups benefited from a workshop led by experts from the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC). Co-sponsored by Make Startups and theClubhou.se, the specialists explained the SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) and STTR (Small Business Technology Transfer) processes. The federal grant programs help fund startups and small businesses while owners maintain full ownership of their companies. “When I first saw that it was the SBIR, I’m a little familiar with them because I used to work for a national Chamber of Commerce. So, when I saw that,

South Carolina’s request for an Expedited Major Presidential Disaster Declaration to provide federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in response to Hurricane Helene has been approved. Individuals and business owners who sustained losses in Aiken and Barnwell, along with 11 other counties outside the CSRA can begin applying for assistance by registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, by calling 1-800-621- 3362, or by using the FEMA App. If you use a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service, or others, give FEMA the number for that service. More information

One of the Augusta area’s primary transportation links is slowly taking steps back to full service. Herbert Judon, Jr., Executive Director of Augusta Regional Airport, told ABD the airport lost all its primary power, is operating off generator auxiliary power, and will continue to do so indefinitely. On Friday, just after the magnitude of the storm damage became evident, Lauren Smith, the airport’s Assistant Director of Marketing and Public Relations, sent a news release: “Out of an abundance of caution and safety for our customers and employees, Augusta Regional Airport

Editor’s note: There have been hundreds of social media posts about how the national media has not reported on the damage to Augusta. Hurricane Helene was catastrophic in the CSRA, but help is on the way. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) visited Augusta on Monday to review storm damage, get updates on recovery, and provide the latest information on what state agencies are providing. A news conference was held outside the James Brown Arena, where personnel from electric utilities and companies were staging with their vehicles. Those then fanned out

I read Dana McIntyre’s report a few weeks ago, in which Georgia agriculture commissioner, Tyler Harper, claimed that agriculture was a $84 billion economic driver, 17% of the state’s economy. He added that one in seven jobs or 330,000 Georgians are employed in agriculture. That seemed high to me, so I looked up the numbers. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Georgia’s gross domestic product (GDP) in the first quarter of 2024 was $673,064 million annually. GDP measures the total value of all final goods and services produced in

After a rough weekend for the CSRA, thanks to Hurricane Helene, Mike Petchenik has some highlights and a sad goodbye for a 20-year-old business. Here is the latest for the week in Biz Bits.

The Augusta Technical College Foundation has announced $57,225 in gifts and pledges for the annual Family First campaign. The 2024 Family First campaign, which ran from September 4-18, focused on directly impacting students’ lives. Family First events were held at all Augusta Tech campus sites, where Faculty and staff were encouraged to contribute to bridging the financial gaps many students experience. Suggested donation amounts included $1,200 to help cover tuition shortfalls, $511 to cover student fees, $250 for textbooks, $200 for laptops, and $50 for emergency funds. “This year saw

A weeklong schedule of activities that was set to kick off today has been canceled. BSidesAugusta organizer, and COO of Security Onion Solutions, LLC, Phil Plantamura shared the update with ABD on Sunday. “Completely canceled. We’ve canceled all events for BSidesAugusta, the Security Onion Conference, and the training. We had a speaker dinner. It’s been canceled, volunteer orientation, and all that has been canceled. We’ve issued refunds to all ticket purchasers, including for the training,” he said. Destination Augusta had estimated the full week of activities, originally set for Sept.