According to Destination Augusta, the last two years have been rough on the local hotel industry. – Augusta Business Daily by Mike Petchenik.
Don MacNeil is the former Marketing Director of Windsor Jewelers and long-time on-air radio professional. Is it just me, or… Retracing Masters Footsteps When I was young, my dad made a habit of pulling off the highway if a Civil War battlefield were anywhere around. It’s not that I wasn’t interested, it was more that I couldn’t see the point. There was no way, I thought, that any of this looked the way it did a hundred years earlier, so why bother? Still, I could tell that Dad
When it comes to engaging Masters’ guests, sometimes the little things local businesses do can create memorable experiences for those guests, according to Bennish Brown. Brown, President, and CEO of Destination Augusta presented creative strategies businesses can use to attract out-of-town customers for tournament week at the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce. Simple, cost-effective strategies businesses can implement include changing their signs to welcome guests to Augusta or providing unique Masters Week sales offers. “Take the golf theme to the next level, and have some fun,” he said. “Tap into
Columbia County tourism has a major economic impact not only on the CSRA, but also on the state of Georgia, according to Shelly Blackburn. Blackburn, Executive Director of the Columbia County Convention and Visitors Bureau, will serve as a guest speaker at the next CSRA Home Connections Networking Breakfast on Wednesday, April 13 at 8:30 a.m. at the Snelling Conference Center, next to Edgar’s Grille at the corner of Washington and Furys Ferry roads. “Columbia County is growing and prospering, and Visit Columbia County plays a key role in that
North Augusta will be rolling out the red carpet for visitors by converting the old carpet building next to the city’s Municipal Building into a Gateway Development. Brett Brannon, President of Palmetto Peach Development Company, announced his plans to refurbish the former North Augusta Carpet & Wallpaper Shop, located at 210 Georgia Ave. at a news conference on Wednesday. The building is one of the first sights travelers from Augusta, via the 13th Street bridge, see of North Augusta. He said the 12,000-square-foot building, originally a skating rink, will be
Next week, you can watch Masters coverage on CBS or ESPN, but David Bash and Chris Nabholz, want to show you what’s happening behind the scenes in the CSRA during tournament week. Bash and Nabholz, owners of GetUp Productions, will produce the second annual Bobby Jones Invitational Show, a watch-along party, from Wednesday, April 6 to Sunday, April 10 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. daily. The show will be live-streamed on Facebook and YouTube, among other platforms. “The concept of the show is you still watch the tournament, mute
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
In his Business Minute, Neil Gordon reports on Mary Kay’s regional career event that will make a big impact on Augusta’s economy.
Lindsay Fruchtl of Destination Augusta, just gave a 30-minute audio tour of the Garden City and area businesses and community activities. The CBS affiliate in Atlanta chose Augusta as the first city to be profiled. This podcast is expected to create economic impact for the CSRA, because Atlantans like to take the few hour drive to Augusta to showcase our community’s unique local restaurants, small shops, and fun things to do. The photo is a view from the Hyatt House in downtown Augusta.
Because Augusta’s film industry has experienced explosive growth in recent years, Augusta Technical College wants to prepare people to work in that industry. The college has partnered with the Georgia Film Academy and a local company called Indiegrip.com LLC (see photo above story) to begin offering an 18-hour non-credit film production certification program in January 2022. Classes will meet on Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the cost will be $750. Rick Kelly – Indiegrip.com’s owner/operator, is excited to be involved in the program. “Our mission has always
