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Employment
Consumer Stories

Simon Says: Employment Record in CSRA

Employment in the Augusta Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) set another record in May. Employment now stands at 254,600, the highest ever, and an increase of 400 from the previous record set in January and April. Employment is 1,100 higher than in May 2025. The largest employment gains were seen in professional and business services, up 160, and transportation and utilities, up 110. Local government also increased by about 90 workers and stands at over 22,000 employees for the first time since September 2017. Whether this is good or bad for

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Dr. Simon Medcalfe, AU Hull College of Business Economics Professor July 7, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

Creating a local workforce for the aviation industry

Huge companies like StandardAero and a few others in Augusta have a need in common. Good employees. So, Augusta Regional Airport (AGS) is expanding its effort to get high school students interested in a career in aviation. The airport just wrapped up a two-week camp for high school juniors and seniors to learn about drone technology and its use by first responders. The camp was co-sponsored by Georgia Institute of Technology (GA Tech), Georgia State Patrol (GSP), and AGS Aircraft Rescue & Fire Fighting (ARFF) Department. The camp was an

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Dana Lynn McIntyre June 29, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

Education fair scheduled at largest CSRA employer

This Wednesday, the area’s largest employer has scheduled an education fair for individuals on post and is open to the public.   Fort Gordon’s annual Education Fair is set for June 24. It brings together representatives from more than two dozen colleges and organizations with information on all levels of post-secondary educational options. The Fort Gordon Education Center coordinates it. “The education fair is designed to bring community partners, colleges that we normally don’t have on the installation, to allow them to talk to colleges face to face,” Myron Latham, Supervisory

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Dana Lynn McIntyre June 19, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

After nearly 40 years, CSRA staffing company changes hands

A long-time sales and business development executive was interested in business ownership.  A 37-year Augusta business owner was interested in retiring.  Much like the staffing business, a perfect match happened. Since 1989, Angela Swarts has been the franchisee of Spherion Staffing and Recruiting, winning the 2024 Franchisee of the Year award—amongst 200 fellow franchisees.  She’s staying on for a period of time as new franchisee Joe Schiavone takes over. The office’s experienced internal staff will remain in place under Schiavone’s leadership. “What stood out most to me throughout this process

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Neil Gordon June 11, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

Local banking legend part of big changes

Phil Wahl’s had just about every job in the financial space in his storied 40-year career at local and national banks in the CSRA. Next month, he’ll add a new title at Security Federal Bank. There are 19 full-service Security Federal locations on both sides of the Savannah River. Wahl’s been President for nearly seven years. Soon, he’ll also be Chief Executive Officer, joining the Board of Directors. Current CEO J. Chris Verenes will be retiring, but remains as Chairman and as a board member. Security Federal announced a few

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Neil Gordon June 8, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

Preparing CSRA students for a career in technology

Teachers from across Georgia and South Carolina committed a week of summer vacation to learn how to best prepare their students for future careers. The Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center (GCITC) campus hosted a weeklong series of classes and workshops providing a classroom-ready cybersecurity curriculum. “The goal of it is to help teachers who are teaching subjects related to cyber and IT, computer science, networking, all of these other subjects,” Danny Etheredge, Director of Training & Workforce Development at GCITC, told ABD. “Help them to start building a community

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Dana Lynn McIntyre June 8, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

Data center pros and cons in CSRA

Will Williams, President and CEO of Western SC, has three data center projects under construction in Aiken County. He has a few lessons learned he can share with his colleagues in other CSRA counties, ready to dive into the deep end of the data waters. In Aiken County, the Meta facility being built in the Sage Mill Industrial Park is the largest of three data centers under construction in Aiken County. Williams said a solar field in Orangeburg County will help power the Meta center. “Aiken Electric is the provider,

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Dana Lynn McIntyre June 3, 2026 No Comments
Consumer Stories

420 Metro Augusta employers noticed by safety regulators

Aurubis Richmond and Nemak (formerly AGF Casting) have a lot in common: Both are in the smelting business. Both are neighbors in the Augusta Corporate Park, and both are leading the way in the hiring of workplace safety managers in the CSRA. Efforts from those manufacturers and other industries caught the attention of a national safety regulator. Researchers at Trace One analyzed the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics series. Metro Augusta ranked #7 amongst mid-market cities in the United States.

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Neil Gordon June 1, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

CSRA Auto expert to lead workforce initiative and report to Georgia lawmakers

The planned Jim Hudson Automotive Institute for Augusta Technical College is celebrating two awards, one monetary and one for an instructor. Christopher Davis, an Automotive Technology instructor and department chair, was selected as the statewide winner of the Rick Perkins Award for Excellence in Technical Instruction. It is the highest honor a technical college instructor can receive in Georgia. The recognition comes with a $2,500 prize, and Davis will be a representative for technical education for the next year, including appearances before the General Assembly. Davis told ABD he is

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Dana Lynn McIntyre May 27, 2026 No Comments
Consumer Stories

Mental health support at CSRA workplaces

A local expert is hoping professionals see the signs of unwellness in the workplace. “The cost of missing it is not just productivity, but what we’re missing is opportunities to be able to help people,” she said. “We see burnout, absenteeism, presenteeism, conflict, disengagement, turnover, safety issues, mistakes, and accidents, and most importantly, suffering in silence, ” said Dr. Cheryl Cummings. Dr. Cheryl Cummings is the Employee Wellness Service and Disability Manager for Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS).  She brought her mental health expertise to the May Women in Business

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Dana Lynn McIntyre May 26, 2026 No Comments
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