Employment

B2B Stories

DREAMS come true at Augusta University

Dozens of students at Augusta University (AU) have been awarded a scholarship just created by the state.  In total, up to $200,000 is being doled out to make life easier while carving out a career path. The DREAMS Scholarship is provided statewide. It is a need-based financial boost for students in the University System of Georgia (USG) and the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG). More than 440 AU students applied, and 69 were selected. The news release announcing the awards quoted Gov. Brian Kemp (R), who introduced the program.

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Consumer Stories

CSRA Aviation industry takes off with help of non-profit

Another class of this year’s Aviation Academy is one step closer to working in the aircraft space in the CSRA. The six-week Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Augusta summer program takes students out of the classroom and into the field to learn about careers in aviation beyond pilot or flight attendant.  “They toured Daniel Field. They toured the hangars. They spoke to the people who do the jobs, the people that fly, the people that do the maintenance techs, the people that do the scheduling,” Andrew Conner, the club’s

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Consumer Stories

Simon Says: CSRA home construction going “through the roof”

Construction permits to build homes in Augusta are at a 15-month high! Residential construction permits in June increased slightly and are at the highest level since March 2025. More than 300 permits have been pulled each month since February 2026, compared to just 4 months over the whole of 2025.  Other indicators had a positive June. The Dow Jones Industrial Average continued its climb on the back of strong quarterly profits for firms. Inflation in the South declined to 3.2% from 3.9% in May despite higher oil and gas prices. 

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B2B Stories

Lessons Learned in CSRA from decisions in Michigan

Publisher’s Note: There is a cautionary tale at the University of Michigan that can be useful if you have children attending AU, Augusta Tech, USC Aiken, or many other colleges and universities in the region. It’d be easy to snipe at them for their hiring and firing of football coach Sherrone Moore, due to his indiscretions with an assistant. That, however, was a “one-off.” No, there is a deeper issue affecting students that Dr. Rick Franza tackles today involving grades and their future prospects. UM took a step backward last

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B2B Stories

Business leaders talk transportation and workforce

SRP, Bridgestone, and Aiken Regional, three of the most successful business organizations in the CSRA, sent key people to a panel discussion about future growth issues. The monthly Good Morning North Augusta breakfast featured business leaders Liz Ponder with SRP Federal Credit Union, Chris Hennessee from Bridgestone Aiken PSR, and Victoria Luciano of Aiken Regional Medical Centers. Panel members had three distinctive views ranging from financial services to manufacturing and healthcare. The overall discussion centered on the future needs of South Carolina State House District 83, which covers parts of

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Consumer Stories

Simon Says: Reduction in Augusta’s workforce

As already reported here in ABD, June employment in the Augusta Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) fell by 300, the first decline since February. But how did other labor market indicators fare in June? How do earnings in Augusta compare with other cities? The unemployment rate fell to 4% from 4.2% in May. This is the lowest unemployment rate since June last year. The employment level can fall while the unemployment rate also declines because those who lose their jobs are no longer looking for work or took jobs outside the

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Consumer Stories

Simon Says: Here’s where the job gains are!

Last week, I reported employment fell in the first six months of the year, but which industries bucked the trend in the Augusta area? Five industries saw employment rise over the last six months. The biggest increase, maybe surprisingly, was in “other services,” which added 955 jobs. This was closely followed by private education and health care services, which added 886 jobs.  Government jobs were up by over 500, with the gains being equally shared between state and local government. Retail added over 300 jobs, and manufacturing added 100.  Large

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B2B Stories

300,000 square foot plant gets cash infusion

An $18 million investment in new equipment and infrastructure is paving the way for 90 full-time jobs at a shuttered manufacturing plant that closed in 2023. The plant is at 285 Midfield Road in Barnwell, South Carolina. What’s now called Barnwell Tissue Solutions was shut down in July 2023 and acquired by ST Group of Companies in 2025, a family-owned business that manages other manufacturing facilities in Wisconsin and Virginia and is one of the largest producers of toilet paper rolls in the country. The financing from National New Markets

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Consumer Stories

Simon Says: Big swing in jobs in Augusta

The Augusta Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) had the highest employment growth of all Georgia metro areas in 2025.  Did that trend continue from January to June of this year? The answer is a resounding “no.” In the first six months of 2026, employment in Augusta fell by 300 to 253,900 in June. The state of Georgia, including non-metro areas, added 5,800 jobs so far this year, and 5,200 of them were in Atlanta. Other metro areas to add jobs were Athens and Columbus, both +700, while Valdosta added 600. Warner

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Awards

Augusta picked as #1 rising city in America

LinkedIn, a platform dedicated to connecting business leaders together, just released its annual survey. Some of what the CSRA takes for granted caught the attention of LinkedIn and NBC News. Those ranking cities were impressed by our top employers such as SRS, AU, and the US Army. (Photo above by Michael Holahan, Augusta University) Top industries hiring are the many CSRA hospitals and healthcare businesses, along with higher education and Electric Power Generation, such as Plant Vogtle. The median household income is $55,485, and the average home listing price is

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