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B2B Stories

Hospital construction in the home stretch

Wellstar and AU Health leadership provided a tour and media briefing at the new hospital under construction in Columbia County.   The six-floor, 254,000 square foot hospital is being built off Interstate 20 exit 190, just below the Columbia County Exhibition Center. It remains on track to open from late August to early September. In addition to providing healthcare, the hospital and surrounding complex can act as a magnet to draw new businesses to Columbia County. The hospital itself will add about 1,200 jobs. “We have 300-plus staff already hired. We

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Dana Lynn McIntyre May 15, 2026 No Comments
Consumer Stories

All-time high in employment

Georgia’s labor chief said the statewide job numbers are showing a major trend in the right direction. Augusta’s story is also a positive one. The Georgia Department of Labor said last Thursday that the Augusta metro area is seeing month-over-month job and employment growth, with an unemployment rate of 3.9% in March, down seven-tenths over the month. A year ago, the rate was 3.9%.  “There’s no better way to mark Economic Development Week than with measurable results,” said Georgia Labor Commissioner Bárbara Rivera Holmes. “With the state labor force and employment both reaching all-time highs and unemployment falling across all metro

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Neil Gordon May 12, 2026 No Comments
Consumer Stories

Simon Says: Best openings after graduation season

It is graduation time in our colleges, universities, and high schools, but which sectors are hiring? The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) releases monthly job openings for a variety of industries at the national level. The national job openings rate (job openings divided by job openings plus employment multiplied by 100) is 4.1% in March 2026, down from a peak of 7.5% in March 2022.  Healthcare and social assistance have the highest job opening rate at 5.4%, down from 9.4% in March 2022. Leisure and hospitality also has a job

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Dr. Simon Medcalfe, AU Hull College of Business Economics Professor May 12, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

Local H.R. Leader highlights burnout signs for professionals

A recent speaker told a North Augusta business audience that there is a fine line between resiliency and burnout. The age group most affected seemed to be a big surprise. Sally Roberts, a longtime human resource leader, said people, women in particular, seen as resilient often are praised. While resiliency can be a virtue, it can become problematic if it stems from working too long, too hard, and to the detriment of personal health. “You feel like you’re not accomplishing as much as you should. You’re not getting a lot

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Dana Lynn McIntyre May 11, 2026 No Comments
Consumer Stories

Simon Says: February fall-off in the local labor market

After my last few columns touted the strength of the local labor market, there was bound to be a correction. In February, employment fell. Employment fell by 400 jobs in February, though several sectors saw gains. The education and health services sector continued to add jobs. There have been over 40,000 people employed in this sector since August last year. Most of these jobs are in the health services sector because most education jobs are in local government (K-12 teachers and staff) or state employment (university employees).  The government sector

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Dr. Simon Medcalfe, AU Hull College of Business Economics Professor May 5, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

Company on cutting edge of power generation opens in CSRA

A company working on what may be the next step in supplying electric power to public and private developments has opened an office in the CSRA. Local government and business leaders were on hand when Antares Industries, a California-based company, officially opened its local office at 106 Park Ave SW in Aiken, SC. Antares specializes in nuclear fission energy systems, including fission microreactors, also known as Small Modular Reactors (SMR). “For over 20 years, we’ve been talking about small modular reactors, micro reactors, the private sector getting involved in the

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Dana Lynn McIntyre April 28, 2026 No Comments
Consumer Stories

Simon Says: Job Earnings Record in Augusta

The most recent labor numbers in Augusta show year-over-year gains and increases in weekly earnings, the labor force, and the Augusta Labor Market Index. (LMI) increased by 0.12 percent in January from December. It is 0.92 percent higher than a year ago. All components of the LMI increased or remained level in January from December. Employment rose to 254,000 as reported last week, an increase of 200 from December. The unemployment rate remained at 4.5%. The labor force increased by over 2,000 persons. Average weekly earnings increased by $47 to

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Dr. Simon Medcalfe, AU Hull College of Business Economics Professor April 28, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

$6.8 million Investment to boost service business

These renderings by the Augusta firm McMillan Pazdan Smith give hope to ATC students and those looking to join the lucrative car business. Augusta Technical College was awarded a $6,808,307 grant from the Economic Development Administration (EDA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Monies will support completion of the Jim Hudson Automotive Institute, a workforce development project at 1122 Walton Way, in the former Johnson Cadillac Dealership. The federal investment represents a major milestone in Augusta Tech’s efforts to expand high-demand technical training and strengthen the region’s talent pipeline. The renovated facility will serve as a state-of-the-art automotive

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Staff Report April 24, 2026 No Comments
Consumer Stories

Housing remains a priority for workforce development

A panel discussion sponsored by the North Augusta Chamber of Commerce highlighted the ongoing need for new housing units. Called the Real Estate Reality Check, it featured experts in real estate, insurance, and mortgages. Although designed to help homeowners understand what to expect in the coming year, the presentation began with a slide directly connecting housing to workforce development. “It’s a total partnership,” Andrea Bowles, Sales Manager and Relocation Director with Blanchard and Calhoun, told ABD. “In order to attract vibrant businesses, successful businesses, you’ve got to have housing. In

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Dana Lynn McIntyre April 24, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

Student (and Employee) Success: Nurtured, but Earned

Since graduating from high school nearly 50 years ago, I have spent about 40 of them on college campuses, with almost 30 of them as a business school faculty member and/or administrator. Much has changed in higher education in that time, and in my opinion, mostly for the better. However, in recent months, I have heard from many colleagues, particularly “Baby Boomers” (born 1945-1964) like me and Gen Xers (born 1965-1980), that the higher education value to students is eroding, and I think they have a point as well.   However,

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Dr. Rick Franza, Professor, AU Hull College of Business April 23, 2026 No Comments
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