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Consumer Stories
Consumer Stories

Financial planner has a passion for competitive barbecue

When Kurt Mueller isn’t crunching numbers for clients at Apollon Wealth Management, you can probably find him flipping ribs on a smoker. “I know a lot about a little, including financial planning and barbecue,” he said. You don’t usually hear barbecue and talk of money in one sentence unless you own a restaurant that serves the South’s revered food of choice. “I fell in love with grilling as a kid when my dad taught me to grill on an old-school Weber, the kind found in just about everybody’s backyard. Then

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Mitzi Oxford December 21, 2022 No Comments
Closings

Stay. Social, Tap + Table closing for good

“It’s time,” said Renee Hajek yesterday in advance of a social media post, announcing the permanent closing of her restaurant and bar, Stay. Social, Tap + Table, in Evans across from the Lady A. The stress of fighting for her liquor license for about three months took its toll. At issue was whether Hajek obtained more than 50 percent of her sales from food, the requirement after she received a grant and loan money from Columbia County to open Stay. It started with a 4-1 vote by the County Commission

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Neil Gordon December 21, 2022 No Comments
Consumer Stories

More than a Quarter of SC’s “lost” workforce choosing not to work, survey finds

One of the big business questions for 2022 has been, Where are all the workers? A survey conducted by South Carolina has found some answers. The state currently has a record 3.3 percent unemployment rate and has about 100,000 unfilled jobs in a wide variety of sectors and positions. To get a better grasp on why those jobs are unfilled, the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce conducted a survey of people (more than 150,000) who were employed in 2019 and filed for unemployment in 2020, but failed to

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Gary Kauffman December 20, 2022 No Comments
Consumer Stories

Local business professionals host community lunch, coat drive this week

Many in the CSRA have always had plenty of food and warm winter coats, but this week, two local business professionals are helping those in our community who haven’t been so fortunate. Local Certified Public Accountant, Josue Garcia, and certified financial planner, Kurt Mueller with Atomic City Smokers, a competition barbecue team that also provides catering services, will host a free lunch for the community on Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Garcia’s office located at 705 Edgefield Road in North Augusta. All it takes to enjoy the

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Josh Heath December 20, 2022 No Comments
Consumer Stories

Local businesses sponsor families at Christmas airport event

On Saturday, Santa Claus came a little earlier than usual for many local children from underprivileged families, thanks to help from the CSRA business community. The Augusta Regional Airport and Richmond County Marshal’s Office hosted the fifth annual Santa’s Fly-In to provide toys for 136 kids from 40 families. “We partner with Augusta Partnership for Children, Inc. and work with local businesses and individuals,” said the airport’s Assistant Director of Marketing and Public Relations, Lauren Smith. “This is our biggest year yet, and we hope to continue growing.” Business sponsors

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Story and photos by Josh Heath December 19, 2022 No Comments
Consumer Stories

Augusta airport shares holiday travel tips

If you’re planning to fly the friendly skies this week, and you’re bringing Christmas gifts with you, you may want to wait until you arrive at your destination to wrap them, according to Lauren Smith. ABD spoke with Smith, Augusta Regional Airport’s assistant director of marketing and public relations, about travel tips for this holiday season. She said wrapped gifts can cause problems during screening by the Transportation Security Administration. “They suggest you don’t wrap them, but if you do, just be aware that you may have to unwrap them,”

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Josh Heath December 19, 2022 No Comments
Consumer Stories

Local business owner sees decline in donations for troops

This year, Operation Handwarmer collected fewer items than it did in previous years, but Burt Sappenfield is still pleased with the community support the cause received. Sappenfield, the owner of Majestic Floor Care, LLC in Evans, said the charity collected about 6,000 items, which will be sent to U.S. troops stationed overseas. “I delivered the items to Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, and the chaplains will be distributing those items to the troops overseas,” Sappenfield said. He said he expected to receive fewer items this year and blames much of

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Josh Heath December 18, 2022 No Comments
Consumer Stories

Local chef’s business takes flight at Augusta airport location

Lance Smith has owned a food service business for nearly three years, but on Monday, his new brick-and-mortar location took off at the Augusta Regional Airport. Smith owns Bearded Chef, which operates a local food truck that specializes in smash burgers and provides both catering and private chef services. He officially launched the business in January 2020. Smith’s airport restaurant, located in the baggage claim area, specializes in soul food, such as fried chicken, fried cornbread, and macaroni and cheese. “We rotate specialty items,” he said. “We bring in a

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Josh Heath December 15, 2022 No Comments
Consumer Stories

Local entrepreneur sells two companies, opens a new one!

Michael Hinson previously owned two CSRA businesses, and after selling those, he decided to use his interest in electronics to jump into the growing Bluetooth speaker business. In October, Hinson launched Big Dog Speakers, an online business that sells high-quality speakers that are much less expensive than those of his competitors. He said the waterproof, 40-watt speakers can reach a maximum volume of 105 decibels but still produce a clear, crisp sound. They can be connected to other devices, such as TVs and gaming systems, and used to charge cell

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Josh Heath December 14, 2022 No Comments
Consumer Stories

Business Lunch Review: Augusta Mall Food Court

Editor’s Note: Wes Hennings never met a meal he walked away from and is an opinionated eater! Each Thursday he shares the results of a business lunch he’s had with a colleague as a way to advise our business community on the good, bad, and tasty across the CSRA. He doesn’t let ABD or the restaurant know where he is going and his opinions are his own. He grades the restaurants he visits on a 1-5 scale with “5” being outstanding. We call this our “Real Business Lunch Review”. Food

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Wes Hennings December 14, 2022 No Comments
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