Consumer Stories

Consumer Stories

Mayor-elect packs the house of Real Estate and Business leaders

More than 200 realtors and home-oriented business owners got “sold” by a self-proclaimed salesman, Augusta Mayor-elect Garnett Johnson. Johnson was the keynote speaker at the bi-monthly Greater Augusta Association of Realtors—a group of more than 2,000 members. “I need your help,” Johnson told the capacity crowd. “Your group is so important to welcoming people into our area,” he said. The owner of Augusta Office Solutions and Modern Business Workplace Solutions in downtown Augusta said his next-door neighbor was almost talked out of moving onto Walton Way— to look at Columbia

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Consumer Stories

Local entrepreneurs celebrate the grand opening of a shared kitchen, retail space

When you think of a food court, large corporations like Chick-fil-A and Auntie Anne’s probably come to mind. But Onnie Sanford has launched her own food court featuring only local businesses. Sanford, the owner of Paleo Num Yums located at 359 Furys Ferry Road, has turned her shop into a new shared kitchen and retail space called OPP Kitchen, LLC. OPP stands for Other People Prepping. She now shares space with four other businesses: Angelino’s Street Tacos, PJ’s Snacky Sack, Uprooted Vegan Cuisine, and ZipChef. Sanford and the other entrepreneurs

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Consumer Stories

Faith Friday: From white collar to blue collar: Faith powers Larry Jones’ plumbing business

The year was 1985. A young Larry Jones was wearing a suit and tie daily to work as an account specialist at the Medical College of Georgia. He was also burning the midnight oil, as the adage goes, helping a friend’s father with his plumbing. He says those service calls to help others with their plumbing needs and repairs brought him more joy than the corporate world of crunching numbers. “I enjoyed it, and when there was an opening at MCG for a plumber, I applied and trained,” he said.

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Consumer Stories

Augusta University men’s basketball coach speaks at a local business meeting

When the Augusta University men’s basketball team made it to the 2022 NCAA Division II championship tournament and finished the season with a 33-4 record, some assumed they had an easy season, according to head Coach, Dip Metress. He spoke to a group of local home professionals at this month’s CSRA Home Connections meeting. At the meeting on Wednesday, Metress discussed the 2021-2022 season, which he said wasn’t easy for him or his players. “Everybody wants to see the end product,” said Metress, who has led the team for 18

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Consumer Stories

GreenJackets get new owner, little change expected

The Augusta GreenJackets have a new owner, but it will mostly be a case of the new boss being the same as the old boss. Last December, the GreenJackets had come under the management of Diamond Baseball Holdings, an organization formed by Endeavor Group Holdings. Diamond Baseball Holdings (DBH) owns and manages nine other minor league clubs as well. Earlier this week, Endeavor sold DBH to Silver Lake, a technology investment company. The sale is expected to close later this year. “We are excited to partner with Pat, Peter, and

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Consumer Stories

Repurposed gas station pumps out cool treats in Warrenville

Fill ‘er up takes on a whole new meaning at the former location of a Golden Pantry gas and convenience store in Warrenville. On a hot summer day, when the humidity is so thick you can cut it with a knife, Frozen Delights can probably offer instant relief. Owner, Anthony Simpkins serves 21 different flavors of a unique version of Italian shaved ice that’s straight outta Philly. He hails from the City of Brotherly Love, where the water ice confection is as popular as popsicles and ice cream cones and

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Consumer Stories

Business Lunch Review: O’Charley’s

Editor’s Note: Our regular lunch reviewer, Wes Hennings, is taking a few weeks of paternity leave. While we assume he is still eating something, somewhere, he won’t be writing about it while he’s off duty. Meanwhile, ABD editor, Gary Kauffman will pinch-hit with the reviews of his lunches with a colleague, as a way to advise our business community on the good, the bad, and the tasty across the CSRA. He doesn’t let the restaurant know where he is going; his opinions are his own. He grades the restaurants he

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Consumer Stories

National real estate firm to unveil newly renovated apartment complex

Next week, a national real estate investment and property management company will unveil its newly renovated apartment complex in Augusta. Broad Management Group and the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Broad on the Green located at 3122 Damascus Road on Tuesday beginning at 4 p.m. A complex employee said the units have new flooring, appliances, and countertops, among other improvements. The event will include tours, raffles, and entertainment. “We at Broad Management Group are excited about the transformation this property has undergone,” said Director

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Consumer Stories

Saving a life could be the ultimate customer service for a business

Let’s say a customer walks into your car dealership and while car shopping slumps to the ground or you’re in a meeting with 15 other business leaders, and one falls out of their chair and clutches their chest. What do you do? You could (and should) call an ambulance, but the average response time is seven minutes. From the time you call 911 until the time they arrive, it’s probably more like 10 minutes, maybe longer. Guess what? That’s too late. During cardiac arrest, brain activity stops in about four

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Consumer Stories

Pro golfers file an antitrust lawsuit against PGA, allege involvement of Augusta National, other Majors

Eleven professional golfers taking part in the LIV Golf Tournament have filed an anti-trust lawsuit against the PGA Tour. Included in the suit are allegations the PGA colluded with Augusta National to dissuade the players from joining the LIV tour. Plaintiffs in the case are Phil Mickelson, Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford, Matt Jones, Bryson DeChambeau, Abraham Ancer, Carlos Ortiz, Ian Poulter, Pat Perez, Jason Kokrak, and Peter Uihlein. In an earlier ABD story, Rick Franza, Dean of Hull College of Business at Augusta University, had predicted this could happen. “Nothing

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