Consumer Stories

B2B Stories

Popular Restaurant Expands

A popular Columbia County neighborhood bar and grill is adding a second location outside of another Columbia County neighborhood. Ironwood Tavern’s first location is at 5117 Washington Road in a shopping center next to Subway and Publix, bordering the Riverwood Subdivision in Evans. ABD’s confirmed that Ironwood will lease Suites 1 and 2 (far right end units) outside of the West Lake Subdivision in Martinez, in a newish shopping center on Furys Ferry Road developed by Rafy Bassali, co-owner of several Swank retail stores and Escape Outdoors. Swank, Oxygen Fitness,

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B2B Stories

Here we grow again: E-Z-GO® Introduces New 2026 Golf Car

One way to keep driving the performance of more than 1,000 Augusta employees is to expand a product line. That’s just what Textron E-Z-GO LLC is doing—with the launch of new RXV models for the new season. According to a news release, both the two-passenger 2026 RXV 2 and four-passenger 2026 RXV 4 are available with electric or gas-powered drivetrains. MSRP for the RXV 2 starts at $8,914.00, and MSRP for the RXV 4 starts at $9,879.00. Electric models include ELiTE series vehicles with a zero-emission, fully electric drivetrain powered

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Consumer Stories

Big gift to Children’s Hospital from SRP

As a result of an employee-led fundraising campaign, SRP Federal Credit Union presented a ceremonial check of over $7,700 to the Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia this week. SRP team members, La’Kisha Johnson and Charmaine Finch, organized the campaign, which spanned bake sales, PTO drawings, food truck fundraisers, and more. The fundraiser concluded with a total of $7,730.74 raised for the Children’s Hospital, as well as 62 SRP teddy bears donated for children receiving care. Kelsey McCullough, Miracle Network Philanthropy Coordinator for the Children’s Hospital of Georgia, expressed gratitude for

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B2B Stories

U.S. Secretary of Energy on hand for opening of AMC

The latest feather in the cap for USC Aiken opens this morning, and U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright will join Savannah River National Laboratory leadership and partners for a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative (AMC), located on the campus of the University of South Carolina-Aiken, will provide a platform for public-private partnerships to improve advanced manufacturing in areas such as additive manufacturing, AI-driven automation, energy resilience, and nuclear applications. This facility will be a catalyst for regional economic and technological growth, while supporting partnerships and technology commercialization. “The

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B2B Stories

SRNS continues workforce development initiatives

Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) continues to advance innovation and strengthen research partnerships that deliver solutions for the Department of Energy’s (DOE) critical missions. SRNS recently invited two representatives from Florida International University (FIU) Applied Research Center (ARC) to visit the Savannah River Site (SRS). The collaboration was formalized with the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in 2025, with a shared goal of identifying pathways, increasing the number of interns transitioning into full-service positions, strengthening technical capabilities, and raising ARC’s visibility. “One of our primary goals is to

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Consumer Stories

Part 2: Video gaming translates to billions of dollars

From Pong and Mario Brothers to today’s high-level titles, video gaming has turned into a multi-billion-dollar industry in the U.S. Part of that is due to the growing popularity of esports. A recent report from Research and Markets (www.ResearchAndMarkets.com)  found that esports is a fast-growing sector within the entertainment industry. The U.S. market size is currently $2.55 billion. It is projected to grow to $18.85 billion by 2035. “The gaming industry in general makes more money than the music industry and the film industry combined every year, eSports is just

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Consumer Stories

New grocer opens in area ignored by other supermarkets

It’s been more than 15 years since Gurley’s supermarket was open at 464 Greene Street in downtown Augusta. For Kroger at 501 15th Street, it has been more than eight years since it closed. Now, a Broad Street entrepreneur has opened the Downtown Corner Store in a modest 3,000 square foot building. The building at 1018 Broad Street used to be “Flowers on Broad.” It’s in between an art gallery and a gift shop in an eclectic block in downtown Augusta— and a few doors down from the owner’s other

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B2B Stories

Simon Says: 2025’s Been a Good Year!

It has been a while since I updated the Augusta Labor Market Index (LMI) because the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis had not updated its website since December. Recently, it did so through April, and the Augusta LMI has increased by 0.5 percent from December and is 1.2 percent higher than April 2024. The LMI measures labor market vitality through five components: employment, unemployment rate, labor force, average weekly earnings, and average weekly hours worked. Over the past five months, employment increased by 1,200, and the unemployment rate fell

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Consumer Stories

Part One: Not your father’s video games

Augusta University (AU) has added to its sports lineup, but not in the traditional sense. This team does not need to even step outside, and it is calling for new members. AU’s Esports program is based in the Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center, complete with a dedicated room as an arena for activities. It provides opportunities to participate in competitive esports leagues and tournaments using a shared passion for video games to meet other students. Esports at AU had gone dormant following the 2019-2020 season. It was revived in

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Consumer Stories

Add On for Bass Pro Shops and Cabelas

A new service center is now open between Bass Pro Shops/Cabelas and Top Golf at the far end of the Village at Riverwatch. Power Pros is the installation and service arm of the outdoor-focused businesses. Technicians specialize in marine and ATV electronics and accessories. They are equipped to service and handle a variety of needs, such as the setup of fish finders, TRACKER motors, GPS systems, and much more. Their certified technicians are there to ensure that your boats and ATVs are ready for peak performance. Jordan Trotter Commercial Real

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