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Consumer Stories
Consumer Stories

Site visit spurred selection of “The Forge” on the Riverwalk

A year ago, City of Augusta leaders wanted to see what the Riverwalk’s future would look like. It was decided a small investment of time and money was good business when taxpayer funds were on the line. So, they traveled to the Midwest and eyeballed an Outdoor Adventure Center. It’s one managed by the same group that is contracted to design, build, and operate Augusta’s version at the Freedom Center Bridge. Based on recommendations after the site visit, City of Augusta commissioners voted on July 22, 2025, to greenlight an

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Neil Gordon July 28, 2025 No Comments
B2B Stories

Strong outlook for back-to-school shopping

As students begin returning to classrooms, parents are hitting stores for clothing and school supplies. The National Retail Federation (NRF) examined consumer data and the impact of tariffs and inflation on back-to-school spending. ABD joined a webinar held by NRF to outline the findings. Mark Mathews, Chief Economist and Executive Director of Research for NRF, said what he refers to as “consumer sentiment” is very low, but he has seen a recent bounce. “When you look at the consumer’s finances, household net worth remains near record highs. We have discretionary

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Dana Lynn McIntyre July 25, 2025 No Comments
Awards/Celebrations

CSRA bankers celebrate milestones with trip to New York

Ding ding ding! Ring the bell. Three area bankers, along with Colony Bank’s executive team, board of directors, and division leaders, just got back from Wall Street. The July 15th bell ringing on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange was a joint celebration of Colony’s move onto the NYSE and its 50th Anniversary. “We have been publicly traded for many years on the NASDAQ but made the decision to move to the NYSE last fall,” said ABD member Hugh Hollar, who attended the ceremony with colleagues Chris McLaughlin and Jennifer

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Neil Gordon July 25, 2025 No Comments
Consumer Stories

Taking flight with air taxis in Augusta

The Japanese company that is developing an air taxi that could begin serving Augusta next year is providing demonstration flights. SkyDrive has its model SD-05 at the Expo 2025 in Osaka, where it will hold a demonstration beginning July 31 and running the rest of the summer. This is the model Bravo Air, the private charter jet service based at Augusta Regional Airport, will get next year. Bravo Air and SkyDrive signed a letter of intent at the Fifth Annual Innovation XChange Forum last year for Bravo Air to buy

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Dana Lynn McIntyre July 23, 2025 No Comments
B2B Stories

Simon Says: Hurricane Helene job impact

As the 2025 hurricane season gets underway, the first county-level data capturing the labor market impact of Hurricane Helene last September has just become available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Across the 13 Georgia counties of the Central Savannah River Area Regional Commission (CSRA), employment fell between the third quarter of 2024 and the fourth quarter in 6 counties. The largest decline was 1.75% in Lincoln County. Other counties that saw declining employment were Columbia (0.27%), Hancock (0.68%), Jenkins (1.21%), McDuffie (1.17%), and Washington (0.27%). In Georgia, employment increased

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Dr. Simon Medcalfe July 21, 2025 No Comments
B2B Stories

Company helps 1,000 students prepare for the fall

Felice West lives in Grovetown and takes care of her elementary school-aged granddaughters for the summer. The girls will go to classes in Savannah next month. “They needed paper, pens, and notebooks. This really helps me out, “the grandmom said. More than 100 families were in line outside the Bell Auditorium starting an hour before the Hawk Law Group Bookbag Bash on Saturday. The annual event is a perfect fit within the “Hawk Helps” ongoing campaign. “We do personal injury law and try and help families every day, “said Marketing

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Neil Gordon July 20, 2025 No Comments
Food and Fun

“Family Affair” at the Lake

By day, Samantha Valkenburg and her husband Matt (far right) have a routine. He runs a manufacturing company in Greenwood, South Carolina, and she is a stay-at-home mom with her three children under age eight (pictured playing together). “Sometimes I need a break, “said “Sam”, as her family and friends call her. Her first cousin, Trey (far left), and his wife, Jasmine, also love to come to Hester’s to decompress. They are willing to travel 3.5 hours each way from Charleston to go to the campground with their two children.

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Neil Gordon July 20, 2025 No Comments
B2B Stories

Rezoning request for major Aiken County employer

The Aiken County Planning Commission has approved a request to rezone two parcels in Graniteville. The request was from Rolls-Royce Solutions America, Inc., on behalf of MTU Detroit Diesel, Inc., for its facility in the Sage Mill Industrial Park. The request calls for re-zoning 73.41 acres on Bettis Academy Road from Rural Development (RUD) to Industrial Development (IND). One parcel has access to Bettis Academy Road, the other has access to Sage Mill Parkway and Power Drive. The site has manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution operations. The rezoning application stated, “Rezoning

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Dana Lynn McIntyre July 20, 2025 No Comments
Food and Fun

Week in the Life of a Working Vacation

The Work I’ve had thousands of assignments through the years. NONE were as fun as my week at Hester’s Bottoms Campground. Not many campgrounds have Wi-Fi service. Hester’s does. Ironically, WC Fiber is the company providing service to Hester’s and Gordon’s home office. In a normal week, I work remotely from my home, preparing our Augusta Business Daily publications. I’ll take this view any day of the week! Excuse my 5 o’clock shadow (and beyond). Part of my job this week was gathering photos and video with my wife, Melissa,

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Neil Gordon July 17, 2025 No Comments
B2B Stories

Franchise expands more in CSRA

The newest 7 Brew Coffee drive-thru will be opening on Whiskey Road in Aiken. The signs are up, and the next step is clearing the land. The Walton Way Extension store opened in June on the former Smith’s Chevron property. Once the land was cleared, the store opened in less than two months. There is also a Peach Orchard Road location open in the CSRA. Visit the number 7brew.com for menu information.

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Neil Gordon July 17, 2025 No Comments
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