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Consumer Stories
Awards

Aiken Regional receives top award

Some of the top considerations for any company in relocating or expansion include tax environment, talent pool, affordable housing, and quality healthcare. Aiken has placed itself in a prime position. Aiken Regional Medical Centers has been named among U.S. News & World Report’s 2025-2026 Best Hospitals edition as a High Performing hospital for Pacemaker Implantation. This is the highest distinction a hospital can earn as part of U.S. News’ Best Hospitals Procedures & Conditions ratings. U.S. News’ annual Procedures & Conditions ratings are designed to assist patients and their health care providers in

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Staff Report July 30, 2025 No Comments
B2B Stories

Local Home Healthcare Provider wins statewide award

Nuclear Care Partners was recently honored as one of only two Home Healthcare Providers in the state to be recognized as Best of South Carolina 2025 in the Guide to South Carolina.  The agency has played a big part in helping Savannah River Site employees recover from major illnesses and ailments. The local staff is in Aiken at 933 Dougherty Road and services the entire state of South Carolina and Georgia. There is also a satellite office in Augusta. Nuclear Care Partners is in its 15th year of providing our nation’s

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Neil Gordon July 29, 2025 No Comments
Consumer Stories

More jobs in the Augusta area this summer

The Georgia Department of Labor announced late last week that the seven-county Augusta Metropolitan Statistical Area recorded an unemployment rate of 4.4% in June. A year ago, the rate was 4.8%. “June’s unemployment trends tell a familiar story — Georgia’s students are stepping into our workforce as schools let out for summer, creating the temporary unemployment and hiring fluctuations typical for this time of year,” said Georgia Labor Commissioner, Bárbara Rivera Holmes. “With Georgia’s recent historic announcement of 5 million jobs, these students are stepping into a local workforce that

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Staff Report July 29, 2025 No Comments
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
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