Consumer Stories

Consumer Stories

Veterans Virtual Career Fair Today

Governor Henry McMaster, the South Carolina Department of Administration (Admin), and the South Carolina Department of Veterans’ Affairs (SCDVA) encourage all South Carolina Veterans looking to continue a career of service to take part in the Veterans’ Virtual Career Fair today, Nov. 14, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. “South Carolina state government is committed to connecting Veterans to the wide variety of career options available in state government,” said Admin Executive Director Marcia Adams. “This year’s event not only includes a way for Veterans to easily connect directly with agencies in

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B2B Stories

CSRA company expands with $4 million investment

The parent company of a manufacturing company on West Five Notch Road in Edgefield County, just south of Murrah Road, plans to expand. A news release from South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) announced Portland Bolt and Manufacturing will add a new facility alongside the former Southern Anchor Bolt facility. The $4.3 million investment will create more than 20 jobs. “We applaud Portland Bolt’s continued investment in Edgefield County and the new opportunities it creates for South Carolinians with this expansion. This announcement highlights Portland Bolt’s commitment to our community,

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B2B Stories

SRP accelerate$ Augusta

Augusta Technical College, in partnership with the Downtown Development Authority of Augusta, has announced that SRP is the naming sponsor for Accelerate Augusta, the region’s newest small business incubator and microenterprise center. SRP has made a significant multi-year commitment to support the project. As a result, the initiative will be referred to as “Accelerate Augusta Powered by SRP” for the next 10 years. SRP’s investment will provide furnishings and technology for the program, which will be headquartered at 600 Broad Street, as well as underwrite training programs for emerging businesses.

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B2B Stories

Simon Says: Our strong labor market

In a stunning victory last Tuesday night, Ruben Amorim’s Sporting Lisbon trounced Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City 4-1. Now, the hard work begins as Amorim tries to rejuvenate a moribund Manchester United. In other news, the Augusta Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) Labor Market Index (LMI) increased by 0.3 percent in September from August. It is 1.0 percent higher than September 2023. As I reported last week, employment and nominal average weekly earnings hit record levels in September. Additionally, the labor force expanded, and the average hours worked increased. The only component

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Consumer Stories

Solving CSRA’s Healthcare Shortage

Laurie Ott’s fourth leadership position in her impressive 30-year CSRA career may be her most challenging. She’s playing catch up with the influx of businesses and employees moving to the Peach State.  For 11 straight years, a trade publication voted Georgia the top-ranked state to do business. However, there is a major impact on additional employees and families moving here. “We need 1,500 more nurses in the CSRA,” she said Friday at the 2nd Annual Columbia County School District Career Health Expo. Ott says there is also a huge statewide

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B2B Stories

Breaking down the potential impact of tariffs

A hallmark of President-elect Donald Trump’s reelection campaign was a proposed increase in tariffs on goods coming into the United States. He proposed an increase of 10% to 20% on all foreign countries, with an additional 60% to 100% tariff on imported products from China. The National Retail Federation (NRF) commissioned a study to determine how increased tariffs will impact the cost of imported goods in six categories: Clothing, footwear, toys, furniture, household appliances, and travel goods. The study found that American consumers could lose between $46 billion and $78

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B2B Podcasting

Team Building in the CSRA

When employees used to think of team-building, it was often about a group outing like bowling. In today’s Work It Out video segment, TeKay Brown-Taylor says there are many more ways to bring the staff together. Listen to the entire team-building program this Saturday morning at 7:30 on Classy 1230 AM.

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Residential Real Estate

Real Talk Real Estate: CSRA Real Estate Market Update: What’s Happening in Augusta and Surrounding Areas?

If you’re following the real estate market in Augusta, GA, you know it’s been an eventful year. From shifting demand to fluctuating interest rates, buyers and sellers alike are navigating a changing landscape. Here’s a snapshot of the latest trends, insights, and what I expect to see as we move toward the end of 2024. Unfortunately, interest rates have continued to rise over the past year, putting a bit of a squeeze on affordability. Nonetheless, our area remains attractive to both local buyers and newcomers, thanks to the area’s quality

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B2B Stories

New Location for Columbia County Chamber Breakfast

The Columbia County Chamber of Commerce has selected an alternative site for its annual Legislative Breakfast. Damage to the Savannah Rapids Pavilion in the wake of Hurricane Helene meant individuals and organizations, including the Chamber, had to find alternate locations for their events. The annual event is set for Nov. 14. “We’re going to be at the DoubleTree Augusta,” Russell Lahodny, President and CEO of the Chamber told ABD. “Everybody’s looking for space, and so DoubleTree Augusta was one of our options that wasn’t already booked, so we chose to

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B2B Stories

Shop small. Win big.

More than 60 businesses and sponsors hope the Aiken Chamber’s annual Red Ticket campaign will keep local businesses in the black during the holiday shopping season. For the 4th year in a row, shoppers will receive a red ticket by visiting participating locations. For each $25 spent, you get a red ticket. Last year’s campaign topped $1.75 million in sales for local businesses. Those tickets will go into drawings each week through December 19 for cash prizes which increase each week for a total of $5,000 in cash giveaways during

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