Consumer Stories

Consumer Stories

Business Lunch Review: Roma’s Pizza

Food Quality: 3 Service: 4 Business Meeting: 5 Value: 3 Overall Rating: 3.75 out of 5 Pizza has always been one of my favorite foods, and I don’t foresee that changing in my lifetime. But not all pizzas are created equal. Over the years, I’ve tried various types of pies with a wide array of unique toppings. For example, many years ago, Pizza Hut sold a Steak Lovers Pizza topped with A.1. Steak Sauce, and the company now offers a Hawaiian Luau Pizza with pineapple, probably the most controversial topping.

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B2B Stories

Update on multi-million dollar renovation project

Progress is being made on a comprehensive cancer treatment center to be located in the former Medac Building at 150 Bluff Avenue in North Augusta, SC. These development efforts represent total investments of over $35,000,000 into North Augusta, including $20,000,000 invested into the former Medac Building. Following Medac’s acquisition by Coronis Health, the Board of North Augusta Forward recognized the opportunity for the building to better support downtown revitalization by increasing the density of employees and customers using the building. Working with Palmetto Peach Development, a Master Plan was developed

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Consumer Stories

Working for the Weekend: The Augusta Market

I love a good day trip with the kiddos, but you don’t actually have to leave the city to find a fun outing for the weekend. Just a drive downtown can provide a fun Saturday with the kids, or even the pets. I hit up the Augusta Market with two of our three girls and had a good time just discovering what’s available at the stands near the river. And let me tell you, it’s quite an eclectic offering. I think most people assume it’s a farmer’s market vibe, but

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Consumer Stories

CSRA businesses support Red Cross disaster response

Almost 800 Red Cross volunteers are temporarily calling Augusta home. A few are local, but Red Crossers from across the states of Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida are pitching in to answer the need. The East Central Georgia Red Cross based in Augusta is currently serving as disaster response headquarters for what continues to unfold as a catastrophe for all three states. “We couldn’t serve as homebase for this disaster response without our community partners like Golden Harvest for warehousing supplies and the Exchange Club Fairgrounds for providing space to

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B2B Stories

AI company partners with CSRA clinics

Artificial Intelligence is being utilized in almost every industry with banking, data-based and technical services, and manufacturing and assembly-line companies at the top of the list. The medical field is coming on strong as AI tools help doctors pinpoint high-risk patients. Innovative Renal Care operates more than 230 clinics in 25 states, including South Augusta Dialysis Clinic and North Augusta Dialysis Center. The company has partnered with DeLorean AI with the goal of helping assist with screenings, keeping patients healthier, and prolonging life expectancy. Severence MacLaughlin founded DeLorean AI five

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B2B Stories

Balancing the Short-Term and the Long-Term

At this time last year, I wrote a column that discussed Major League Baseball’s “trade deadline” and how it provides some good lessons that we can apply to business decision-making. In today’s column, I will revisit one of those lessons in more detail than I provided last time.  However, before we delve into that lesson, please allow me to quickly review the trade deadline and its implications. This year’s trade deadline was last Tuesday, July 30, at 6 pm EDT, meaning that teams cannot make trades for players from other

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B2B Stories

Busby’s brings an Olympic buzz to CSRA

A unique video campaign showcasing a company mascot is creating quite a buzz on social media. Busby’s Heating and Air Conditioning has put Buzz front and center at Olympic-style competitions including basketball, pole vaulting, and skateboarding. Of course, Buzz isn’t really in Paris, but the campaign highlights many local venues as a backdrop for his athletic prowess. Some of the highlights from their 10-video campaign include: Swimming: In this video, Buzz visits the Wilson Family Y and takes viewers on a tour of their pool and gives them a glimpse

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Closings

Big Lots planning to close many CSRA locations

The anchor store in Aiken’s Silver Bluff Commons Shopping Center is the latest location on the Big Lots “hit list” along with two other CSRA spots. Big Lots just moved into this 58,000-square-foot shopping center on 1016 Pine Log Road less than three years ago. “Jordan Trotter Commercial Real Estate handles property management and leasing for the Silver Bluff Commons Shopping Center in Aiken. We are aware of Big Lots’ future closing and are currently working on the marketing for that space. The current tenant lineup is as follows: Habanero Mexican

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Consumer Stories

Family opens CSRA fitness business this Friday

It’s not a stretch. A husband and wife team with strong medical backgrounds, plan to open six locations of StretchLab in Georgia, with the first opening this weekend in Evans. Located at 620 Mullins Colony in the same shopping center as Belks, the new studio will introduce people of all ages and fitness levels to the various health and wellness benefits of working with highly trained Flexologists™ in an open, modern, environment. StretchLab Evans is owned by husband-and-wife duo, Pat and Shirley Wulf, franchisees with first-hand experience in the life-changing

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B2B Stories

Simon Says: 3-year high—CSRA jobs update

The national unemployment rate in June hit 4.1%. While still historically low, it represents the first time in 30 months that the unemployment rate exceeded 4.0%, going back to November 2021. In the Augusta Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate has also risen recently. It hit 4.0% in June, up 0.4 percentage points since March. The last time the unemployment rate was 4.0% was three years ago in June 2021 (see graph below). Across the counties of the MSA, unemployment rates (not seasonally adjusted) have increased quite dramatically

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