Consumer Stories

Awards/Celebrations

The scoop on hiring a real estate agent

If you’ve enjoyed a successful 40-year career as a realtor, you’ve learned what to ask when selling your home or business. Ann Marie McManus shares the Top 7 questions you need to know when making this important decision. Pt. 2 in Ann Marie’s discussion is coming tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Read More »
B2B Stories

Leading the way in workforce development and education

Editor’s note: As Dr. Rick Franza reported, Georgia is once again getting high marks as one of America’s Top States for Business. This story follows up on how Augusta is plugging into the Education and Workforce rankings. Two of Georgia’s highest rankings put the Augusta metro at the forefront of the Education and Workforce categories with rankings of #8 and #4 respectively. “Workforce, obviously from the Chamber’s perspective, it’s comforting to see that we ranked fourth overall in the workforce,” Russell Lahodny, President and CEO of the Columbia County Chamber

Read More »
Consumer Stories

Embracing AI in Real Estate: A Lesson in Productivity and Personal Connection

The infusion of artificial intelligence within the workspace evokes a mix of excitement and apprehension. AI has already revolutionized healthcare, finance, and manufacturing, but how can AI help people in an oriented workplace without removing the personal touch that clients want? In the dynamic real estate industry, which thrives on personal relationships, the introduction of AI presents unique challenges and opportunities. Let’s delve into how AI has been integrated into our real estate brokerage, not only to drive productivity, but also to enrich the personal touch we offer our agents,

Read More »
B2B Stories

Road Construction Flips Festival Venue

Arts in the Heart of Augusta Festival will be returning to Broad Street and the Augusta Common on September 20 – 22 this year. The decision to move back was made after the road construction schedule for Telfair Street was announced last week. The Telfair Street construction would have impacted the festival site. Road construction on Broad Street, which had initially prompted the relocation, will now start in 2025. The festival will feature over 150 juried Fine Arts and Crafts artists this year, with artists coming from all over the

Read More »
Consumer Stories

New leader taking over for 70th season of Augusta institution

On Monday, a marketing professional takes over the Augusta Symphony and hopes to conduct herself in a way to lead her team into the 8th decade of music in Augusta. “I was asked to apply for the position, and I can’t wait to get started. I feel like all my past experiences in marketing, business development, and being actively involved in the community will be extremely helpful,” Becky Dearden explained. She previously served for eight years as the Marketing Director of SME CPAs, an accounting firm with offices in Augusta and

Read More »
Consumer Stories

Helping build a workforce pipeline for individuals with a criminal record

Two organizations have joined to create a series of specialized workshops to help previously incarcerated individuals reintegrate into meaningful employment. Goodwill Industries of Middle Georgia and the CSRA and ReNforce, an Augusta-based nonprofit organization dedicated to helping justice-involved individuals, will use existing programs and services to create pathways to employment by offering job readiness training workshops. “They cover things like time management, customer service, conflict resolution, skills, preparing for your interview,” Leah Pontani, Senior Vice President of Career Development at Goodwill, explained for ABD. “If you’re incarcerated for a number

Read More »
B2B Stories

South Carolina farm “grows” into the CSRA

What started as a produce stand 10 years ago in North, South Carolina, grew into one of the largest farms in the state. With 70 acres of produce including corn, okra, green beans, peas, squash, cucumbers, peppers, and watermelons, McCurley Farms is a hot commodity, especially at this time of year when families crave fresh fruits and veggies. Customers were already coming from across the CSRA and from as far away as Atlanta. When ABD talked to owner, Paul McCurley back in April, he had just partnered with Southern Carolina

Read More »
B2B Stories

Bouncing the way to major economic impact

North Augusta is preparing to welcome one of the CSRA’s most popular, and economically significant, events back to Riverview Park. The 2024 Nike EYBL Peach Jam Basketball Tournament kicks off on July 12. This marks the 28th year the city has hosted the tournament which began as the Peach Basket Classic in 1996. It began as a four-day event, expanded to a weeklong tournament and this year is growing again. “New this year is the event will last 10 days, July 12 through the 21st,” Rick Meyer, Director of Parks,

Read More »