Consumer Stories

Consumer Stories

A Gracious Goodbye to Augusta Business Daily

This week will mark my last as an entertainment writer for Augusta Business Daily, and it is a bittersweet feeling. When I started last September, I was fresh out of the Savannah College of Art & Design with a degree in Dramatic Writing and, seemingly, nothing to do with it. The movie industry was frozen: paralyzed for a moment with pangs of greed, anger, demonstrations, and perseverance by the folks who make the biz operate daily. Yet, my passion for movies – a love story dating back to being a

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Consumer Stories

Retail boom at Village at Riverwatch

After more than 10 years of planning, land clearing, groundbreakings, and construction, there is no more room at the Inn over at the Village at Riverwatch in Augusta. The leasing agents and property managers at Jordan Trotter Commercial shared the celebratory news on Wednesday morning. JT tells ABD that the last two tenants to open were Starbucks and Smoothie King and that there are more than 20 different entities open for business. The last parcel of land developed was at the entrance of the center when the Olive Garden moved

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Consumer Stories

First step complete for new Augusta entertainment complex

The public got its first look inside the newly renovated and expanded Bell Auditorium during a Tuesday ribbon-cutting ceremony. The facility closed about a year ago for the more than $17 million project, designed to enhance the current venue as the first phase of a three-phase development. “For more than 80 years, this venue here has hosted a lot of fun events,” Mayor Garnett Johnson told the crowd. “Here we are, bigger and better, to host more events for generations to come.” The Bell is more than 80 years old.

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B2B Stories

New business serves up tasty way to beat the heat

The first day of summer is still about three weeks away, but with temperatures starting to hit 90 degrees in the CSRA, the opening of The Classic Cone ice cream shop is perfect timing. When Carrie Srnka moved from New York to Aiken in 2016, she knew she would eventually open a soft-serve ice cream business. It took a while because she also owns Wellness Deserved, which offers PEMF, Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy for Humans, Horses, and Pets. For more information, click here. Another delay came when Srnka was looking

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Consumer Stories

Beyond Casual’s Upcoming Thriller Is Creative Collaboration

At the foot of the Thurmond Dam last week, movie magic was once again being made in Augusta. The film is called The Observance, a psychological thriller brought to you by Beyond Casual Media, a local media company that has produced several films over the past half-decade. Their presence is a jolt of life into Georgia’s recovering filmmaking scene following the creative industry strikes of 2023. The Observance is the fourth in a string of indie features made by collaborators, Robert Hollocks and Amy Rhinehart Bailey, preceded by Encounter (2021),

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Consumer Stories

Business Lunch Review: Beamie’s At The River

Food Quality: 4 Service: 5 Business Meeting: 4 Value: 4 Overall Rating: 4.25 out of 5 I feel it’s important to start this review with a confession: I don’t eat seafood, but I enjoy eating at seafood restaurants. That probably doesn’t make sense, but I’ll explain. Those eateries typically serve good burgers, steaks, chicken tenders, and other menu items offered specifically for land lovers like me. Many of my family members, including my wife, love seafood, such as fish, shrimp, oysters, and scallops. I’m happy to join them for dinner

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Consumer Stories

A familiar building in the CSRA re-opens

The sign welcoming visitors to the Piedmont Augusta Summerville Hospital says it all. The hospital has re-opened for in-patient care and emergency services. It had been providing only outpatient care. It also serves as the health science campus of Augusta Technical College. Nic Wood, Administrator of the hospital, told ABD many in the Augusta community kept telling them that they missed the hospital. Wood understood the connection people felt for the hospital. The Thomson native was born there when it was still known as St. Joseph Hospital. “So, we said,

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Consumer Stories

Air show returns to Augusta airport this weekend

The skies over Augusta will soon be filled with military teams and civilian aviators demonstrating their abilities. The second Annual Augusta Air Show will be held at Augusta Regional Airport on May 25 and 26. “It’s great that we’re coming back for a second year. We look forward to putting on another great show for the Augusta area folk,” Chris Dirato, Director of Public Relations for Augusta Air Show told ABD. “We’ll have a combination of military, as well as civilian performers. So, as I like to say, we have

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B2B Stories

Groundbreaking partnership pairs student career goals with workforce needs

Seated together at the intersection of education, technology, and workforce development, representatives from Strom Thurmond High School (STHS) and Self Regional Healthcare signed an innovative, long-term partnership recently that promises to join student career aspirations and community workforce needs hand in hand. The new agreement announces Self Regional Healthcare’s commitment to take the lead as the title sponsor and community partner of Strom Thurmond High School’s Human Services and Business Academy. The new academy will now be recognized as the Self Regional Healthcare Human Services and Business Academy. The heart

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Consumer Stories

John Deere honored with Good Neighbor Award

The company slogan is “Nothing runs like a Deere” and the Red Cross couldn’t run their humanitarian response without the support of businesses and individuals. As the volunteer partner for the Red Cross “Sound the Alarm” campaign, more than 30 John Deere employees volunteered their time to go door to door recently with Red Crossers and the Augusta Fire Department installing free smoke alarms and providing fire safety education to families in the Harrisburg Community. “It was truly inspiring working with such dedicated John Deere employees visiting homes, installing smoke

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