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Consumer Stories
Consumer Stories

State of GA/SC Retail

The National Retail Federation is out with its 4th annual State of Retail and the Consumer, essentially the industry trade organization’s State of the Union report. ABD attended NRF’s March 20 Zoom event, led by Matthew Shay, President and CEO. NRF predicts retail sales will increase between 2.5% and 3.5% in 2024. That represents an economic impact between $5.23 trillion and $5.28 trillion. “The resiliency of consumers continues to power the American economy, and we are confident there will be moderate but steady growth through the end of the year,”

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Dana Lynn McIntyre March 24, 2024 No Comments
Consumer Stories

Dune 2: A colossal achievement and big $ for local theaters and beyond

The biggest franchise of the post-Superhero era in movies saw its second installment at the beginning of the month. Delayed by several months due to the industry strikes, the film’s opening was moved from Autumn 2023 to Spring 2024, a move that was done either out of generosity to last year’s Oscar contenders, calculation for a full press rollout, or foresight for owning the year. Nevertheless, Dune: Part Two is finally in theaters. The world of Arrakis is reopened for the viewers, continuing the tale of Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet)

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Dylan James March 20, 2024 No Comments
B2B Stories

Party with a purpose at SRP Park

A celebration at SRP Park marked the end of four years of studying for Medical College of Georgia students and opened the door to the next step. Match Day 2024 saw more than 240 medical students from MCG in Augusta and from the AU/UGA Medical Partnership in Athens handed a simple envelope holding their future. Dr. David Hess, Dean of MCG, welcomed the students, some joined by their parents, to the event with an early 2000’s theme. Staff and students wore costumes ranging from Harry Potter characters to anime as

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Dana Lynn McIntyre March 20, 2024 No Comments
B2B Stories

Off to the races with a major economic impact

While it doesn’t involve world-class golf, there is another time-honored tradition in the CSRA and this one is all about horses. The 57th running of the Aiken Spring Steeplechase is Saturday, March 23, and it’s a big deal. According to the Aiken Steeplechase Association, more than 25,000 visitors will attend this weekend’s event. The 43 horses entered came from up and down the Eastern seaboard. That means, horse owners, jockeys, and supporters are probably already here. While ABD couldn’t confirm a bottom-line figure for economic impact, Eric Gordon, the city

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Mitzi Oxford March 20, 2024 No Comments
Awards/Celebrations

“Greatest honor ever,” says veteran realtor

Meybohm’s Ann Marie McManus has a stack of sales awards from her 40-plus year career as one of the “go-to” agents in the CSRA, specializing in the Summerville area. One of her more recent accolades, she said was her greatest honor ever. “Receiving the Good Neighbor Award is truly something special. This award, given for the first time ever in Augusta, recognizes my commitment to giving back to our amazing community. It goes beyond professional achievements and speaks to the heart of who I am,” said McManus. She was at

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Neil Gordon March 19, 2024 No Comments
Consumer Stories

10th location of refreshment café in Augusta

Kommatea is set to open soon between the Augusta Mall food court and the Macy’s on the upper level of the Mall. Kommatea’s brand of Boba teas, refreshers, and macarons is growing, thanks to its focus on opening at shopping malls mostly in Florida and Georgia, including one in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Kommatea uses fruit juices and milk to mix in various types of teas and flavors like Oreo, Ice Cream Sundae, Crème Brulee, Smores, Strawberry, Blueberry, Banana, and more. Main competition in the CSRA comes from established brands like: Lily

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Neil Gordon March 18, 2024 No Comments
B2B Stories

Financing for new hospital in place

Funding for the construction of the new Columbia County hospital in Grovetown has passed its last step. Attorney Jim Driver told members of the Columbia County Hospital Authority they successfully closed on the $375 million bond and construction is underway. Crews have been clearing the land in anticipation of the start of construction. “The main role is going to be for you to sit on their board, and also to get the quarterly financials. None of that is triggered until they have a certificate of occupancy,” he explained. The series

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Dana Lynn McIntyre March 18, 2024 No Comments
Consumer Stories

Hospitality Masters style

Restaurants begin preparing months in advance by hiring and training extra wait staff. For the hospitality industry, it’s like gaining an extra month, because many do about 10% of their annual business in that one week. Vera Stewart starts preparing in May for the following April’s tournament! Augustans may think of “Very Vera” as a one-woman show. By the time April comes, she’ll have worked with a few hundred people on her Masters business. The Masters will mark 87 years at Augusta National. Vera Stewart has been catering for the

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Mitzi Oxford and Neil Gordon March 17, 2024 No Comments
B2B Stories

Veteran wins big at Fort Eisenhower PX

Retired Staff Sgt. James Mabry uses his MILITARY STAR® card whenever he shops at the Fort Eisenhower Exchange because he likes earning rewards points on his purchases. A swipe of the card late last year led to an entirely different reward: having his entire card balance paid off. Mabry was randomly selected as one of five grand prize winners in the 10th Annual MILITARY STAR Your Holiday Bill Is on Us sweepstakes. He was presented with a mock check representing his $8,122.50 balance—now paid in full—during a celebration at the Fort Eisenhower

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Staff Report March 13, 2024 No Comments
Consumer Stories

Oscars Recap: Nuanced Highs and the Big Disappointment

This year’s Oscar ceremony was the shortest in years – a rapid-fire cavalcade that barely had time to breathe. Despite this, it produced some real surprises, good and bad. Oppenheimer, unsurprisingly, won the top awards of the night, including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Director. The film provided the path for actors, Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey, Jr., as well as director, Christopher Nolan, to finally win their Oscars. It was one of a handful of “finally” moments. Nolan made a particularly inspired speech, emphasizing how

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Dylan James March 13, 2024 No Comments
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