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Consumer Stories

Local tutoring studio delays opening due to permitting issues

A nationally franchised music lesson studio got a lesson in the way our local government conducts business. ABD chose not to show a photo of a stop-work order issued by the County on September 23rd, as an inspector’s cellphone number is prominently displayed.  The franchisee of Musicologie failed to obtain permits to begin work on the buildout and had to stop any construction. ABD received a statement from Columbia County yesterday in part that reads:  “In this case, County staff have worked with the business owner to identify the permitting

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Neil Gordon October 21, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

CSRA company grows its consulting agency

Publisher’s Note: This is part 2 of a multi-part series on the explosive growth of “The Pennant Group”, a health insurance agency and HR consulting company in Augusta. It started five years ago with four employer clients and two employees. As we approach 2027, The Pennant Group is nearing 100 employer clients and 400 individual and group Medicare clients with 11 employees, the latest of which is opening up a new market for TPG in HR Services. As Tom Mastny’s former major league baseball team in Cleveland competes for the

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Neil Gordon October 20, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

Simon Says: Free Market System

This second column, commemorating the semiquincentennial of economics, examines Adam Smith’s views on enterprise. (Spoiler alert – he is still turning in his grave) Smith believed in individual freedom and self-interest. A famous quote states, “It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest.” The free market and profit incentivize merchants, craftsmen, and artisans to provide meat, beer, and bread, not because of some altruistic feeling for others, but because it is

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Dr. Simon Medcalfe, AU Hull College of Business Economics Professor October 20, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

New CSRA company puts up $100,000 in matching funds

Applications are being accepted for grants offered by one of Metro Augusta’s newest financial institutions. There are nearly 20 nominations, but none in the Peach State. There is a key 100-hour period once nonprofits are selected. Palmetto Citizens Foundation, the 501(c)(3) arm of South Carolina-based Palmetto Citizens Federal Credit Union (PCFCU), is calling on nonprofit organizations to apply for its Fuel the Change campaign. “Fuel the Change is a campaign for us to be able to match funds for five different nonprofits,” foundation executive director Emilie Lewis told ABD. “I

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Dana Lynn McIntyre October 19, 2026 No Comments
Consumer Stories

Celebrating entrepreneur’s $50 million investment in CSRA

Life will be made a little bit easier for younger patients in Augusta, thanks to a former payroll company executive and philanthropist. The hospital formally recognized the renaming of the hospital to Wellstar Golisano Children’s Hospital of Georgia.  ABD first told you about the $50 million gift at the end of 2025. It remains the largest sum in the history of both Wellstar and the Children’s Hospital. The Wellstar Golisano Children’s Hospital of Georgia cares for children from every county in Georgia and children from neighboring states. The group is,

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Neil Gordon/Staff Report October 16, 2026 No Comments
Consumer Stories

Interesting Grand Opening for Dessert Shop

ABD first told you about plans for Paris Baguette to open sweet shops in Evans and Aiken, and now the first store is open. The Evans location next to the Cava Mediterranean food restaurant is open. Parking could be a challenge for both of those popular eateries in front of Mullins Colony on Washington Road in Evans. Some patrons may need to park in the shopping center and walk over. Thanks to members of Let’s Talk Augusta and Augusta Business Connection for first posting photos and word of the opening.

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Neil Gordon October 15, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

The impact of tourism in Augusta and statewide

Tickets are on sale for the annual Augusta State of Tourism (ASOT) event. We’ll learn whether visitor spending hits $1 billion.  Sponsored by Destination Augusta, the event brings into focus the impact the tourism and hospitality industry has on Metro Augusta. President and CEO Bennish Brown told ABD the celebration brings together all of Destination Augusta’s partners, including the Augusta Sports Council. “No success happens in Augusta, at least from the tourism space, without us collectively working,” he said. “So, our annual Augusta State of Tourism is when we just

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Dana Lynn McIntyre October 14, 2026 No Comments
Consumer Stories

Simon Says: Job earnings up 13% in Augusta!

Our paychecks are far out-pacing inflation in Augusta. It’s not even close. Employment has grown by 100 since August 2025, and the unemployment rate has fallen from 4.2% to 3.9%. The unemployment rate is the lowest since March 2024. The labor force, those in work and those seeking work, has grown by almost 6,000 people in the last year.  Hours worked is the only labor market variable that decreased from August 2026, down 6 minutes. Average weekly earnings in the private sector increased by $153 from August 2025 to a

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Dr. Simon Medcalfe, AU Hull College of Business Economics Professor October 13, 2026 No Comments
Consumer Stories

7th-year local company helping over the holidays

Tis’ the Season of Giving with the Hawk Law Group. You and your company can help by nominating a local family that could use some holiday cheer. Once families are selected, Lindsey McCullough (pictured above), Director of Marketing at Hawk Law, will take the wish lists and go shopping. “From gifts under the tree to help with everyday essentials, our goal is simple: take some of the weight off families who need it most,” said Lindsey. Season of Giving is our way of reminding our neighbors that our law group

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Neil Gordon October 9, 2026 No Comments
Consumer Stories

Planting a new course in the CSRA

Two years ago, Hurricane Helene wiped out almost half of the trees in the CSRA—and cost tens of millions of dollars.  A few groups are getting together to help area businesses and homeowners. The Grow Back Project is a collaboration with UGA, the Community Foundation for the CSRA (CFCSRA), regional partners and Georgia Power. CFCSRA president and CEO Shell Berry told ABD they could engage UGA’s expertise to bring resources to the average person who wants to replant or put trees back in their yard. “It will not only help

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Dana Lynn McIntyre October 8, 2026 No Comments
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