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Final public hearing set for tomorrow on SPLOST 9

Economic development CSRA leaders think they can recruit one company for a new 1,150-acre area. It’s called the McCombs Mega-site. They need more infrastructure to make it happen—and need a positive vote in about one month. That’s when Richmond County voters will be asked to decide on the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) 9 project list in May. SPLOST 9 is a proposed one-cent sales tax, money targeted for specific capital improvement projects. If approved, it will replace SPLOST 8 when it expires. SPLOST 9 will raise an

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Dana Lynn McIntyre April 20, 2026 No Comments
Consumer Stories

2nd restaurant opens in new West Augusta location

If Trenton Andrews (center) looks a little tired, it’s easy to understand why. He camped out since 9:30 Wednesday night in advance of Thursday morning’s grand opening of the second Surcheros Tex Mex restaurant in Augusta. Andrews is one of the first 50 customers to win an entrée per week for an entire year. “I’ve been eating at Surcheros since I was 13,” said the AU Psychology student. That was at the Macon, Georgia, Surcheros. Andrews eats three times a week at the original Augusta location of Surcheros on Washington

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Article and Photos by Neil Gordon April 17, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

Take Me to Your Leaderboard: Lessons Learned from This Year’s Masters Contenders

As we begin Day 4 of Post-2026 Masters, life is returning to normal in Augusta. Here at Augusta University, students are in the homestretch of the Spring Semester, and many local businesses are experiencing a combination of celebration and relief.  There are lessons learned from the golfers who contended for this year’s Green Jacket. Prior to the start of the 2026 Masters, there were many questions swirling around many of the potential favorites to win the tournament. Defending champion Rory McIlroy had not played competitively in the month since he

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Dr. Rick Franza, Professor, AU Hull College of Business April 16, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

Public play tees off at The Patch

Anticipation has been building, and the wait is now over. The redesigned Augusta Municipal Golf Course is open to the public for business. The Patch, as it is affectionately known, had a soft re-opening in mid-March. The first weeks, however, were for high school golf teams and other groups to experience the new facility, followed by private parties during Masters Week. The project had two parts. First, a major renovation of the 18-hole golf course. The second part was creating a nine-hole short course, designed by five-time Masters champion Tiger

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Dana Lynn McIntyre April 15, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

Simon Says: Big growth from 2 Counties in the CSRA

The Census Bureau released population data for 2024-2025 recently. In the metro area, Aiken County in South Carolina and Columbia County in Georgia grew by more than 5,000 residents. McDuffie County in Georgia lost 103 persons. The Census Bureau could also break down how much of these changes were due to natural changes (births and deaths) and how much was due to migration, both domestic and international. For Aiken County, most of the population change was due to migration (+2,752), of which only 81 persons were international migrants. Similarly, in

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Dr. Simon Medcalfe, AU Hull College of Business Economics Professor April 14, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

Selling Metro Augusta on a national stage

Augusta Mayor Garnett Johnson (pictured to the left of Georgia Governor Brian Kemp)called the just-concluded Red Carpet Tour the” icing on top“ for the hard-working economic leaders charged with bringing new companies to Augusta. He points to past success. “That is the hook, he told ABD from Thursday’s event near the Masters tournament. If you look around the city at some of our notable employers, whether it be Aurubis Richmond, which was one of our newest investments, or GF Castings (under construction in the Augusta Corporate Park), they came here

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Dana Lynn McIntyre April 13, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

Companies use golf and laptops to interest CSRA kids

The timing of the Masters golf tournament certainly helped a pair of technology companies to influence future leaders. Students were part of an interactive, STEM – based Putt-Putt activity to inspire learning. AT&T partnered with Compu adopt, and the nonprofit learned fresh to help the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Augusta. 100 refurbished laptops were donated, along with a $25,000 community investment to support the AT&T Connected Learning Center at the club.  “Access to technology and digital tools is essential to how our students learn in today’s world. We appreciate

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Neil Gordon April 10, 2026 No Comments
Consumer Stories

Topgolf brings in top names after 1st round of Masters

Country music star Rodney Atkins will be “watching you” if you come to Topgolf tonight for his concert. You can also yuk it up with a golfing legend tonight and Friday night. Band members from Sister Hazel were scheduled to perform last night, and Black Dog tomorrow night. While much attention is focused on Washington Road, golf patrons visiting Augusta have a chance to test their own skills just down the road. Topgolf is a straight, one-mile shot down Alexander Drive from Washington Road. Tucked at the end of the

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Dana Lynn McIntyre and Neil Gordon April 9, 2026 No Comments
B2B Stories

Family business keeps on trucking with special anniversary

The Matthews family is getting ready to throw a 35th Anniversary party to thank customers, vendors, and staff. They say they’ll keep on moving for many years to come. Shown in photo from left to right: Austin Matthews, Aaron Matthews, Tanya Matthews, Bob Matthews, Alan Matthews Patriarch Bob Matthews founded Matthews Motors in 1991 as a mobile repair operation. Matthews Motors is now a family-owned commercial truck sales dealership and service provider for fleet operators across the Southeast.  Bob’s sons, Aaron Matthews and Austin Matthews, are now leading the company

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Neil Gordon April 8, 2026 No Comments
Consumer Stories

“Bad Birdie” success inspired by Masters tournament

A few years ago, this week, Jason Richardson walked the Augusta National course and took pride in seeing how many patrons wore his Bad Birdie-branded shirts and hats. “Going to the Masters was like Disneyland for adults,” said the company owner headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. His most recent collection, “Amateursland,” is a nod to the theme park, amateur golfers, and The Masters.  Mr. Peach, The Gnome, Pimento C. Sandwich, Folding Chair, and Dr. Azalea are some of the iconic characters placed on his apparel, based on the famed tournament.  Bad

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Neil Gordon April 7, 2026 No Comments
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