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Consumer Stories

CSRA businesses hope to raise $200k plus this holiday season

You may have noticed the iconic red kettles out over Black Friday weekend. Recently, the Salvation Army of Augusta kicked off its annual campaign at an area business event. Volunteers are set up outside area stores like Walmart, Sam’s Club, Hobby Lobby, Bass Pro Shop, Food Lion, and others. Last year’s campaign collected more than $200,000. “All that money stays here local, and that helps support the Center of Hope, where, over the last three years, we’ve been able to move 400 people from homelessness into housing,” Major Jonathan Raymer,

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Dana Lynn McIntyre December 1, 2025 No Comments
Consumer Stories

Small CSRA businesses ready to take center stage for holiday shopping

The National Retail Federation (NRF) predicted holiday sales could top $1 trillion this year. This Saturday is when small CSRA businesses step into the spotlight, hoping to grab some of those sales. Small Business Saturday, also known as Shop Small Saturday, was the brainchild of American Express in 2010. Business leaders everywhere promote the day, urging shoppers to support local small businesses. Angie Cox, President and CEO of the Metro Augusta Chamber of Commerce, told ABD 90% of chamber members have 50 employees or fewer. “They literally are what make

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Dana Lynn McIntyre November 26, 2025 No Comments
B2B Stories

Another multi-million-dollar expansion in Aiken County

One of Aiken County’s oldest companies is planning a more than $12 million investment in its facility. AGY manufactures specialty glass fiber. It is expanding the capacity of its low-dielectric (Low Dk) and low-dissipation factor (Low DF) glass fibers. “Their material is used in cell phones, in military applications, pretty much anything in our world. This expansion is related to the growth in AI (artificial intelligence), and so this yarn is used in the manufacturing of the chips used in AI,” Will Williams, President and CEO of Western SC Economic

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Dana Lynn McIntyre November 24, 2025 No Comments
B2B Stories

Kendrick Deal: What happens to staff?

Stephen Kendrick JR. got a nice 75th Anniversary present heading into the holiday week. Classic Collision, one of the fastest-growing auto body repair and collision companies in the U.S., acquired Kendrick Paint and Body. Kendrick, who purchased ownership in 2008 and ended his tenure as sole owner and CEO, communicated to staff on Thursday morning that the deal was done. The acquisition affects more than 190 employees who operate the nine locations on both sides of the Savannah River. There’s some confusion as to how many employees will be affected

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Neil Gordon November 21, 2025 No Comments
Consumer Stories

Former fast-food site up for sale again

The Freddie’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers franchisee in Augusta and North Augusta is not building a third unit in the CSRA—after all. The GVL hospitality group that owns Freddie’s, just off Washington Road in West Augusta and on Martintown Road in North Augusta, was going to build on the site of the former Zaxby’s on 1725 Whiskey Road in Aiken. The 3650 square foot building sits on about a half-acre and attracts about 22,000 cars that pass by the property each day. It’s been re-listed for $1.45 million. It’s near

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Neil Gordon November 20, 2025 No Comments
B2B Stories

A glimpse inside the area’s newest hospital

Elected officials and business leaders had a peek inside the hospital under construction in Columbia County. The facility is at exit 190 off Interstate 20. Officials with Wellstar MCG Health organized a Friday morning walk of the 85% completed building on Gateway Boulevard, near the Gateway to Grovetown. “It’s amazing that I’m standing here at this moment in Columbia County’s history,” said David Jameson, interim President and CEO of the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce. “It feels good. If I’m excited, every citizen in Columbia County should be just overwhelmed

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Dana Lynn McIntyre November 18, 2025 No Comments
Closings

BizBits

In today’s Biz Bits, ABD looks into a restaurant closing in Evans, a snack shop opening in downtown Augusta, and DoorDash helping out the hungry. Ruby Tuesday is now closed permanently in Mullins Crossing in Evans. Two North Augusta locations remain open for the casual restaurant. With 1600 reviews, Ruby Tuesday had a 4.0 rating out of 5, but many customers on Facebook wrote how the service, cleanliness, and food quality had gone down.   Pop’n Off Gourmet Popcorn and Nuts is celebrating its grand opening and celebration tomorrow afternoon,

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Neil Gordon November 17, 2025 No Comments
B2B Stories

Getting back to normal at the airport

Augusta Regional Airport urges travelers to brace for ongoing delays — as employees scramble to recover from missed paychecks and wait for back pay. Even though the 40-day federal shutdown has officially ended, Augusta Regional Airport leaders say the effects are far from over — not only for passengers, but for the more than 80 TSA and FAA employees now scrambling to catch up on bills, repay loans, and recover from more than a month without a paycheck. At the same time, flight schedules remain unstable, and a 6% nationwide flight reduction

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Dana Lynn McIntyre November 14, 2025 No Comments
B2B Stories

Helping entrepreneurs while checking off your Christmas List

There is a special retail event tomorrow at Augusta University (AU) on a campus more commonly associated with cybersecurity. The Holiday Maker’s market is on Friday from 11 AM to 3:30 PM at the Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center (GCITC) on Grace Hopper Lane. Tina Baggott, AU’s interim executive vice president for Strategic Partnerships and Economic Development, told ABD the market has two goals. First, to offer early Christmas shopping with unique items created by students and faculty. The second purpose is to foster entrepreneurship, particularly among student vendors.

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Dana Lynn McIntyre November 13, 2025 No Comments
Consumer Stories

Local & Holiday shopping expected to hit record levels

A leading industry organization has checked the trends, conducted surveys, crunched the numbers, and believes spending for the 2025 holiday buying season will top $1 trillion. Ray Carnes, founder of Recteq in Evans and part-owner, says he can tell already it’s going to be a strong holiday season. Friends and others are constantly asking, “When will Black Friday sales start?” Carnes says the earlier people ask, the better their season is. The National Retail Federation (NRF) lists the time between November 1st and December 31st as the holiday shopping season.

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Dana Lynn McIntyre and Neil Gordon November 12, 2025 No Comments
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