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Consumer Stories

Delta flies high with new systems and old-time service

Jason Blackburn is a third-generation owner of the Delta Pest and Termite Company headquartered in Burke County, but he’s not set in doing things the way they’ve always been done. “For the first time in 40 years, we optimized all of our routes,” he said from his spacious office on Millen Highway in Waynesboro. (see photo above) That’s not only a tall order, but a big deal since his grandfather Jimmie and grandmother Frankie founded the company in December, 1963. Frankie is alive and ensures Delta is run with the

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Consumer Stories

Chocolatier takes a bite out of childhood hunger

Willy Wonka, the most memorable chocolatier of all, said, “So shines a good deed in a weary world.” Think of James Stefanakos, owner of Agape Chocolates, as the Willy Wonka of Graniteville. His business card reflects his mission. Instead of CEO, it reads CFG or Chief Food Giver. He dedicates 15 percent of his chocolate bar sales to Golden Harvest Food Bank in support of their Backpack Program. “Our motto is Buy a Bar, Feed a Child,” he said. “Since we opened in 2015, our donations have helped feed close

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B2B Stories

SRP Park offers many ways to help your company hit a home run

Even if you’re not a baseball fan, SRP Park offers a variety of ways for a business to reward employees and customers, entertain clients or just enjoy a little R&R. “Whether you like baseball or not, it’s a great place to come and relax,” Tom Denlinger, Augusta GreenJackets Vice President, said. “All you have to do is give out the tickets and we’ll do all the work.” There are two ways to enjoy the amenities of SRP Park – at a baseball game or at one of the numerous events

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Consumer Stories

Count of Augusta’s homeless population begins today

The homeless situation often is a concern of downtown businesses. Now Augusta is about to find out just how many people classified as homeless are living in the area. The 2022 Point-In-Time count of the homeless population in Augusta-Richmond County begins today and will run through the end of the month. This count is led by the Department of Housing and Community Development with help from other organizations. The count features a six-question survey that will determine demographic information, including mental health and addictions. Outreach programs, which many area businesses

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B2B Stories

Local electronics recycler wants your old business equipment

You’ve heard the saying, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” Richard Green wants to help businesses recycle their old computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices to create new devices. Green, CEO, and founder of Tech 4 Success, LLC, a local electronics recycling company, was the guest speaker for the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce’s Third Thursday Business Builder event on Thursday. He discussed the importance of developing a plan for dealing with e-waste. “Electronic devices are 100 percent recyclable,” Green said. “We ensure the items never make it

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B2B Stories

CSRA Business Networking event helps businesses connect with one another

When Jessica Jones realized that marketing costs transcended the budgets of many small business startups, she felt a need to create a space for those businesses to connect affordably – in this case, free. “Especially with the pandemic, new businesses and restaurants have tight profit margins and can’t afford to advertise,” Jones said. “I wanted a way to bring business owners together.” Jones, Regional Sales Manager at Elevated Payments, started a Facebook group with Tiffany Justice of Vandermorgan Realty called Augusta Business Connection and out of that grew a monthly

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Consumer Stories

Simon Says: Employment in Augusta area inched upward in 2021, led by retail sector

Overall employment for the Augusta Metropolitan Statistical Area has increased by just 0.3%, or just 600 jobs, from December 2020, according to employment data for 2021 published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). There are currently 239,300 jobs in the local economy. However, some sectors of the economy have done exceptionally well. Retail jobs, for example, are up 11.9% compared to a year ago. There are more than 3,000 additional people employed in the retail sector than a year ago. Other sectors that have more jobs than a year

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B2B Stories

SafeHomes Faces Government Funding Cuts, Needs More Local Business Help

A significant decrease in federal funding could force SafeHomes of Augusta to eliminate programs and services for domestic violence victims, unless the local business community steps in to make up the difference. Aimee Hall, the organization’s Executive Director, said all state nonprofit victim services providers will endure 37 percent cuts in federal funding in October. For SafeHomes, that will mean a $173,000 decrease in funding. In the CSRA, the cuts will also affect Child Enrichment, Inc. and Rape Crisis and Sexual Assault Services. “It’s important for the community to know

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Consumer Stories

Be My Valentine: Mother-daughter team operates a laboratory of confection

Angela Foreman’s background as a chemist at the Savannah River Site might seem odd for someone who owns a sweet shop. Actually, it’s a marriage made in baking heaven. She and her daughter Hayley, who also has a background in chemistry, operate The Sugar Lab in Aiken. They opened their shop three years ago. Images of scientists, beakers, and test tubes would be a little far-fetched but there is no denying the science of baking. “I spent six months experimenting to develop the recipe for our decorated sugar cookies,” Angela

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AU MBA ranks No.1 in the U.S. for affordability

Editor’s Note: ABD will have an extensive conversation with Dean Franza in our next edition of “Mondays with Rick.” If the high cost of earning an MBA has deterred you from going back to school, Augusta University’s Hull College of Business may have the program you want. College Consensus has ranked the College’s online degree No.1 in the U.S. on its list of affordable online MBA programs. The program was selected based on not only on the program’s cost, but also its quality. “We at AU and Hull take pride

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