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B2B Stories

Air Show Augusta coming back for a third year

Augusta Regional Airport will have a busy April in 2025 with two events generating visitors. First is the 89th annual Masters Tournament, which will run April 7th – 13th next year. However, from the first arrivals to final departures, it has expanded to nearly two weeks with the addition of the Drive, Chip, and Putt Competition for young golfers, and the Augusta National Women’s Amateur (ANWA) tournament. Augusta Regional Airport staff will have less than two weeks to catch their respective breaths before Air Show Augusta 2025 roars into the

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Consumer Stories

Holidays are here and so is Helene Fatigue

Christmas is tomorrow. While many will have the day off from work to celebrate with family, others are still reeling from Hurricane Helene. It’s been close to three months since the storm ravaged much of the CSRA with 100 mph wind gusts and torrential rain. The signs of long-term recovery are prevalent. While much progress has been made on debris removal, there are still piles of limbs in many directions. Homeowners are still waiting for electrical repairs, fence replacements, stump removal, and other home repairs. Recently, two out of the

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B2B Stories

Growing the workforce in Georgia and South Carolina

Governors in Georgia in the two-state area are both taking steps to develop the workforce to fill critical jobs for the future. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) recently announced a commission he created through the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB). Kemp is chairman of the commission which includes Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. In a news release announcing the commission, Kemp said the goal is to work with leaders across the South to improve educational opportunities

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B2B Stories

Augusta native to lead downtown incubator

She was raised in Augusta and has returned home to serve as the Executive Director of Accelerate Augusta. Augusta Technical College’s President, Dr. Jermaine Whirl, announced on December 3 that Sheffie Robinson had been selected for the position, effective December 16. Soon after, she met with ABD to talk about her role. “It isn’t often that you’re charged to lead such a major project in a city you grew up in,” she said. “I have phone calls from people like, ‘Hey, I remember when you were just an itty-bitty thing,

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B2B Stories

New Company on the Horizon Invests in Business Community

More than a year before it is expected to be operational, a new tenant in the Augusta Corporate Park is joining the business community. PureCycle Technologies, Inc., a Florida-based company that converts #5 plastic waste to a renewable resource, broke ground in March 2022 on a $250 million facility in the park off Mike Padgett Highway. “They are grading the site. They started two weeks ago,” Cal Wray, President of the Augusta Economic Development Authority (AEDA), updated ABD. “They started the week before Thanksgiving, so they were finally grading the

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Consumer Stories

Holidays take flight and a VIP landing at AGS

Before too long, the hustle of getting home for the holidays will make for busy days at Augusta Regional Airport. Lauren Smith, Assistant Director of Marketing & Public Relations, told ABD there are a few things travelers should keep in mind. First, get to the airport early enough to find a parking space. “We have, I guess, approached our capacity at times. So please give yourself enough time to find parking. We understand it is a challenge right now, and we are working on a parking lot expansion project that

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B2B Stories

How North Augusta fared and looking ahead

The economic news is mixed in Aiken County for 2025. The North Augusta Chamber of Commerce wrapped up its 2024 Power Lunch series with the annual economic report. Dr. Nancy Albers, Dean of the School of Business Administration, was the keynote speaker. Albers spoke specifically about where Aiken County stands and where it may be headed. While versed in reviewing economic analysis, Albers said she is not an economic analyst. So, she turned to Dr. Fadi Fawaz, an Associate Professor of Economics and Finance at Tennessee State University. “For his

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B2B Stories

Advice from Georgia’s insurance commissioner

Keith Perret (dressed in State Farm red) and others affected by Hurricane Helene got an interesting status update over breakfast from Georgia’s Insurance Commissioner. The Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce held its annual legislative breakfast, an opportunity to talk with the members of the local delegation prior to the 2025 Legislative Session. The man leading the state agency on the front line of helping storm victims receiving fair compensation was guest speaker for the event. John King told ABD he realized metro Augusta is facing a long road to recovery.

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B2B Stories

The Walls are Tumbling Down at JBA

The Augusta-Richmond County Coliseum Authority is settling into a new location for its meetings, the Grand Lobby at the newly renovated Bell Auditorium. The location gives authority members and staff a front-row seat to watch the demolition of the James Brown Arena. Well, you can see a building torn down right now. The insides don’t look like what I thought they were going to look like,” quipped Mike Harvey of Nations Group, the owner’s representative for the construction of the new JBA and concourse connecting it to the Bell. He

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Consumer Stories

Hospital Construction Passes the Halfway Point

Construction on Columbia County’s first-ever hospital is slightly ahead of schedule, despite some problems in the wake of Hurricane Helene. The ground was broken for the hospital, being built on the Gateway to Grovetown, exit 190 off Interstate 20, in April of this year. Construction crews “topped out” the hospital, that is they reached the top of the structure, in June. Construction includes a separate building providing space for medical offices beside the main hospital. It was topped off in July. “So, since the summer, we’ve really been working on

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