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Simon Says: Helene’s Impact on Business

The first economic data since Hurricane Helene hit Augusta and other parts of Georgia is now available. I will provide an analysis of this data in my annual economic forecast breakfast this Thursday, December 5th at 7:30 am in the JSAC Roscoe Williams Ballroom on the Augusta University Summerville Campus. The event is free and open to the public but registration is required. There is a small amount of academic literature on the labor market impact of hurricanes. In fact, Mark Thompson, the Dean of the Hull College of Business

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Dr. Simon Medcalfe December 2, 2024 No Comments
Consumer Stories

Parker’s Kitchen opens newest store in Evans

Over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, Parker’s Kitchen opened its newest convenience store/restaurant in Evans on the corner of Washington Road and William Few Parkway. ABD checked and Parker’s sold unleaded gasoline for as little as $2.45 per gallon. Drivers heading towards the lake from Washington Road in Evans will find it easy to make a right-hand turn into the 2-acre lot. Those heading from the lake, Riverwood subdivision, or Windmill area subdivisions will find it easier to turn right into the TPS store that’s located across the street from Parker’s

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Neil Gordon December 1, 2024 No Comments
Consumer Stories

Ray Ray’s opening second location in 2025

Ray Carnes, the founder of the Recteq grill is living proof that “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” Carnes had a public spat in 2023 with former Columbia County commissioner/Sparkle car wash owner, Gary Richardson over his desire to build a competing car wash near Washington Road and the Riverwatch Parkway. Carnes got his plan approved after originally being denied. Carnes got an attorney involved and appeared on the Austin Rhodes program on WGAC and spoke to ABD. Carnes told us that construction is in full swing

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Neil Gordon November 26, 2024 No Comments
Consumer Stories

Future Augusta film producers have a Top 50 school option

Augusta is now a popular location for movie producers and now CSRA creatives have a top 50 film school within 90 minutes of Garden City. The Wrap, a leading publication in the media and entertainment industry, has added the UGA Master of Fine Arts in Film, Television, and Digital Media (UGA MFA) to its list of the Top 50 Film Schools in the U.S. UGA MFA debuts at number 43. It joins Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) at #37 and Morehouse College at #41. This is the first

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Dana Lynn McIntyre November 25, 2024 No Comments
B2B Stories

One-stop Shop Opens in CSRA

Just in time for the year’s busiest shopping season, a new retail store has opened in North Augusta. After a few months of operating a mobile boutique, Autumn Grace Boutique opened on November 16 at 401 W. Martintown Road in the North Hills Shopping Center. “The reception for our Grand Opening was wonderful. Customers loved the many brands of clothing we stock for men, women, and children,” said owner, Alicia Byars. Those brands include Fieldstone, Roost Waterfowl, Southern Strut, Zenana, Risen, and Southern Down Outfitters. Autumn Grace Boutique also carries

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Mitzi Oxford November 24, 2024 No Comments
B2B Stories

Divvying up tax $ for CSRA tourism

The committee that oversees income collected through the accommodations tax heard from North Augusta organizations hoping for a financial boost for next year. Members of the Accommodations Tax Advisory Committee received 13 requests from nonprofit organizations and the city’s Parks, Recreation, and Tourism (PRT) departments. The city’s 3% tax is collected from people who visit the city and stay in local accommodations. Some events attract major crowds with people staying one or more nights. John Felak, owner of Lookaway Inn and Chairman of the committee, told ABD the city is

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Dana Lynn McIntyre November 20, 2024 No Comments
B2B Stories

Big investment in mobile training

Augusta Technical College has received a $750,000 donation from Syensqo to develop a mobile learning center. A news release said the mobile unit will address critical challenges while supporting workforce enhancement and community development. “The lasting impact of COVID-19 and growing inflation have created significant barriers for students, particularly those from economically disadvantaged and rural backgrounds. Augusta Tech’s response, supported by Syensqo, aims to mitigate these challenges by providing more remote offerings through this state-of-the-art mobile lab,” read the release. “That is going to be used for our new mobile

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Dana Lynn McIntyre November 19, 2024 No Comments
B2B Stories

Guest Column: Strong Roots Can Weather Any Storm

In Georgia, where farming is more than a livelihood—it’s a way of life—Hurricane Helene tested those roots like few storms before. As the nation’s top pecan-producing state, Georgia takes great pride in its orchards and the farmers who tend them year after year. But Helene’s impact has left farms and rural communities with billions in damage, impacting pecan orchards especially hard and disrupting the broader supply chain. For Stuckey’s, a company that relies on Georgia pecans for nearly all of our products, this has been a wake-up call about just

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Stephanie Stuckey, Chair of Stuckey’s Pecans November 18, 2024 No Comments
B2B Stories

Tourism means big bucks in metro Augusta

The economic impact tourism has on Augusta and the surrounding area was celebrated by Destination Augusta, the Augusta Sports Council, and Film Augusta. The numbers were announced at the 2024 Destination Augusta Champions event. Bennish Brown, President and CEO of Destination Augusta (pictured above), told ABD the event is an opportunity to acknowledge the demanding work done by people in the tourism industry. “We realize we don’t do this by ourselves. We want to make sure this industry knows we appreciate them,” he said. “We are the third largest employment

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Dana Lynn McIntyre November 17, 2024 No Comments
B2B Stories

Legislative Breakfast Spotlights Workforce-Education Connection

Sonny Perdue, Chancellor of the University System of Georgia, delivered the keynote address at the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce’s annual Legislative Breakfast Thursday morning. Perdue has worn many hats over his career. Veterinarian, served in the Georgia State Senate, two terms as Georgia Governor and Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He said serving as Chancellor is the most impactful job he has ever had. “We have over 350,000 lives a year in our university system, learners that are looking for life changes,” he said. “And that’s the

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Dana Lynn McIntyre November 14, 2024 No Comments
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