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Showing off Augusta to business leaders from around the world

While much of Augusta is awash in Masters green, a swath of red was rolled out at a hospitality tent on Washington Road. A red carpet pointed the way for business leaders arriving for the 62nd annual Red Carpet Tour. The event is coordinated by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, Georgia Department of Economic Development, and the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce. “It is a great way to showcase the state, but also our region for all new employers looking to come to town, but also as a thank you

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Consumer Stories

Georgia film tax credit survives legislative review

The Georgia Legislature passed hundreds of bills, both statewide items and those addressing local concerns, in the just-ended 2024 legislative session and sent them to Gov. Brian Kemp (R) for his signature. House Bill 1180 was not among them which is good news for movie-making in Georgia. The bill would have revised one of the state’s most popular tax credit incentives, the one available to filmmakers to entice them to film productions in the Peach State. Productions are eligible for a tax break of up to 30%. Randy Davidson, Founder

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B2B Stories

Columbia County Chamber gearing up for busy spring

While Augusta is in the spotlight at this time of year, the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce is preparing to offer a slate of events heading into the summer. Up first will be the return of the Business Institute, a series of four workshops held in May, June, July, and August. The series focuses on hot topics for businesses. Three of the four topics have been selected, Madalyn Brantley, Director of Programs and Events for the Columbia County Chamber, told ABD. “This year’s topics range from HR, how to hire

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Awards/Celebrations

Innovating students with an eye to the future

Teams of graduate and undergraduate students at Augusta University identified local challenges and worked to create solutions. It was part of the Annual Innovate Pitch Competition, held March 28 at the Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center in Downtown Augusta. More than a dozen teams tackled challenges that ranged from addressing inflation and food insecurity to dealing with migraine headaches and ways to expand the North Augusta Greeneway. “We’re proposing expanding it into the Downtown Augusta area and other areas, such as the Augusta Canal and River Watch to Top

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B2B Stories

An extra month of income in a week

Destination Augusta said the Masters Tournament and related activities, including the Augusta National Women’s Amateur (ANWA) Tournament, can be like a 13th month of revenue for some businesses. ABD requested a breakdown from Destination Augusta comparing money spent in 2022 to 2023, as well as the economic impact of ANWA since it began in 2019. One source Destination Augusta uses to track numbers is STR for hotel/motel data. Its website is quoted as saying: “STR provides premium data benchmarking, analytics, and marketplace insights for the global hospitality industry.” According to

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B2B Stories

Masters Week in the making: Here’s what’s happening in the CSRA

Days spent on the golf course watching some of the premier golfers in the world can turn into enjoying fine music at some of Augusta’s largest social events. Festivities kick off Saturday, April 6 with the Mayor’s Masters Reception at the Augusta Common at 836 Broad St. from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. It will feature live music, food, games for children and end with a fireworks display. The event is free to attend. Started in 1999 by then-Mayor Bob Young, it had originally always been held on Sundays. “Moving

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B2B Stories

Freddy’s Frozen Custard coming to Washington Road

The Finem Group of Meybohm Commercial recently managed the sale of a property on Washington Road that will soon become a Freddy’s Frozen Custard. Located at 3038 Washington Road in Augusta, the property was sold for $2 million which also brought the popular 7-Brew coffee chain to the area. The Finem Group represented the seller in that transaction, and John Metts with Wilson Kibler represented Freddy’s Frozen Custard. According to a press release sent to ABD on April 2, The Finem Group noted that it conducted a comprehensive analysis to

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B2B Stories

Simon Says: Housing market in CSRA takes sharp turn

The Augusta Leading Economic Index (LEI) fell 0.8 percentage points in January from December. It remains 0.4 percentage points higher than January 2023. The major cause of the decline was an increase in initial claims for unemployment insurance, which were up 36 percent in January. Claims were the highest for January in three years. Inflation in the south also continued to be above the national average at 3.7 percent, reducing the purchasing power of consumers. Job openings edged down about one percentage point and are now at the lowest level

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Consumer Stories

Change of plans for North Augusta mixed-use development

North Augusta City Council has called a public hearing to explain significant changes proposed to the Master Development Agreement (MDA) covering Riverside Village (RSV), the city’s “Live, Work, Play” development near the Savannah River. The agreement between the city and master developer, Greenstone Hammond’s Ferry, LLC was originally reached in March 2017. North Augusta is proposing a fourth amendment and adding a developer to move forward on still undeveloped parcels. The announcement of the public hearing specified five steps included in the Fourth Amendment. “The Fourth Amendment provides for (1)

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B2B Stories

Changes to Augusta’s Masters Week traffic plan

Augusta’s traffic engineering division is ready to launch the traffic plan for Masters Week 2024. Assistant Director, John Ussery held a media briefing and outlined the plan. Much of it is familiar, steps created to improve traffic flow for the roughly 30,000 vehicles trying to access and depart the golf course. This year, however, the plan includes two major changes. A traffic light was installed at Washington Road and River Ridge Road. It is necessary because the Augusta National Golf Club (ANGC) purchased the former Electrolux building and turned it

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