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The I.T. workforce of tomorrow in the CSRA

Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) Information Technology (IT) Youth Apprenticeship opportunity is underway after 16 area high school students toured IT facilities at the Savannah River Site (SRS). “We have worked closely with the Aiken County Public School District to give each of these high-performing tech students the chance to become the first IT Youth Apprentice,” said Tim Arnold, SRNS Senior IT Manager. “Employed students will complete their high school curriculum while gaining hands-on experience alongside our employees.” North Augusta High School (NAHS) students enrolled in the Advanced Computer Services

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B2B Stories

$8 million business expansion announced

A tenant in Columbia County’s White Oak Business Park is expanding its production line to include a street-legal, utility vehicle. Governor Brian Kemp participated in the ribbon cutting for the 105,000-square-foot building. It will house 40 employees who can produce 20 vehicles a day. It represents an $8 million investment. The first Urban LSV was to roll off the production line just hours after the ribbon cutting. Called the Urban, it comes in two configurations. The Urban XR is non-street legal, while the Urban LSV is street-legal. It has seatbelts,

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Consumer Stories

Tiny homes coming to Augusta

A plan to build a tiny home village on Merry Street received the green light from Augusta Commissioners during the April 16 meeting. Commissioners approved two re-zoning requests for just over three acres at 1140 Merry Street. The land had been a city-owned park, but was turned over to the Land Bank three years ago due to lack of use. The plan put forth by the non-profit organization Bridge Builder Community, calls for a total of 25 tiny homes to be built in phases. The first phase would be 10

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Consumer Stories

CSRA retailer rises from the smoke to a sweet new location

It’s been a wild ride for True Aiken shop owner, Sarah Dodge since the first of the year. That might seem appropriate for a retailer smack in the middle of Aiken’s horse country and whose first sales came from last year’s Steeplechase event in November. Response was great for her line of merchandise, much of which is Aiken-branded. In January, Dodge opened at 311 Hayne Avenue SW. Less than two months later, the office next door caught fire and the smoke damage was too much, resulting in the closing of

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Consumer Stories

Owners add 2nd restaurant in Evans Plaza

A new barbecue restaurant will be opening on the site of a failed Japanese restaurant and breakfast cafe in Evans. Natty BBQ will be opening up in a spot just down from Ironwood Tavern in the shopping center in front of the Riverwood Plantation subdivision in Evans. Ironwood Tavern’s owner won’t have far to walk to oversee operations at Natty BBQ. Their restaurants are about 50 yards away. A limited liability company was formed with Georgia’s Secretary of State to operate Natty’s on February 21st. Both of the restaurants in

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B2B Stories

Legislation to boost military spouse employment in the CSRA

“Georgia is home to 11 military installations that contribute more than $19 billion in economic impact annually to our state,” said Georgia Chamber President and CEO, Chris Clark in a news release. “The spouses of our active-duty service members deserve the opportunity to live, work, and raise their families here in Georgia without the burden of excessive wait times for their occupational licenses.” A bill that will have a far-reaching impact on the families of soldiers stationed at Fort Eisenhower is awaiting Gov. Brian Kemp’s (R) signature. The Georgia House

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B2B Stories

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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