Features
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Governor Deal to Speak at Columbia County Chamber Legislative Breakfast
April 17, 2015
The Honorable Gov. Nathan Deal will be the keynote speaker for the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce’s annual Post-Legislative Breakfast on May 7th.
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Goodwill, Golden Harvest Food Bank Announce Major Partnership
April 16, 2015
Goodwill Industries of Middle Georgia and the CSRA and Golden Harvest Food Bank, two of the larger charitable organizations serving the CSRA and beyond, on Thursday, April 16, announced a historic partnership that is expected to produce significant benefits for the community and those assisted by both agencies.
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Q&A With GDEcD Director of Global Commerce Annie Baxter
April 14, 2015
In the first of a monthly series with the Georgia Department of Economic Development, Director of Global Commerce for Logistics, Energy, Agribusiness & Food Annie Baxter discusses important transportation projects, innovations in logistics, and the economic development climate in Georgia.
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Are Your Employees Getting Enough Sleep? (And if Not, Why Do You Care?)
April 13, 2015
It’s no secret to any harried entrepreneur that getting too little sleep has plenty of ill effects. But did you ever stop to think about the effect lack of sleep might be having on your employees. And, by extension, how that could be affecting your business?
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2015 Georgia Chamber Red Carpet Tour Begins Today
April 08, 2015
The 2015 Georgia Chamber of Commerce Red Carpet Tour kicks off today and runs through Saturday, April 11th. Twenty-four business leaders who are planning to locate or expand from throughout the nation and the world are participating in this year’s tour, which will visit the Governor’s Mansion, the College Football Hall of Fame and the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta and the Masters golf tournament in Augusta.
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10 Biggest Sales Mistakes and How to Avoid Them Like the Plague
April 07, 2015
Owning a small business means you’re in the business of selling, whether that’s your product or your services. Luckily, sales skills can be learned much like a sport or a hobby and the more practice you get, the better you’ll be. Qualities in outstanding salesmen include being proactive, friendly and disciplined. Selling is an art and by fine-tuning your skills, you’ll see an immediate increase in sales when it comes to your small business. Here, we’re looking at 10 of the biggest sales mistakes and what you can do to avoid them.
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Award-Winning Georgia Art Exhibit to Visit Augusta
April 02, 2015
Forty-six award-winning pieces of art from disabled artists across Georgia, including one from the Central Savannah River Area, will be on display April 4-28 at the Georgia Artists with Disabilities Inc.'s 30th annual statewide tour and exhibit at HealthSouth/Walton Rehabilitation Hospital, 1355 Independence Dr.
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April Direct Visitor Spending in Augusta Totals Almost $2M
April 01, 2015
The Augusta Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Augusta Sports Council are pleased to announce that visitors attending meetings, reunions, events and/or sporting events in Augusta will generate at least $1,703,198.00 in direct visitor spending over the month of April. This is a strong number that doesn't reflect Master spending.
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Augusta's Holographic Optical Technologies Brings Cutting-Edge Holograms to Consumer Market
March 30, 2015
Holographic Optical Technologies of Augusta, Georgia, innovator in the field of holographic medical imaging, is entering the world of consumer electronics with the announcement of its Kickstarter campaign.
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Casino Gambling Legalization Introduced; Projections Suggest $250M For HOPE
March 26, 2015
Georgia legislators have toyed around with the idea of allowing horse racing at a new small scale race track. Yesterday, a bi-partisan group of lawmakers has dropped bills that would pave the way for Georgia to aim higher and assert itself into the major leagues of casino gambling. Charlie Harper of Peach Pundit writes that supporters of HR 807 and HB 677 tout a potential payoff of 10,000 construction jobs, 10,000 permanent jobs, and – perhaps most importantly – $250 Million dollars added to HOPE’s dwindling coffers every year.
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Tips On Effective Ways to Market to Millennials
March 23, 2015
The millennial generation has grown to be one of the largest populations in the United States, even outnumbering the baby boomer generation. And now, not only are they the largest group in America, but they are also the most financially influential group, representing more than $1.3 trillion in consumer spending power, according to the Hartman Group. Communicorp's Amanda Bass gives us some tips on marketing to this growing generation.
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Ed Farley: What Do Your Customers Think?
March 20, 2015
How many times do you hear companies brag that they are…world-class ….have top-rated products! How often do we hear the claims of an incredible sales force! The best customer service! Are these claims true? How do they know? How do you know?
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Unisys Selects Augusta's Discovery Plaza, Hopes to Create 700 Jobs
March 17, 2015
Unisys Corporation today announced that it has selected Discovery Plaza, at One Seventh Street in Augusta, Georgia, as the permanent site of its newest client service center, creating up to 700 jobs.
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Regions Bank Emerges Stronger From the Financial Crisis
March 13, 2015
Alabama-based Regions Bank has seen its share of challenges in recent years. Not long after Regions and AmSouth Bancorporation merged in 2007, the global financial markets collapsed, which challenged the merged entities during the economic fallout.
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Jim Blanchard on Changing the Leadership Culture
March 12, 2015
When former Chairman & CEO of Synovus Jim Blanchard retired, his agenda didn’t fill with days dedicated to front-porch sitting. He desired to perpetuate and expand the influence of what he calls “servant leadership.” He proposed the concept of a leadership forum to his successor, who, understanding the value, eagerly agreed to sponsor the program. That was 10 years ago. The 10th annual Jim Blanchard Leadership Forum will roll out later this year in August.
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11 Tips for Creating Performance-Based Bonuses
March 10, 2015
Figuring out how to compensate sales staff is easy — how much in sales did they do last quarter! But what about for your other employees? The rest of your team works just as hard, but their metrics-driven results can be more difficult to gauge. So we posed the question: “What one tip do you have for creating performance-based bonuses for non-sales staff ?”
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10 Warning Signs of Customer Service Issues in Your Company
March 09, 2015
Maintaining good customer service is a constant process. While it may never be perfect, it’s important to try and keep as many customers satisfied as possible. To do so, you need to be aware of the warning signs of customer service issues. When you’re aware of the signs, you’ll be better prepared to take action.
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From The Floor Up – Georgia's Shaw Industries Invests In People
March 05, 2015
Vance Bell, CEO of Shaw Industries, headquartered in Dalton, maintains that there are few businesses for which people aren’t the company’s greatest asset. That is why Shaw’s mission —“Great People. Great Products. Great Service. Always.”—begins with people.
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March Direct Visitor Spending in Augusta to Top $3M
March 02, 2015
The Augusta Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Augusta Sports Council are pleased to announce that visitors attending meetings, reunions, events and/or sporting events in Augusta will generate at least $3,215,860.80 in direct visitor spending over the month of March.
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Georgia Chamber CEO Chris Clark on Transportation Funding: We Can’t Afford to Wait
February 27, 2015
There are few things more important to any community than transportation, and the same goes for any business. No matter what size or location our communities need safe, efficient connectivity for both residents and businesses. This is why improving Georgia’s transportation infrastructure has long been a focus of the Georgia Chamber and why it is our highest priority for the 2015 legislative session.
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Looming Windows Server 2003 Support Deadline by Microsoft Approaches
February 26, 2015
Microsoft will soon discontinue technical support for Windows Server 2003 and CSRA-based small business owners that delay updating their servers may well expose their businesses and more importantly, patients and customers, to unnecessary risk. IntelliSystems CEO Kevin Wade gives us more insight.
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Columbia County Chamber Announces Annual Awards
February 23, 2015
The Columbia County Chamber of Commerce hosted the 10th Annual Banquet and Red Carpet Gala on Friday, Feb. 20 at the Columbia County Exhibition Center. This year the Chamber celebrated 10 years as the Columbia County Chamber and the 5-Star Accreditation Award the Chamber received this year from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
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Brilliant Wealth Concepts Helps Companies Improve Their Bottom Line
February 18, 2015
Three seconds – that's how long you have to impress a potential client visiting your web page. If you don't communicate your who, what and why in three seconds, potential clients will hit the back button, possibly never to reappear, according to George Garner, president and CEO of Brilliant Wealth Concepts, a website design, marketing and consulting firm located in Evans, GA.
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11 Ways to Engage Customers With Your Website
February 16, 2015
Offering valuable advice and information to prospects through your company blog is one of the best things you can do for your business. However, it can often be tough to get your clients or customers engaged with your work. To find out how other business owners gain leads with their content marketing and blogging programs, we asked the following question: “What are some ways to engage customers and get them actively reading my business blog?”
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Georgia Leaders Weigh in on This Week's 27th Annual Georgia Quail Hunt
February 12, 2015
While business expansion and recruitment for Georgia is the overall goal of the 27th annual Georgia Quail Hunt this week, the wooing is taking place among the wiregrass and pines of Southwest Georgia plantations.The event welcomed 18 business and industry recruitment and expansion prospects from around the world to Southwest Georgia.