Features
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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.
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Governor Deal Pushes Georgia to Improve Education and Infrastructure in 2015
February 10, 2015
Georgia ranks number one in the nation in terms of its business climate. In an interview with Georgia CEO, Governor Nathan Deal shares how he believes attention to industry and infrastructure in 2015 will move Georgia forward and preserve its status as the best state to do business.
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AT&T Georgia: Connectivity and the Internet of Things
February 04, 2015
Under the guidance of Beth Shiroishi, President, AT&T Georgia, the company participates in and supports the eco-system created by the crossover of the technology and communications industries. The company focuses on improving high speed access to networks and the productive, innovative use of those networks to change the way people interact with their world.
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Human Resource & Accounting Colleagues Make Great Big Data Teams
February 02, 2015
It seems that while CFOs and chief human resource officers (CHROs) manage two of the most strategic enterprise resources — financial capital and human capital — CEOs focus their technology investments in other directions. According to the Harvard Business Review, this suggests that today’s CFOs and CHROs may want to join forces in the pursuit of big data agendas.
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Chris Clark Discusses The Georgia Chamber's 2015 Initiatives, 100th Anniversary
January 27, 2015
2015 marks the Georgia Chamber of Commerce’s centennial year. Lucy Adams, Senior Editor, spoke with Georgia Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, Chris Clark, about the Chamber’s plans to expand Georgia2Georgia, remain active in the political sphere, promote leadership in Georgia’s communities and commemorate its 100 year milestone.
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Are You Ready for These Hiring Trends?
January 26, 2015
With all signs pointing to real positive movement in the U.S. economy, it’s not surprising that the The 2015 CareerBuilder U.S. Job Forecast has some good news for Americans seeking jobs or raises. In 2014, the study reports, hiring increased broadly, and that trend is likely to be even more pronounced this year. What does it mean for small business owners?
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Franchise Businesses Continue Rapid Growth Despite Concerns
January 20, 2015
Franchise businesses are growing at a rate faster than any other sector of the economy. And they’re creating jobs at a faster clip, too. For the fifth consecutive year, 2015 is expected to see another big expansion, according to projections from the International Franchise Association.
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Augusta Regional Airport Names New Executive Director
January 19, 2015
The Augusta Aviation Commission announced the appointment of Roy Williams as the new Executive Director of the Augusta Regional Airport. The announcement follows a nationwide search, assisted by ADK Consulting & Executive Search. Williams has more than 30 years of experience in the aviation field including airports, airlines and aviation consulting firms.
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Georgia Chamber “Eggs & Issues” - Education, Transportation Initiatives Key to Georgia Maintaining Competitive Edge, Top Business Ranking
January 14, 2015
The state’s top three executives--Governor Nathan Deal, Lt. Governor Casey Cagle and House Speaker David Ralston--stayed on message and virtually read from the same page at the annual Georgia Chamber of Commerce “Eggs and Issues Breakfast” held yesterday at the Georgia World Congress Center. An attendance of nearly 2,000 executives, business owners, elected officials and Chamber of Commerce members celebrated the organization’s 100th anniversary while warmly welcoming the pro-business remarks of the state’s leadership.
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Spending Money on Social Media: What is Worth it?
January 13, 2015
When it comes to finances, business owners are always talking about paid search and SEO and all of the various costs that go along with both. However, as your business begins to grow, you’ll find that looking at your online marketing in even smaller sections is a great way to keep your finances in order. This brings up social media.
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Georgia’s Global Gateway Staged to Grow in 2015
January 08, 2015
Curtis Foltz, Executive Director, Georgia Ports Authority, looks forward to another year of record growth in 2015, which is slated to ring in with the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project and a continued focus on efficiency.
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State Bank Completes Merger With Georgia-Carolina Bancshares, Inc.
January 05, 2015
State Bank Financial announced the completion of its merger with Georgia-Carolina Bancshares, Inc. The merger was completed on January 1, 2015, at which time Georgia-Carolina Bancshares was merged into State Bank Financial. First Bank of Georgia, a wholly-owned bank subsidiary of Georgia-Carolina Bancshares, will become a separate bank subsidiary of State Bank Financial.