JANUARY 2019 • THE CSRA’S MONTHLY BUSINESS MAGAZINE
Key drivers needed to boost workforce. Pages 24-25
NOT YOUR GRANDMOTHER’S AUGUSTA 3-PRONG APPROACH TO PROMOTION
By Gary Kauffman The All In Augusta campaign plans to take a three-prong approach to making the Augusta area more attractive to visitors and residents alike. Tell Augusta’s story. Talking about all that Augusta has to offer is important for those outside the area as well as those who already live here. “There are still people in the community who think the downtown is dangerous,” said Deke Copenhaver, All In Augusta campaign chairman. “That’s like an urban legend.” Augusta’s story includes all the things available in the surrounding area, from Grovetown to Aiken. “So often I’ve heard people say, ‘Why aren’t we more like Greenville’ or some other city,” he said. “But we’ve got more assets than any of those other towns. Augusta has so much potential. We’re a world-class city with a reputation of excellence.” Enhance downtown. Bennish Brown, president and CEO of the Augusta Convention and Visitors Bureau, likened downtown to a body’s core — if the core is fit, the rest of the body functions better. “Any region is defined by its core,” Copenhaver said. “We focus around the downtown, but we want great things to happen in Columbia County, and I love what’s going on in North Augusta. It’s all part of the greater whole.” A key project for downtown is extending the Augusta Common to the Savannah River. Develop new attractions. A key focus will be creating an International Soul Festival to honor Augusta music legends including James Brown and Sharon Jones. That likely won’t happen before 2020. “I’d like to see it grow to the point that people will put it on their calendars every year like they do festivals in other cities,” Brown said. “Events bring people in … and it generates traffic in our businesses.” Enhanced trails, sculpture gardens and encouraging the local film industry are part of this prong.
Expanding Augusta Common across Reynolds Street to the Savannah River is part of a five-year plan developed by the All In Augusta campaign to help the city grow into the world-class location members believe it can be. Photo by Gary Kauffman
CAMPAIGN HAS BOLD EXPECTATIONS FOR CITY By Gary Kauffman Augusta is growing up, and that means changing how it views its potential. A five-year campaign titled All In Augusta plans to help the city think of itself in grown-up terms by 2024. “We’re not a small town anymore,” said Deke Copenhaver, chairman of the All In Augusta campaign and former Augusta mayor. “The focus in everything we do has to be worldclass.” The campaign will promote ways to tell Augusta’s story, upgrade the downtown area and develop new at-
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tractions, all with the goal of increasing the number of visitors to the area while enhancing daily life for residents and businesses. “It’s thinking big,” said Bennish Brown, president and CEO of the Augusta Convention and Visitors Bureau. “You’ll see some very bold expectations in the plan.” The ambitious plan is actually a merging of a number of plans and ideas, including the Augusta CVB’s 2017 Destination Blueprint and parts of seven existing master plans. It involved a cross-section of people from the community, businesses, foundations, the Greater Augusta Arts
Council, the Downtown Development Authority, city government, the medical district and Fort Gordon. “We have to work together for the next steps to happen,” Brown said. “It can’t happen with just one entity or one person.” The current and anticipated growth of the city created the need to evaluate how Augusta area markets itself. Currently, an average of 13 people move into the area each day. With expansion at Fort Gordon, new hiring at Savannah River Site and the increase in cyber and technology See AUGUSTA on Page 9
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W E A LT H M A N A G E M E N T P L A N S F O R E D U C AT I O N
Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal speaks at the dedication for the M. Bert Storey Building at the Georgia Cancer Center at Augusta University. He said the facility is “designed to do what we as individuals cannot do, and that is to try to find a cure.” Photo by Witt Wells
‘BRIDGE OF CHANCES’ NEW AU CANCER CENTER RESEARCH FACILITY OPENS
By Witt Wells After Kim Gauldin walked onto the stage at the site of the new M. Bert Storey Building at the Georgia Cancer Center on Dec. 3, she called it “the bridge of chances.” Since 2016, Gauldin has battled Stage 4 ovarian cancer. She’s not as lucky as some; over the last two years, the cancer has not gone into remission. Instead, it remains chronic. Gauldin has undergone a number of clinical trials, always relying on her doctor to, as she says, pull something new out of his back pocket. “I understand the true potential this brings to Augusta,” Gauldin said of the new building, which is being described as a connector between the research bench and patient’s bedside. “Augusta University Health will be among the elite research centers in our country. “Hope now has specific goals and action,” she continued. “And for that reason, I’ll refer to the bridge between the two facilities as ‘the bridge of chances.’ Another chance there is something else in (the doctor’s) back pocket for myself and others offering the blessing of continued life.” On Dec. 3, that chance came in the form of the new $62.5 million M. Bert Storey Research Building, $50 million of which came from the state and $12.5 million of which came from philanthropic efforts. It’s a 222,000-square-foot building with 58,000 square feet of lab space with radiation therapy research platforms, meeting spaces, training spaces, and space
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for lectures and communitywide forums on cancer-related topics. The center also includes a 60,000-square-foot outpatient clinic, a 25,000-square-foot radiation therapy building, significant clinical research (75 trials, 22 percent of which are early-phase trials) and community outreach and education. Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal was in attendance at the dedication and spoke about the hardships, struggles and victories that his wife, Sandra, has undergone in her own battle with breast cancer. “This center today is designed to do what we as individuals cannot do, and that is to try to find a cure, a prevention and an effective treatment for this very, very dreaded disease,” Deal said. “As I said in the beginning, it is personal.” Throughout the ceremony, speakers mentioned the M. Bert Storey Building as a step toward a major goal of the Georgia Cancer Center: becoming a National Cancer Institute (NCI) designated facility, which would make it only the third in all of Georgia and South Carolina. The other two are Emory University in Atlanta and the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. “There’s a road ahead, it could take five years, it could take 10 years,” said Barry Storey, Bert Storey’s son. “But I promise everyone here that with a continued support of our Gov.-elect Kemp, our state Legislature, our Board of Regents that have played such an important role in getting us to the point, and, most importantly, our local community, we can achieve that designation.”
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FROM THE EDITOR
The key to more sales may be a higher price tag By Gary Kauffman Recently, a new shoe boutique named Palessi popped up in Los Angeles. It invited “influencers” (by which, I assume, they meant rich people and celebrities) to try out their designer shoes. These influencers paid hundreds of dollars for the shoes — one woman paid $640 for a pair of boots — and went away happy. The catch was that Palessi was actually a store created by PayLess Shoes, a chain known for its bargain-priced shoes, and was stocked with its regular products. The only difference was the price tags. I assume PayLess did this to show that their shoes are of such high quality that they can fool even haughty shoppers, making it a great bargain when you can get the same pair of boots for a tenth of what that influencer paid. But it also proves another lesson that I learned a number of years ago — prices matter for many shoppers, and not just low prices. About 15 years ago, a furniture store owner told me how he discovered this. He noticed a well-dressed shopper appraising an end table in his store. What he found a bit peculiar was that she looked at the price tag three or four times.
Shoppers in Los Angeles recently paid very high prices for bargain-brand shoes, proving that a price tag conveys value, both real and psychological.
When he finally had time to help her, she noted that the end table was sort of what she wanted but not quite. Astutely, the owner said that he had another in the back that might be more of what she wanted. The end table was, in fact, exactly the same item from the same manufacturer. All he did was place a new price tag on it for $100 more. When he brought it out to his customer, the first thing she did was look at the price tag. “Yes, this is exactly what I want,” she said, happily paying significantly more for the same item. A client of mine, Steve, had a similar
experience. He manufactured high-end dining room tables, but as a sideline started manufacturing curio cabinets. But he couldn’t generate any interest in them, no matter how low he priced them. Then one day, one of his clients saw the curio cabinets and told Steve that he had priced them too low. Steve protested that he already couldn’t sell them at a low price, so how could he expect to raise the price and sell them? But he took his client’s advice and added a significant amount to the price tag, if for no other reason than to prove his client wrong. But it was Steve who was wrong. In the next two weeks, he sold five of the curio cabinets at the much higher price. The lesson is that the price often matters as much to the buyer as the product itself. It’s a psychological thing — we expect more from something we pay more for. For example, if you walk onto a used car lot, you’re going to expect more from a car priced at $30,000 than one tagged at $10,000. If that car is a late-model Mercedes priced at $10,000, you’re immediately going to think something is wrong with it. People also cherish something they pay
Features Entrepreneur of the Year.............................4 Garnett Johnson returned to Augusta to launch a successful company.
Businessperson of the Month.................. 23 Steve Swanson follows a divine path to local radio station.
Buzz Bits................................................... 6-7
Augusta from the Outside.................. 24-25 Developer suggests ways the city can grow its workforce.
Profitable Nonprofits..................................8 The arts are becoming increasingly vital to Augusta’s economy. A New Way of Thinking............................. 10 Businesses need to prepare now for a changing workforce. Openings, Closings............................. 12, 13
Fight the Feeling....................................... 26 Overcoming fear of rejection unlocks your potential. Family-Friendly Radio.............................. 28 88.3 WAFJ celebrates 25 years of serving the community.
Upcoming Events................................ 14, 15
Columnists Mark Alison: The best way to manage finances is to think ahead..........................................................................................................16 Samantha Barksdale: Downtime is a great time to bingewatch TV....................................................................................................30 Ben Casella: No white Christmas but a tasty brown beer........30 Tony Creighton: Hiring pro pressure washers saves money in the long run........................................................................................18
Ed Enoch: Haste makes waste — and can cause trouble.........18 Christine Hall: It’s time to untangle the tax reform bill.............20 Russell Head: Change in Congress keeps ACA alive...................22 Millie Huff: Poblano’s earns high marks for taste, price and service........................................................................................................31 Dagan Sharpe: Evaluate whether your job fits your values.........................................................................................................22
more for. One nonprofit I know occasionally provided entertainment for the community, especially its donors, and distributed the tickets free of charge. The shows were often poorly attended. But once it started charging for the tickets, attendance went up. If you pay $50 for a ticket, you’re much less likely to skip the show than if it cost you nothing. Now, I’m not advocating price gouging. You still have to stay competitively priced, and the quality of your product or service has to be worthy of a higher price. But in my experience, entrepreneurs and small startup businesses are much more likely to underprice themselves than to overprice. It’s wise to regularly assess your pricing and profit margins to ensure that you stay in business. And that may mean sometimes looking at a price increase rather than a decrease to spur sales. In addition to serving as editor of Buzz on Biz, Gary Kauffman is a Christian life coach working from an office in Martinez. Contact him at 803.341.5830 or kauffman coaching@gmail.com or visit kauffmancoaching.com.
The Buzz on Biz mission is to act as an inspirational tool for those in the workplace and those who are entrepreneurs, and to provide useful, practical information to increase their companies’ bottom lines. To order a 12-month subscription mailed to your home or office, please mail a check for $49 (includes sales tax) to cover postage to the address below. Publisher Ashlee Duren, ashlee.duren@augustamagazine.com Editor in Chief Gary Kauffman Assistant Editor & Layout Amanda Holahan Multimedia Journalist Witt Wells, witt.wells@buzzon.biz Photography Witt Wells, Gary Kauffman Sales Manager Lisa Dorn, lisa.dorn@augustamagazine.com Sales and PR Leslie Whitney, leslie.whitney@augustamagazine.com, 706-823-3719 Ad Building Michael Rushbrook Distribution Ken Brown Opinions expressed by the writers are their own and their respective institutions. Neither Morris Media Network nor its agents or employees take any responsibility for the accuracy of submitted information, which is presented for informational purposes only. For the latest news, visit us at buzzon.biz Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/buzz-on-biz Follow us on Twitter @BuzzonBiz 643 Broad Street, Augusta GA 30901
January 2019 Buzz on Biz
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ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR
GARNETT JOHNSON RETURNED TO AUGUSTA TO LAUNCH SUCCESSFUL OFFICE SUPPLY COMPANY By Witt Wells In 2010, Garnett Johnson left a comfortable corporate job in Atlanta and started his own venture in Augusta called Augusta Office Solutions. It is based on service superior to big-box stores, a wide range of office solutions and investing in the technology of the future. It didn’t take long for his work to start paying off, and in December, Johnson’s efforts reached wider recognition with the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce’s highest entrepreneurial award. Buzz on Biz asked Johnson about his journey over the last several years and what businesses like his mean for cities like Augusta. What does it mean to be named Entrepreneur of the Year? “It’s unbelievable, first, to be considered for this great award. There’ve been a lot of great predecessors to this award. It just tells you that a culmination of hard work and dedication to our market strategy and our execution plan has paid off. “We’re proud to be able to service a lot of businesses here in Augusta, both large and small. We service enterprise-level customers as well as one- or two-person operations. “Since 2010, we’ve been able to grow at a pretty fast clip, and that’s a testament to, one, our customer service, and two, our ability to go out and embrace worldclass technology that enables us to service our customers, especially the larger ones in the same (pool as) some of our larger competitors like the Staples and Office Depots. So, we’re excited about how we’ve been received in the community. We’re excited about our future. We’ve got a lot of great things coming in the near future.” How did Augusta Office Solutions begin? “I worked for a big-box retailer. I saw a need to provide better service, especially in second-tier cities. Office Depot and Staples go to market well — even Amazon — they go to market well in the Atlantas and the Charlottes and Miamis, but when it comes to the second-tier cities like Macon, Augusta, Columbus, they don’t do such a great job. “We came in and made the investment in technology, established some great relationships. And we knew we could always beat them on the customer service, we just had to be competitive in pricing. So, we established relationships with
4 Buzz on Biz January 2019
Augusta Office Solutions owner Garnett Johnson has been named Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce’s 2018 Entrepreneur of the Year. Photo by Witt Wells
“We started here locally, have kind of grown regionally, and we’re looking to take the company even further. We already have customers all over this great country. It’s a focus of ours to take our product to Atlanta and to Charlotte and to get in the same sandbox with some of those big-box companies.” some wholesalers, put together a worldclass team, emphasized customer service, emphasized driving value, and that’s been our recipe for success.” When did the business begin? “I think I left my corporate job in July 2010, and we really didn’t get started, entrenched, until early 2011, because it took us a while to develop a marketing strategy and put a team in place. I had to do some market research and bring in all this great technology. So, we’re a relatively young company, but we’ve been blessed to grow at a pretty fast clip. Not only do we service the one- and two-person offices, but we have customers all across the country — very large, complex organizations with thousands of employees.” What are some of the bigger compa-
nies that you service? “Augusta University Medical Center, University Health Care. Home property groups, as well as many others.” How many employees do you have? “Thirteen.” You mentioned the strategy that’s helped you guys be successful. What’s allowed you to gain some more momentum over the last couple years? “Going to market with a strong customer service focus, investing heavily in technology. We now have another corporate structure called Integrated Supply Solutions that’s going to enable us to grow our company outside of Augusta, to target those large-city markets like Atlanta and Charlotte and some of those corporations that are headquartered there.
“So, we started here locally, have kind of grown regionally, and we’re looking to take the company even further. We already have customers all over this great country. It’s a focus of ours to take our product to Atlanta and to Charlotte and to get in the same sandbox with some of those big-box companies. “We are a certified minority-owned company through the Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council, which enables us to touch some of those large customers if they’re looking for a tier-one partner to supply them with everything office, from supplies to toner technology, furniture, even multifunction copiers. “We differentiated ourselves by being a one-stop shop, and in our market, we’re the only one. Certainly there are companies that just sell copiers, there are companies that just sell furniture. But we’re fortunate that we do all of those categories, and we do them well. It gives our customers an opportunity to consolidate vendors and to drive some of that cost out of the procurement cycle, so that’s where we we’ve been successful.” Have you always been based in Augusta? “Always been based in Augusta, but regional. Augusta is home for me. Whether I was headquartered out of Atlanta or Charlotte or Orlando, Augusta’s always been home for me.” What’s special about being based here and being able to work here? “I just love this community. I’m a product of the Richmond County School System. I’m a graduate of the great Augusta University Hull College of Business. I love the ability to raise a family here for a low cost of living, I like the inviting feel of our city. I hate traffic. Augusta gives us an opportunity to get anywhere in 15 or 20 minutes. That’s not possible in Atlanta or Charlotte. I just have an affinity and a love for this city and all the great things that are going on now. “You know, people have sometimes spoken very negatively of our city. I’ve never had a negative persona regarding this great city. We have had great times and we’ve had some bad times, but regardless of anything, this is our home. I love it, and I’m in it for the long haul.”
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buzz bits DeFoor Realty top contributor to Golden Harvest drive Golden Harvest Food Bank has announced the small business winner of the 2018 “It’s Spooky to Be Hungry” fundraiser, which the organization holds every year to raise money to feed the hungry in and around the CSRA. It is the organization’s biggest annual food drive, and this year marked Golden Harvest’s 25th anniversary. For the second consecutive year, DeFoor Realty raised the most money in the small business category of the competition. Golden Harvest relies on thousands of volunteers to get the word out about the drive every year, collect food and funds and serve people who can’t afford to eat. “Anytime we have an opportunity to give back, it’s a good thing,” said Lloyd Defoor, Defoor Realty’s founder and owner. “We love what the Golden Harvest Food Bank is doing, and we’re happy to do our small part.” The winners in the other categories include Fox Creek High School, Greenbrier High School Navy Junior ROTC, Tall Pines STEM Academy, Augusta University Health, Cherry Bekaert LLP, Parson Corp., Avara Pharmaceuticals and Deadwood Manor. Golden Harvest has locations at 702 Fenwick St. downtown and 3310 Commerce Drive in south Augusta.
Pendarvis is NA Chamber Ambassador for 4th quarter The North Augusta Chamber of Commerce has announced that Stephanie Pendarvis, a special assistant to Congressman Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), has been chosen as the Ambassador of the fourth quarter in 2018. Ambassador of the Quarter is received by an individual
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Stephanie Pendarvis, a special assistant to Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), has been chosen by the North Augusta Chamber of Commerce as the Ambassador of the fourth quarter in 2018. Pendarvis (right) is shown with Chamber President Terra Carroll. Photo contributed
in recognition of his or her dedication to the Council and Chamber overall. The Ambassador shows commitment to the Chamber’s mission to assist its members with business development, promotion of economic growth and bringing awareness to the North Augusta community. Pendarvis has served on the Ambassador’s Council since August 2018. “My favorite thing about being an Ambassador is the camaraderie of the group,” she said. “Each Ambassador brings different life experiences and talents to the table, and being able to channel that into supporting and growing the community is a really special feeling. Everyone really has a spirit of service and an open mind.” Since 2016, Pendarvis has represented Wilson in the Aiken district office. A native of Aiken, she will be relocating to Washington, D.C., to continue working in the congressman’s office there. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science with a minor in English from the University of Alabama. Pendarvis resides in Trenton, S.C., with her husband, Hunter.
NA Chamber will host forum for candidates As part of the North Augusta Chamber of Commerce’s mission of advocacy, the chamber will host a Candidate Forum, focusing on issues important to local businesses.
The number of people employed locally has barely changed since February, said economist Simon Medcalfe, and as of December 2018 stands at 242,200. The unemployment rate has declined 1.2 percentage points since January 2018 to 3.7 percent, the same as the national rate.
Local economy stays flat in 3rd quarter, economist says The third quarter economic data for the Augusta Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) is in, and the Labor Market Index (LMI) decrease 0.1 percent over the last three months, according to economist Simon Medcalfe, professor of economics and finance at Augusta University. The number of people employed locally has barely changed since February and currently stands at 242,200, but the unemployment rate has declined 1.2 percentage points since the beginning of the year to 3.7 percent, the same as the national rate. Despite the scarcity of unemployed workers, average weekly earnings have remained flat, averThe event, featuring candidates in the running for North Augusta City Council, will be held in the Palmetto Terrace Ballroom at the Municipal Building from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 28. The purpose of the forum is to understand each candidate’s opinion on business and economic development issues that influence and impact the city of North Augusta. The event is free and open to the public. Candidates will have one minute for opening remarks, two minutes to answer predetermined questions and two minutes for closing statements. If time permits, questions from the audience may be submitted on note cards. North Augusta City Council adopted an ordinance in December setting
aging $800 this year. Medcalfe said that a worrisome statistic is that 6,000 people have left the local workforce since a high in March, and in June average weekly hours worked were the lowest recorded for Augusta at just 33.4 hours. In looking ahead at the first few months of 2019, Medcalfe said the Leading Economic Index (LEI) has seen two consecutive monthly increases but still remains below the level of a year ago. Changes in the LMI tend to lag behind changes in the LEI, so the increases in the LEI in the fourth quarter of 2017 suggest the fourth quarter of 2018 may be better than the third quarter. dates for municipal party primaries, general election and times for filing for the purpose of electing three members of City Council: • Candidate filing, Jan. 8-15 • Primary elections, Feb. 12 • Runoff (if necessary), Feb. 26 For more information, call the Chamber office at (803) 279-2844.
Powerserve unveils office remodeling Software and web developer Powerserve International located in downtown Augusta “before it was cool,”
buzz bits according to the company’s president, Jeff Partl. Fifteen years later, Powerserve has made its own residence a little cooler with a renovation of its 7,200-squarefoot building at 961 Broad St. It has been based there since 2006. The downtown office’s facelift includes a full remodel of the first floor of the three-story building and new decking. “We’re fortunate that a number of people have spent a long time with Powerserve,” Partl said. Powerserve has about 30 full-time employees and manages about 400 active websites, according to its website. The company was founded in 1998. “We’re committed to the downtown, we enjoy the vibe and we look forward to new businesses coming downtown,” Partl said.
SRNS seeking to fill 1,200 jobs Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, the management and operations contractor for Savannah River Site, has a lot of jobs to fill in 2019. SRNS announced recently that it plans to hire about 1,200 people in 2019. Some of those jobs are a result of the long-anticipated retirement attrition of baby boomers, while others are part of growth at the plant. About 11,700 people are employed by SRS.
EDTS wins Brand on the Rise award EDTS Cyber has been announced as the winning nominee for 2018 Brand on the Rise, an award presented by the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce. The S.C. Branded Awards honor local initiatives, locations, products and events that make up the business brand of South Carolina. “Our winners and finalists represent the best products and services that our state has to offer,” said Ted Pitts, president and CEO of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce. “The companies are advancing the state in areas of economic development, community engagement, environmental stewardship and more.”
The award goes to a company founded in the last six years that has become a nationally or globally relevant player in its space, building on South Carolina’s brand and reputation. “We have worked hard on growing our brand, reputation and footprint not only in the state of South Carolina, but nationally over the past few years,” said Charles Johnson, founder and CEO of EDTS Cyber. “We are proud that three of our seven office locations are based in Charleston, Columbia and Greenville, S.C., and look forward to continuing to grow our roots in South Carolina.”
Chamber has mentoring program for young men The Columbia County Chamber of Commerce has announced the creation of its newest program, “Young Men on the Move.” The program is similar to the chamber’s “Young Women on the Way” program. Young Men on the Move (YMOM) is a 10-month program geared toward mentoring young professional men. Up to five top executive males will mentor up to 20 professional men, ages 23 to 30. The program is sponsored by Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Beazley Realtors and meets once a month. Those meetings will focus on key topics geared toward personal and professional development. Participants are selected through an application process, and only one representative per company is selected for each class. For more information on YMOM, contact Sabrina Griffin, events and programs manager, at (706) 651-0018 or columbiacountychamber.com.
Nonprofits benefit from Community Foundation Augusta area nonprofits reaped the benefits of the annual Masters Tournament in December. The Community Foundation for the
Carbon Construction of Evans has begun building 27 single-family homes on undeveloped lots in the Bradley Terrace subdivision, between Edgefield Road and Palmetto Parkway.
Evans company is building affordable homes in N. Augusta An Evans construction company is helping area residents by building affordable homes on North Augusta’s northeast side. Carbon Construction of Evans has begun building 27 single-family homes on undeveloped lots in the Bradley Terrace subdivision, between Edgefield Road and Palmetto Parkway. Because the homes are filling in lots in an existing subdivision, they are priced well below homes in new subdivisions. The homes will be priced in the $135,000 to $145,000 range, similar to the values of existing homes in the 45-year-old subdivision. CSRA awarded 47 nonprofits with a significant portion of their funding. Twenty-three of the agencies received full funding, and the remainder received 70 percent of the money they requested. The grants are primarily supported by the Masters Tournament and have been awarded for past 21 years. The Community Foundation will launch a new grant program in January that will award $200,000 toward improving literacy in Richmond County.
Utility sale will benefit SC customers Residents and businesses in Aiken County will have an extra $20 in their wallets after regulators approved the sale of SCANA Corp. to Dominion Energy. The South Carolina Public Service
Similar homes in the Augusta area start at $200,000 or more. Carbon Construction expects the homes to appeal especially to first-time homebuyers and young families, as well as people who work in the downtown Augusta area. The new development is known as Creekside at Bradley Terrace. The homes range from 1,354 to 2,200 square feet, about the same size as existing homes in the neighborhood. The homes will have modern styling and fixtures, be energy efficient and will carry a 10-year warranty. Commission approved the sale on Dec. 14. SCANA is the parent company of South Carolina Electric & Gas. Dominion Energy, based in Virginia, paid about $15 billion in cash and stock in the deal. SCANA ran into trouble when it abandoned its V.C. Summer Nuclear project in 2017 after a decade of planning and building. SCANA had anticipated increased demand for electricity when it began the project, but energyefficient buildings and cheap natural gas kept that demand from happening. When Westinghouse, the main building contractor, filed for bankruptcy, the project was abandoned. SCE&G customers had already paid about $2 billion through their monthly bills toward the project. Some of that money was returned via credits on two monthly bills, and state legislators passed a temporary 15 percent rate cut that saves ratepayers about $22 per month. The new deal makes the rate decrease permanent. January 2019 Buzz on Biz
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PROFITABLE NONPROFITS
ARTS BECOMING INCREASINGLY VITAL TO AUGUSTA’S ECONOMY By Gary Kauffman The nonprofit arts scene is turning in some profitable numbers for many retailers. According to a study by the Americans for the Arts organization, the arts pump more than $57 million into the local economy each year. But there’s an important note to that total: That study was done in 2015-16. Since then, the Miller Theater has reopened, certainly adding to the economic impact. And the study only included the arts in Richmond and Columbia counties — as Aiken County across the Savannah River continues to grow, the total impact of the arts in the CSRA continues push well past $57 million. “The arts have a unique place in the economy,” said Pax Bobrow, project manager of The Greater Augusta Arts Council and the lead person on the study. “When people engage in the arts, they go out to dinner, they pay for parking, they pay for gas, they pay a babysitter and sometimes they buy merchandise at the event.” As with any local small business, the dollars spent on the arts and culture scene are spent and re-spent in the community, increasing the impact of each dollar. This confirmed what Bobrow and others had suspected. “The study really quantified what we all anecdotally know, that the arts have more of an impact on the economy than you notice,” she said. The study found that in fiscal year 2015, the total economic impact of the arts was $57,840,709, which broke down as $37,854,649 in local spending by arts and cultural organizations and $19,986,060 by those attending the arts and cultural events. That generated $2.66 million in local government revenue and $1.99 million for state government funds. “The fact that audiences spent $20 million really blew me away,” Bobrow said. About 75 percent of those surveyed came from the RichmondColumbia county area and on
8 Buzz on Biz January 2019
At a glance Highlights from the Americans for the Arts study on the local economic impact of arts and culture, based on data from fiscal year 2015: Spending Spending by organizations ....................................$37,854,649 Spending by audiences ...........................................$19,986,060 Average per person spending..........................................$28.50 Total spending.............................................................$57,840,709 Government revenue generated Local.................... $2,661,000 State.................... $1,989,000 Age of audience 18-34.............................22.3% 35-44.............................18.9% 45-54.............................21.8%
55-64.............................20.7% 65+.................................16.5%
Education of audience Less than high school.............................................. 0.2% High school................................................................10.3% 2-year college/technical degree........................19.0% 4-year college/bachelor’s degree......................37.2% Master’s degree........................................................24.6% Doctoral degree......................................................... 8.7% Annual household income of audience Less than $40,000....................................................14.3% $40,000-$59,999......................................................14.7% $60,000-$79,999......................................................20.2% $80,000-$99,999......................................................15.7% $100,000-$119,999.................................................12.3% $120,000 or more....................................................22.9%
average spent a little more than $25 per event, including meals, souvenirs, clothing, transportation and other related items. But the 25 percent from outside the area laid out even more money, more than $37 per event, illustrating the advantage of developing attractions that draw people from surrounding regions.
Arts appeal to wide range of people
The study found that the arts appeal to all ages of adults, with no one group dominating the numbers. The 18-44 age group and the 45-64 group both make up just over 40 percent each. Among local residents, the 1834 age group topped everyone at 23.1 percent. “If someone is young and just out of college, they’re very likely to go out and engage in the arts,”
Bobrow said. “It’s their way of having fun.” The arts also appeal to people of all income groups. Nearly half of those who attended events (49.1 percent) showed a household income of less than $80,000, and nearly a third (64.9 percent) earned less than $100,000 — although the biggest single income group was those making more than $120,000 (22.9 percent). The biggest demographic difference in those surveyed was education. About nine of every 10 people (89.4 percent) attained at least a two-year college or technical school degree, and more than a third (37.2 percent) achieved a four-year degree. Another third of the respondents held a master’s or doctoral degree. Because the study was for fiscal year 2015, which involved
2016, respondents were also questioned about whether they had cast a vote in the 2016 presidential election; 91.5 responded that they had.
Arts and culture important to newcomers
Augusta’s arts and cultural events are having a wider impact than many people realize. One couple, Bobrow said, moved to Augusta from Boston, and one of their reasons for choosing Augusta was the lively arts scene. An increasing number of companies are considering a community’s local amenities, including the arts and cultural scene, when selecting locations to move or start a business be-
cause they know that will be important to their employees. That is especially true for the millennial generation that wants to work in a vibrant downtown with a rich arts and culture environment. The increase in cyber and tech companies moving into the Augusta area will also increase that demand. “Some of the new developments going up have already approached us about donating to the arts,” Bobrow said. “They already consider it to be part of what they do.”
More funding and awareness needed
But, she added, there is a need for a steady and reliable fundSee ARTS on Page 9
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ing stream for the arts. Many cities have a built-in commitment from both businesses and government to contribute a set amount to a capital fund for the arts. But microgrants, even ones as small as a few thousand dollars, could jump-start a budding artist’s career. “If they get a small amount of money, they could do something amazing, and we could all be brought into their dream,” Bobrow said. Perhaps the biggest need to boost arts and culture in Augusta is a simple change in mindset. “I find people who’ve lived in Augusta all their life, or for a very long time, who have no idea about the arts,” Bobrow said. “They have the idea that their cultural events only happen in their little silo, and then they say there’s nothing going on in Augusta. On any given day, there are 50 things going on.” The centerpiece of the arts scene in Augusta for many years has been the annual Arts in the Heart Festival held in September. It is entering its 39th year and attracts some of the best local talent — artists, crafters, photographers, musicians and dancers — and showcases the diverse cultures that call Augusta home. But more is needed to expand what Augusta has to offer.
companies, that is expected to continue for the foreseeable future. Along with that, increasing Augusta’s value as a tourist destination will also boost the economy. “Augusta has great bones, a great history, but now we need to elevate this as a destination,” Brown said.
Dreaming for the future
“I’d love to have a sculpture garden,” Bobrow said. “It could be a green center, a heart for the city. Lots of great cities have a green heart that is filled with art.” She also envisions a sculpture trail, perhaps incorporated into part of the existing Augusta Canal Trail. She believes that could pull people out of their “safety zones” to explore more of the Augusta area than they do now. “I would encourage businesses to have a space for a sculpture or a mural or a busker to draw people in,” Bobrow added. A music festival, such as the International Soul Festival, which is in the planning stages by the All In Augusta campaign, would also be a welcome addition. Bobrow would also like Augusta to be added to a smartphone app that many other cities are already on that provides information about local arts and cultural events and locations. As the study suggests, Bobrow said that an investment in the arts has a positive impact on the economic prosperity of not just the arts but in all area businesses. “It is an investment,” she said, “and there is a payoff.” Bobrow hopes to be able to conduct another study on the economic benefits of the arts soon.
A tradition of hospitality
One of those bones is something the city has done well for many years because of the Masters Tournament — hospitality. Copenhaver said that at the recent Ironman competition in Augusta, several competitors who participate in such events around the country said that Augusta was their favorite destination. The reason? Its welcoming atmosphere. “We know how to do hospitality,” Copenhaver said. “We’re well-trained in how to do it because we’ve done it for generations.” Brown has heard the same thing. He spoke at a recent convention that included participants from 13 Southeastern states. Many raved about their experience in Augusta. “They might as well have poured sugar in my ears, it was so sweet,” he said. All In Augusta plans to build on what people already love about the city to create a new, vibrant atmosphere. “We want to retain the wonderful Southern charm and the rich history, but it is a new Augusta,” Brown said.
A vibrant nightlife
One of the first tasks will be convincing long-time Augusta-area residents that the city has grown up. “This is not your grandmother’s Augusta,” Copenhaver said. He cited an active nightlife downtown. For example, the new Garden City Social (formerly Sky City) is so popular that the wait time to be seated is an hour or more. On the night of the recent Guitar Pull, Copenhaver said, he found wait times of an hour at several area restaurants. Continuing to build on the vibrant nightlife will be important for the future as the area’s labor force turns younger. To that end, the All In Augusta campaign actively sought the input of younger leaders. “When you think about the labor force in cyber and technology, it’s younger and it’s well-paid,” Copenhaver said. “We need to be attractive to that generation in order to help our businesses attract that labor force. We’ve actively incorporated the voices of the younger generation and we should, because they’ll benefit from it more than anyone else.” Part of the All in Augusta campaign calls for the CVB to implement the Business Improvement District, which helps keep downtown clean. “When visitors or potential businesses come to Augusta, it’s important to look like the Garden City,” Copenhaver said. Brown said that there are items in the five-year plan that are “low-hanging fruit.” “We’ll find some easy wins to give the community confidence,” he said. Brown said one change Augustans need to make is to stop thinking of visitors as simply overnight guests who won’t return. Often the visitors are businesspeople who are considering new locations or people who are seeking a new place to put down roots. Giving them enjoyable reasons to choose Augusta is important. “We’ve seen an increase in visitors but also an increase in people moving downtown,” Brown said. He noted that economic numbers are tied to this increase in
An International Soul Festival featuring music inspired by Augusta’s own James Brown is in the works as part of All In Augusta’s campaign. Photo by Gary Kauffman
both tourism and move-ins. “As we begin to improve the assets of the community, there will be a definite positive outcome,” he said.
Community cooperation and money
All of this will take cooperation and money. The goal of the campaign is to raise $6 million. Portions of that will be used to establish a new center to showcase the Augusta area, which will be important for tourists but will also be designed to inspire residents to see what Augusta has become. Also on the table are plans for a new CVB and Augusta Sports Council headquarters on Broad Street. The showcase center and new CVB headquarters are expected to require about half of the $6 million. Included in upgrading downtown will be expanding Augusta Common to the Savannah River; establishing a sculpture garden in conjunction with the Greater Augusta Arts Council; setting up tours and shuttles using golf cars; expanding the bicycle and pedestrian network; and establishing and promoting an International Soul Festival infused with James Brown-inspired music and Southern food. Both Copenhaver and Brown assured the community that All In Augusta won’t be one of those studies that simply gathers dust for years and never sees completion. “I want to ensure investors that this campaign will get action,” Brown said, adding that the new Entertainment Zone downtown is a product of Destination Blueprint. “There’s such energy and enthusiasm at the grassroots level,” Copenhaver said. “If you want to get involved, we want to plug you in.” One of the main roles Brown and Copenhaver play in All In Augusta is one they enjoy — being cheerleaders for the region. “This is a great community to live in,” Copenhaver said. “It’s all here — if you want urban, we’ve got it; if you want suburban, we’ve got it; if you want waterfront, we’ve got it. The whole is greater than its parts.” Brown, although relatively new to his position, has already fallen in love with the city and isn’t shy about letting it be known. “I’m excited and proud to be part of an organization that helps yell Augusta’s name,” he said.
Want to learn more? For more information and for investment opportunities, go online to visitaugusta.com/all-in-augusta. January 2019 Buzz on Biz
9
A NEW WAY OF THINKING
BUSINESSES NEED TO PREPARE NOW FOR CHANGING WORKFORCE By Gary Kauffman The workforce of the future is rapidly drawing closer, bringing significant changes, and area businesses need to prepare for it sooner rather than later, according to an Augusta University business professor. Melissa Furman, assistant dean at the James Hull College of Business at AU, spoke Nov. 30 at the North Augusta Chamber of Commerce Power Luncheon about the swift change area employment will see in the near future. “Baby Boomers are getting ready to retire — in theory, they should have retired four or five years ago — and when they retire there will be a major leadership crisis,” Furman said. “It’ll be very prevalent in this area.” A recent Gallup poll showed that 86 percent of business leaders report a leadership readiness gap that is critical or urgent. The generation following the Baby Boomers, known as Generation X, is much smaller and possibly not as qualified for the leadership roles. That means many people in the Millennial generation, and even those in Generation Z (22 years old and younger), will need to step into those roles. The younger generations, especially Millennials, are looking for employers who care about them. The top reason most employees leave is because of the managers they work for, not dissatisfaction with the job. “If you invest in them, you’re showing that you care,” Furman said. “Don’t just invest in them, but invest in their leadership skills.” A workforce diverse in age, race and gender is key to businesses’ success, said Augusta University’s Melissa Furman.
10 Buzz on Biz January 2019
“They see diversity all around them, and they’ll expect that from you. They are not fazed by a lot of things and they’re highly resilient.” – Melissa Furman, assistant dean at the James Hull College of Business at Augusta University, on Generation Y and Z employees She advised employers to do that for all employees, because the future of a company will depend on how well its employees can lead. But that will require a different way of thinking. In the past, leadership depended on steadfast, consistent, one-size-fitsall leaders and was driven by the lessons of past experiences. But in the future, leadership will need to be adaptable, dynamic and personalized and be driven by what lies ahead. It will depend on anticipation of the future rather than analysis of the past. That means fewer decisions based on gut instinct and more emphasis on data to inform decision-making. “When you make decisions based on your gut, you’re right only 13 percent of the time,” Furman said. Future leaders will also have to check their egos at the door. Furman said the new leaders will be rolling up their sleeves and working alongside those they lead. That servant l e a d e r ship style illustrates
the first of five leadership skills that Furman said are needed for future success — leading authentically to inspire and motivate others. But while much future thought revolves around the younger generations, Furman said nurturing and support is needed for all employees, from the newcomers to the veterans. “Don’t forget about the Boomers, because they’re extremely valuable to your business and they’re not done yet,” she said. That means developing unique goals and development for those in the early career stage, those in mid-career and those winding up their careers. Communication skills will also be increasingly important as leaders will be expected to make good decisions quickly and be clear about those decisions. It will also be an important skill for building relationships and to communicate a leader’s passion for the job. Perhaps one of the biggest changes will be a shift to building a failure-
tolerant workspace that values imagination and innovation. In the past, changes were made slowly, sometimes over years, to ensure success when implemented. That is changing. “The business strategy of today is to fail hard and fail fast so you can recover from it and move on,” Furman said. And, finally, the next generations, especially Generation Z, will expect to be employed in a diverse workforce. “All they know is diversity,” Furman said. “They see diversity all around them, and they’ll expect that from you. They are not fazed by a lot of things and they’re highly resilient.” She added that research shows that diversity in the workforce breeds success, but she warned employers to slow down and be intentional in hiring for diversity. “You all move fast and unintentionally hire people just like you,” she said. The best strategy, Furman said, is for an employer to think like a coach and consider individual skills. Just like a football coach would coach his kicker differently than the quarterback, so today’s leaders should think individually about their employees. “Provide individual techniques and strategies for each employee,” she said. But, she warned, it will take some intentional efforts to implement these changes — and it needs to happen quickly. “Most businesses are not ready,” Furman said. “But if you can start thinking about it today you can start to move forward.”
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January 2019 Buzz on Biz
11
openings, closings and moves OPENINGS
Gander Outdoors The former Gander Mountain building on Mason McKnight Jr. Parkway near Flowing Wells Road is open for business again, this time under the name Gander Outdoors and Camping World. It opened for business Dec. 14. Camping World CEO Marcus Lemonis had acquired Gander Mountain a few years ago, and soon after, the Augusta store, which had opened in 2014, closed. Gander Outdoors lists 67 stores on its website, the majority in the northern United States. Augusta’s store is the only one listed in Georgia. There is also one in North Charleston, S.C., one in Dothan, Ala., and three in Florida. Gander Outdoors sells hunting, fishing, camping and other outdoor equipment. It also features boating products from Overton’s. The Augusta store is one of the few to also be listed as a Camping World center for RVs and RV supplies. The store is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. AU Health Care Center Augusta University Health opened a new Care Center on Furys Ferry Road in Martinez on Dec. 12. AU Health will provide primary care and cardiovascular services to Columbia County through this new 6,450-square-foot ambulatory care center at 587 Furys Ferry Road. By increasing its presence in Columbia County and focusing on boosting primary care offerings, AU Health is better prepared to meet the high demand of this rapidly increasing population. The Furys Ferry Care Center is another step in an overarching plan to offer care where patients live and work and to provide it more efficiently, AU Health said. Guitar Center Music lovers have something to
12 Buzz on Biz January 2019
Couple opens Aiken location of CBD store MaryEllen and Jim Olson aren’t where they thought they’d be six months after leaving their home in Boston to start a new life in Aiken. MaryEllen had spent 20 years in health education, and Jim had a successful contracting company. They’d done well in the real estate market in Massachusetts, so they had some liquidity to fall back on. They knew life was going to look different after settling down in the South to care for Jim’s parents, but they weren’t expecting difficulty on the job front. While Jim was having trouble making inroads for his contracting business, MaryEllen found that the role in which she’d spent the last 20 years at the YMCA essentially didn’t exist in the area. The medical and health-based educational programs — ranging from obesity and chronic disease management to helping patrons quit smoking — that she oversaw at the YMCA in the Boston area are mainly carried out by hospitals in the Augusta area and are taught by nurses as opposed to community centers, she said. Moving to the opposite end of the East Coast was proving harder than expected. Then the Olsons stumbled upon a business idea based on a product that had begun to increasingly intersect with their own lives. Two years ago, MaryEllen had a surgical procedure to remove what doctors believed to be a tumor. While no cancer was detected, she suffered nerve damage during the procedure and found it painful to even stand up. That’s when she started taking CBD (a hemp-based compound also known as cannabidiol) and found it enormously relieving. CBD, concentrated extract from the hemp plant, has become popular across the United States as users look forward to in 2019. Guitar Center, America’s largest music retailer, has announced plans to open a store at the Villages at Riverwatch, which also includes Costco and Cabela’s. The new store will be about 10,000 square feet and is expected to open in late 2019. It will be the company’s 17th store in Georgia; the closest Guitar Center currently is in Columbia. Guitar Center has more than 280
After Jim and MaryEllen Olson discovered the benefits of CBD, a hemp-based compound also known as cannabidiol, in dealing with pain and other health issues, they opened a location of Your CBD Store in Aiken. Photo by Witt Wells
report finding significant relief from chronic pain and anxiety. As knowledge of its benefits has become widespread, many states have changed or created policies to allow for the use of CBD, which has negligible amounts (around 0.3 percent) of THC, the psychoactive element in marijuana. After visiting a CBD store in Martinez (the affiliated business is also called Your CBD Store), the Olsons weighed their options. Not only had MaryEllen started using CBD (it didn’t take long for her oxycodone prescription to spark negative side effects), but Jim was using it to help his mom, who has Alzheimer’s disease. So, the Olsons opened Your CBD Store in Aiken. Your CBD Store, both in Aiken and Martinez, the latter of which opened in 2018, only sell products that have zero THC. “I mean, we’re not gonna get rich, but we’re building a business, and we feel like we’re doing something that’s worthwhile,” Jim said. “We’re not making widgets. We’re not punching the time clock. We can put into this everything we want.” CBD has gained widespread atstores and sells and rents a variety of musical equipment. It also repairs equipment and offers music lessons.
EXPANSIONS
Buona Caffe A local coffee shop unveiled a new location at the Hull McKnight Georgia Cyber Center on Nov. 29.
tention for its effective treatment of child epilepsy, and a vast number of positive personal stories have boosted its popularity. “Lots of drug-addicted people are trying to get off opioids,” Jim said, adding that was the case for some people who walked into Your CBD Store in Aiken during the first couple of days it was open. Both locations of Your CBD Store are supplied by SunMed, a Floridabased company that gets its products from a farm in Colorado. The shop, which is the first of its kind in Aiken, sells a variety of CBD products, including water solubles, edibles, tinctures (oral drops), creams, vape products, a CBD-based beauty line and products for pets. The store is at 152 S. Aiken Lane and is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. “I love helping people, so for me doing this, it’s like a natural fit to be able to educate people on the benefits of CBD,” MaryEllen said. “Like I said, 95 percent of the people walking through the door are dealing with some kind of chronic conditions.” Buona Caffe, whose original location is on Central Avenue, announced the launch of its new coffee bar with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the main lobby of the cyber center, which is located downtown at 100 Grace Hopper Lane. “It says so much about the commitment of the Georgia Technology Authority and Augusta University to Augusta that they selected a local com-
openings, closings and moves pany for the coffee bar instead of a national chain,” Buona Caffe co-owner Pat Curry said after announcing the new shop over the summer. “This is an important investment in our local economy.” Buona Caffe also purchased the building at 520 Reynolds St. last October and plans to use the 8,400-squarefoot facility to expand its inventory and roasting operation. “The cyber center is ushering in a new era in the life of downtown Augusta, and we are literally in on the ground floor,” Curry said. The new Buona Caffe location will be open on weekdays and will offer a menu similar to the one at its 1858 Central Ave. location. Pediatric Partners Pediatric Partners of Augusta held a grand-opening ceremony in December for its new Grovetown location. The practice is at 5135 Wrightsboro Road, Suite B, next to Barney’s Pharmacy. The building was formerly Covenant Pediatrics’ Grovetown location. The office is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Patients who need care after 5 p.m. can go to the Pediatric Partners after-hours clinic in Evans at 411 Town Park Blvd. The practice also has a location downtown at 1303 D’Antignac St., Suite 2600. AECOM AECOM, a global engineering firm that specializes in design, consulting, construction and management, cut the ribbon on its second CSRA hub, this time in the middle of downtown Augusta. The company plans to use the central location to integrate with the growing cyber industry. The office is at 973 Broad St. and was officially completed in the fall. “It’s our starting point,” said Ronald Hahn, an executive vice president for AECOM. “We certainly expect and hope to grow and continue to work here in the community, work with our clients. We certainly hope and expect to be able to grow this business.” Hahn and Earl Johnson, AECOM’s senior vice president focused on cyber integration and policy, said downtown Augusta’s revitalization was the perfect opportunity to open an office that would be complementary to AECOM’s significant presence at Savannah River Site. AECOM, which oversees a total of 87,000 employees, has around 250 employees managing its nuclear and environmental portfolio at
SRS, plus another 3,000 who are jointly contracted by AECOM and some of its partners. The downtown office will house senior executives and act as an “innovation and collaboration hub,” Hahn said. “We took time out and started looking at all the things that are going on in the Cyber Center of Excellence,” Johnson said. “You’re looking at design, you’re looking at construction. We’ve got to be involved in this, because we think we’re bringing so much capability to what’s going on.” Panera Bread A new Panera Bread will open in Columbia County. It will be the fourth location in the area. The restaurant will be at the Lewiston Road Kroger shopping center near Grovetown. A date for groundbreaking has yet to be announced. Panera is taking construction bids to build the 4,900-square-foot restaurant at the corner of Lewiston Road and Bluegrass Trail. A new Wild Wing Cafe will likely be coming to the same area, as the owners of Wild Wing Augusta have purchased more than three acres of property north of the Kroger shopping center. The restaurant would be located next to Dairy Queen on Bluegrass Trail.
CLOSINGS
Dart Container Augusta’s first non-textile, nonagricultural industrial company will close sometime in 2019 after 70 years in business. The Dart Container Corp., built in 1947 by New York’s Lily-Tulip Co., faced a weak market for its polystyrene cups, once popular for hot and cold beverages. Environmental concerns caused customers to turn to more environmentally friendly alternatives. Dart had originally planned on closing at the end of 2018 but will continue to operate until about the middle of the
Hollywood Feed, in the Crane Creek shopping center next to Sprouts, specializes in natural pet food and products that are made in the United States. Photo by Gary Kauffman
Hollywood Feed opens first location in Augusta area Memphis, Tenn.-based pet store Hollywood Feed has opened its first Augusta location at the Sprouts-anchored Crane Creek Shopping Center. The chain, which has 85 locations throughout the South (including 19 locations in the metro Atlanta area and several in South Carolina), specializes in natural, American-made pet food and products. “The Georgia market has been so welcoming to us,” the company said in a statement. “With nearly 20 locations in Atlanta and several in South Carolina, we’ve known for some time that Augusta was a natural choice for another store location.” new year to fulfill existing orders. The 375,000-square-foot property on Wrightsboro Road will put up for sale once production ceases. At its peak in the 1980s, Dart employed about 1,000 people but is now down to about 140. In the past it had also made cups for Solo, Sweetheart and Lily-Tulip. Wine World A fixture on North Augusta’s riverfront will close in February after 46 years of operation. Wine World, located on Georgia Avenue across from the North Augusta Municipal Building, will be selling the remainder of its inventory in the first few months of the new year, with the goal of closing by the end of February. Wine World had a wine club and of-
The 3,150-square-foot store is at 630 Crane Creek Drive, Suite 108. It is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday. Aside from a variety of natural pet foods, the retailer sells beds, leashes, collars and accessories, all made in the South. “Healthy diets are essential to a pet’s longevity and quality of life, especially since 54 percent of the dogs and cats in the U.S. are considered overweight or obese,” the statement said. “It’s important that pet owners find the right nutrition for their specific pet’s needs rather than assuming that a popular trend such as grain-free or raw food will be a good fit.” fered wine- and cheese-tasting events. It opened in 1972, founded by four couples who wanted to offer a place to buy moderately priced wine in days when wine was not available in grocery stores. The majority owners, Dick and Sally Benjamin, passed away in 2013 and 2016, respectively, and it has been run by their son Andrew. “I want to thank our customers, the community, our staff, and previous owners for your support, your presence, and most importantly for the love and fun we have shared over the past 46 years,” Andrew Benjamin wrote in a Facebook post. “We plan to operate semi-normally through the new year, then use the first two months of the year to sell what is left of inventory … Let’s have a wonderful time over the next few months!” January 2019 Buzz on Biz
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upcoming business events Friday, Jan. 4
First Friday Means Business, 7:30 a.m., 117 Newberry St. NW, Aiken. Informative breakfast meeting with a keynote speaker. For more information, visit aikenchamber.net.
Tuesday, Jan. 15
Women in Business, 11:30 a.m., Legends Club, 2701 Washington Road, Augusta. Melissa Furman, assistant dean at the James Hull College of Business at Augusta University, presents “New Year’s Career Resolutions: Accelerate Your Success.” She will discuss career obstacles and strategies to overcome them. Registration is required. For more information, visit augustametrochamber.com.
Wednesday, Jan. 16
Quickbooks (Basics and Beyond), 9 a.m., Conference Room, Small Business Development Center, 2907 Professional Pkwy., Augusta. This all-day class includes step-by-step instructions for beginners or more intensive instruction in intermediate or advanced training. Registration is required. For more information, visit georgiasbdc.org/augusta-office.
Thursday, Jan. 17
North Augusta Chamber Power Luncheon, 11:30 a.m., Palmetto Terrace Ballroom, North Augusta Municipal Building, 100 Georgia Ave., North Augusta. “How to Talk to a Billionaire,” presented by advertising professional Mike Parsons. Learn how to use communication profiling to effectively communicate your business ideas to busy entrepreneurs. Registration is required. For more information,
14 Buzz on Biz January 2019
visit northaugustachamber.org.
Wednesday, Jan. 23
Fifth annual CEO Breakfast Workshop, 8 a.m., 901 Greene St., Augusta. Join University of Georgia Small Business Development Center professionals for an information-packed morning to prepare you with insight into smallbusiness growth that affects your business. Registration is required. For more information, visit georgiasbdc.org/augusta-office.
Friday, Jan. 25
Aiken Chamber Annual Dinner, 6:30 p.m., USC Aiken Convocation
Center, 2049 Champion Way, Graniteville. This event showcases the accomplishments of the previous year and introduces the current year’s goals and new board. Also honored will be the Man, Woman and Large and Small Business of the Year. Registration is required. For more information, visit aikenchamber.net.
Monday, Jan. 28
North Augusta Chamber Candidates Forum, 6 p.m., Palmetto Terrace Ballroom, North Augusta Municipal Building, 100 Georgia Ave., North Augusta. The chamber will host a candidate forum, focusing on issues important to local businesses. The event features candidates in
the running for seats on North Augusta City Council. Registration is required. For more information, visit northaugustachamber.org.
Thursday, Feb. 7
Fourteenth annual Columbia County Chamber Banquet, 4:30 p.m. cocktail reception and business showcase; 6:30 p.m. dinner meeting and awards, Columbia County Exhibition Center, 212 Partnership Drive, Grovetown. During the program, the Business of the Year, Small Business of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Awards will be presented. Corporate tables available. Registration required. For more information, visit columbiacountychamber.com.
AUGUSTA’S INNOVATION NEWS
AT THE CLUBHOU.SE
THE
ACCELERATOR
• Augusta Locally Grown has its downtown pickup location at theClubhou.se every Tuesday, 5-7 p.m. • Entrepreneur members of theClubhou.se meet every Wednesday morning for Founders Circle, 9-10 a.m.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Jan. 1: theClubhou.se will be closed New Years Day.
Emineo Marketing
Jan. 9: ATDC Lunch & Learn. Noon to 1 p.m.
OWNER
Jan. 9: Tech, Developer and Startup Community, join us for a Beer & Bytes, our monthly networking event. 5:30-7 p.m. Jan. 14: Code Boot Camp V begins! Jan. 16-18: Startup Life 2019 Launch Camp! Jan. 17: PyAugusta gets into Violent Python this month! 6-8 p.m. Jan. 22: Agile Augusta presents aspects of Agile Project Management. 6-7 p.m. Jan. 24: Join us for a Cloud Orchestration at the next Cloud Meetup and start becoming a Cloud Maestro. 6-8 p.m. Jan. 25: Growler Gardening with Augusta Locally Grown at theClubhou.se Community Garden on Telfair Street. 5-7 p.m. Jan. 25: PyNight! With Booz Allen Hamilton. 6-9 p.m. Jan. 28: Robotics Galore is hosting a Show & Tell for the robotics enthusiasts! 6-8 p.m.
Catch the Buzz! Get more on upcoming events and follow business and economic news across the CSRA at buzzon.biz.
Rebecca Best What is the business? Emineo Marketing is a full service marketing agency that acts as our clients outsourced director of marketing. We approach each client in a customized manner to understand their goals and needs and create a plan to achieve success for our clients. We are successful when they are successful! When and where did you found it?
mine when I was teaching marketing at the Hull College of Business at Augusta University. How did you market your business? Word of mouth. My time spent networking and serving on various non-profit boards and committees was time well spent. I can honestly say that every piece of business I have received has been from a direct contact or a referral. My relationships are invaluable to me and always will be. I cannot thank those who were with me from the beginning enough for believing in me and giving me a chance.
I founded Emineo Marketing in June 2015 from my kitchen table, as most businesses start. I am happy to have my new home in theClubhou.se!
How did you choose who to hire?
Any previous entrepreneurial experience? Lessons learned?
Who are your main competitors?
No previous experience but I somehow always manage to lead groups and people. Lessons learned? The major one is that going to business school and owning/running a business are two very different things. I’m happy for the education because it has helped me understand the vernacular and the importance of the pieces of a business that need to be managed but there are some things you have to experience and just can’t be taught when it comes to being an entrepreneur. What appealed to you about entrepreneurship? I love and crave flexibility so working for myself feeds that desire. I also love getting to work with a variety of businesses and industries. I am a lover of learning and when your client base spans across different areas you are always learning!
If I hear myself in the potential hire then they will most likely be a good fit!
There are many entering the market claiming to be marketing experts, especially in the digital space. Digital marketing is an ever evolving elephant that is something to constantly be learning about. Other than that I believe that traditional ad agencies and creative firms are our competition because we can do what they do. I feel we are different because of the emphasis we place on strategy and planning. What have you learned from your competitors? Don’t overpromise and under deliver. Be transparent. Charge what you are worth. Best piece of advice? Just start.
How did you get the idea?
Common misconceptions about your business/entrepreneurship in general?
I was a director of marketing for years for the largest local CPA firm in Augusta. I had other business owners call me all the time and say, “how do I hire a you?”. I decided to make hiring me a possibility!
I think when people look at Emineo they see me, which is a good thing because I definitely bring something to the table, however, I want people to see that Emineo is an actual team of people, even if we aren’t housed under the same roof.
How did you find your co-founders?
What next for you?
No co-founders but I do have one employee and she used to be a student of
My goal is to start teaching classes at theClubhou.se for small businesses who want to learn more about marketing. I
REBECCA BEST want to develop curriculum that I can provide to help educate and train others. One of my personal life mottos is “share the knowledge.” How has working out of theClubhou.se benefitted your company? The interaction with others has been so worthwhile! I’ve enjoyed meeting entrepreneurs and finding ways to collaborate. I also feel that it’s given Emineo some credibility and validity to being in business, it’s just a different perception than, “I work from home” and my business is definitely seeing the reward for making the investment in being a part of theClubhou.se community.
WANT TO BECOME A MEMBER? VISIT www.theclubhou.se Would you like to schedule a tour? STOP BY 100 Grace Hopper Lane Suite 3700 Augusta, Ga EMAIL heythere@theclubhou.se
January 2019 Buzz on Biz
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BUSINESS BASICS
The best way to manage finances is to think ahead By Mark Alison This multi-part series is for entrepreneurs and small business owners. Whether you are just starting or have been in business for a few years, these insights and personal lessons may save you a load of money and regret. I call it “Blood and Guts,” because that’s what it takes to be a business owner. You deserve a medal. What most people think is liberation from a 40-hour workweek is often an 80hour or more workweek, and the reward is not always financial. Having started multiple small businesses of my own and marketed/consulted with many others over the past 40-plus years, I have seen or personally experienced a lifetime of good and bad decisions. I hope these insights will be valuable to anyone who chooses to take the risk. In the last installment we covered some necessities: • Create contracts for commissioned salespeople. • Read vendor contracts. • Don’t finance your customers by running 120 days on receivables. • Read your P&L (profit and loss statement) each month. Look at the general ledger for bogus vendors. If you are on accrual, set up some cash system to see income and expenses. Now, here are some additional ones: You can’t expense all purchases in one year. I don’t pretend to be offering tax advice, but I know from experience that not all purchases can be written off in one year. Here is what happened to me: I paid for the items in my current fiscal year, but the government only allowed me to take part of the expense against my income. The purchase had to be depreciated. I was out of cash due to the purchase, so how was I to pay the tax I owed for the part that was not expensed? Borrowing to pay taxes is not good use of money in most cases. Ask your CPA about the latest rules for one-time expenses. It’s not how much you sell it for; it’s how much you pay for it that makes the difference. This is a simple but profound statement. Assume you could pay a dol-
There is a real cost in the beginning of a business deal, but if you can see the value of the relationship and amortize that over a three-year period, there is often value for both you and the customer.
lar for an item and sell it for $10, or pay $25 from something and sell it for $50. While the single item net profit is better for the higher-priced item, the greater percentage gain is in the lower-priced one. I’d rather sell a bunch of the lower-priced
grow us, we will be much bigger and this can be a really great account for you — just help us now to get there.” (What they forget to add here is “and take a much lower fee.”) I say, “Bull” to that. If they can’t pay you what you are worth to them now, they won’t pay it later. Don’t get caught in that trap. However, there are times when a deal has to be calculated based on potential. I usually figured a three-year total to determine if it was worth pursuing. Yes, there is a real cost to you in the beginning, but if you can see the value of the relationship and amortize that over the three-year period, there is often value for both you and the customer … but don’t take it on the come. Guard your integrity diligently and challenge anyone who tries to demean it. I heard an ugly rumor about our com-
Knowing where the greatest profit lies is critical but often overlooked by companies that sell services as opposed to tangible products.
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items and make 900 percent profit than a few of the higher-priced ones and make 100 percent. Knowing where the greatest profit lies is critical but often overlooked by companies that sell services as opposed to tangible products. Know the real value of a sale, but don’t bet on the come. I wish I could count the number of times I had a prospective client say, “We are small now but when you
pany once. Some people would say to just consider the source, but I called the source. And that put an end to it! It is your responsibility to protect the company and the people it employs. Check your credit rating, and if something is out of whack, call the creditor and find out what is wrong. It could simply be a clerical error or misinformation that needs to be straightened out. Don’t count on D&B (Dun & Bradstreet) to help — do it yourself. I never found D&B to be helpful. But that’s another story. Watch for the next part of this series and share this with other entrepreneurial friends. Believe me, small business and entrepreneurs need all the help they can get. Got any good stories yourself ? Shoot me an e-mail at mrkalison@yahoo.com. Mark Alison, the Business Accelerator, is an independent marketing counselor. He can be reached at mark9226@me.com.
NEW CONGRESS TAKES OFFICE
CAMPAIGN PROMISES COULD NEGATIVELY IMPACT SMALL BUSINESSES By Gary Kauffman As a new year begins, Congress is set to take office with a new political face — Democrats now hold power in half of it. While the Senate remains under a slim Republican majority, the House of Representatives is now under Democrat control, with Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) set to be the speaker of the House. The Democrats regained control of the House by making a number of campaign promises — promises that, if fulfilled, could have a negative impact on small businesses across the country, according to Bernie Marcus, co-founder of Home Depot and co-founder of the Jobs Creator Network. Writing in The Hill, Marcus warned of five issues that could be detrimental to business in general but might hit small businesses especially hard.
Repealing the tax reform bill
The Democrats weren’t happy with President Donald Trump’s effort to cut taxes, even though initial results show that it stimulated job growth and helped many people in the middle class. Repealing the bill would effectively become a tax increase if rates returned to previous levels. This would mean more individual and business money going to the government, which Marcus predicts would hurt consumers and shrink the economy.
Medicare for all
Health care was a popular subject on the stump as Democrats recognized that many Americans have legitimate concerns about the price tag of health care, insurance for pre-existing conditions and rising costs of insurance premiums. Democrats will probably initially demand that the Affordable Care Act remain in place (see Russell Head’s column on page 22 for more on this), although some of the more progressive candidates floated the idea of putting all Americans on Medicare. The price of Medicare for all has been estimated at $32 trillion over the next decade. As Marcus pointed out in his article, Democrats have not explained where that money would come from, but he speculates that it will come from higher taxes on individuals and businesses.
Minimum wage increase
Another popular campaign talking point was doubling the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour (more than half the states already have a minimum wage higher than the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour). Interestingly enough, there is already a sample case of how this might work. As Marcus writes, “We don’t need to guess how this will work out. Researchers in Washington concluded just last year that Seattle’s $15 minimum wage smothered jobs and reduced income by forcing employers to cut hours for workers.”
Mandatory paid leave
This is a perk many large businesses already provide. Making it mandatory, though, could hurt small businesses. Not only would they have to pay someone who isn’t working, but without a large employee pool to cover for someone’s absence, they might have to hire a temporary replacement for the person on leave, adding to their costs.
Regulations, regulations, regulations
Although the specifics aren’t known yet, Democrats were not pleased with Trump’s easing of regulations that had hurt many small businesses. Marcus believes they will work to either reinstate previous environmental, banking and labor regulations, or create new ones. Either way could have a serious financial impact on small businesses. Obviously, just because Democrats ran campaigns on these issues doesn’t mean they’ll follow through — politicians are notorious for not living up to their promises. Any proposed legislation would also have to pass through the Republican-controlled Senate and be signed by the president, who has veto power. Marcus promised that his Job Creators Network will keep an eye on Congress on behalf of small businesses and work toward educating small businesses about economic policies.
January 2019 Buzz on Biz
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LEGAL EASE
Haste makes waste — and can cause a lot of trouble By Ed Enoch After a client meeting, I am dashing off a follow-up email to a client. The client is unhappy with the progress of negotiations and wants something done. I have mapped out an aggressive strategy to get things moving — one that, while not illegal or unethical, is closer to the line than I usually travel. Before I can finish, I am distracted by an incoming call. When I come back and reread the message, I decide not to send it. Instead of sending the message, I pick up the phone and call the client. “Look,” I say, “I know you are frustrated and you want me to be aggressive, but I have thought about it and I am not comfortable with where we are headed.” That was a tough call to make, but it was the right call. Today, our communications travel almost at the speed of light. How many times have we hurriedly written an email and hit SEND, only to wish we had not because of a typo or tone or something we would have changed after just a little bit of reflection. As an attorney, I am acutely aware that everything you put in writing, on paper or in electronic form, can come back to
Although it might be old-fashioned, writing by hand can slow you down and give you time to reflect on your words, potentially saving you a lot of trouble.
haunt you. “Never write an email you would not let your grandmother read” is sound advice. However, I see messages all over our digital world that surely someone regrets are out there, whether it is on social media, in a text or in an email.
Much of this problem can be solved with two words: Slow down! As a young lawyer, I had an attorney in a small, neighboring community tell me, “Son, I do not own a fax machine. Makes me practice law too fast.” When I began my law practice, it would
routinely take two days to get a letter out of the office. I had to dictate it into a little recorder, then my secretary would transcribe it and give me the draft. I marked it up by hand and returned it to her for a final version I could sign. While that process seems incredibly inefficient and antiquated today, it did slow things down and make each correspondence more thoughtful and deliberate. When was the last time you handwrote a letter? Try it. You will be amazed how much more carefully you choose your words — especially if you write in pen and have the start over if you mess up or change your mind. Write the angry email if you must. Then step away from it. Go eat lunch or take a walk. Then come back a re-read it before you hit SEND. It will at least save you some trouble and can definitely save you some legal fees in the long run. J. Edward “Ed” Enoch has practiced law in Augusta for more than 20 years, mostly focusing on helping business owners and companies to include formation, transition, business planning, contract writing, employment law and other areas of the law. Email jenoch@ enochlaw.com.
INFRASTRUCTURE & LOGISTICS
Hiring pro pressure washers saves money in the long run By Tony Creighton Abraham Lincoln once said “A person who represents himself in a court of law has a fool for a client.” Just think about that for a second: Most people aren’t trained as lawyers, so they won’t know all the legal terms, procedures and loopholes to give themselves the best chance, especially when going up against a trained professional. Thus, their chances of winning their case will be slim to none, and their attempt to do so will be awkward at best. Why take the risk? So, how hard could it possibly be to properly and safely maintain the exterior of a commercial building, restaurant or strip mall? Surely Timmy and Tina, the teenagers who were just hired last week, or Mr. Wilson, the in-house maintenance manager, should be able pressure-wash the
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siding and concrete walks in your 75unit apartment complex; isn’t that really the easiest, most cost-effective way to do things? Think about it again. Please. Set aside the thought, because in either case above, neither person would likely have the experience and knowledge to remove gum from concrete, or mildew or graffiti from vinyl siding without damaging it, or remove dangerous, slippery grease from restaurant entrances that a professional, experienced, properly equipped exterior cleaning contractor would provide. Also set aside the thought that, in addition to needing the proper experience and equipment, one would need the proper knowledge and professional-grade detergents to get the best possible results. Additionally, think about the risks of having an inexperienced employee use a high-pressure wand that could easily
cause damage to concrete, windows, stucco or vinyl siding. A high-pressure stream of water that accidentally comes into contact with bare skin can create painful and dangerous injuries to your employees. Imagine the inexperienced employee incorrectly tries to use a dangerous caustic chemical to remove grease or stains and ends up splashing it in his eyes or onto his skin, causing dangerous burns. The costs of dealing with the legalities of job-incurred injuries to the employee will far outweigh any perceived savings from trying to handle it yourself, in-house, with an employee. I guarantee it. Secondary to the liability risk, when you consider the entire financial costs — you’re paying the employee’s hourly rate, paying for the pressure-washing equipment, the gas to run it, the cost to repair it when it breaks, the costs of any
chemicals or detergents that need to be purchased — you simply can’t do it more cost-effectively in-house. There is hardly a scenario where it would make sense to try and handle your pressure washing in-house using your employees. It is for all of these reasons that we recommend hiring a licensed, knowledgeable pressure-washing company to meet your exterior cleaning needs. In the long run, it will save you time, money – and possible legal hassles. Tony Creighton is the owner/ operator of ALLCLEAN™ Pressure Washing LLC and its subsidiary, Augusta PROCLEAN™ — committed to providing high-quality cleanings for the CSRA’s commercial properties and homes. Call 706.651.8089 or email allclean augusta@gmail.com.
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TAX MATTERS
As 2019 begins, it’s time to untangle the tax reform bill By Christine Hall As you say goodbye to 2018 and hello to 2019, you will find there are many changes to the tax law that will affect your 2018 corporate return. If you are a business owner, here are the highlights of what you need to know about tax changes for 2018.
Standard mileage rates
The standard mileage rate in 2018 is 54.5 cents per business mile driven.
Health care tax credit for small businesses
Small business employers who pay at least half the premiums for single health insurance coverage for their employees may be eligible for the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit as long as they employ fewer than the equivalent of 25 full-time workers and average annual wages do not exceed $50,000 (adjusted annually for inflation). In 2018, this amount is $53,200. In 2018 (as in 2014-17), the tax credit is worth up to 50 percent of your contribution toward employees’ premium costs (up to 35 percent for tax-exempt employ-
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ers). For tax years 2010 through 2013, the maximum credit was 35 percent for small business employers and 25 percent for small tax-exempt employers such as charities.
Section 179 expensing and depreciation
Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, the Section 179 expense deduction increases to a maximum deduction of $1 million of the first $2.5 million of qualifying equipment placed in service during the current tax year. The deduction was indexed to inflation after 2018 and enhanced to include improvements to nonresidential qualified real property such as roofs, fire protection, alarm systems and security systems, and heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems. Businesses are allowed to immediately deduct 100 percent of the cost of eligible property placed in service after Sept. 27, 2017, and before Jan. 1, 2023, after which it will be phased lower over a four-year period: 80 percent in 2023, 60 percent in 2024, 40 percent in 2025 and 20 percent in 2026. The standard business depreciation
amount is 25 cents per mile (same as 2017). Special rules apply to vehicle purchases. In order for a vehicle to qualify for a full Section 179 deduction, it must meet one of the following qualifications: • It can seat nine-plus passengers behind the driver’s seat (i.e., hotel shuttle vans). • It has a fully enclosed driver’s compartment/cargo area, no seating behind the driver’s seat and no body section protruding more than 30 inches ahead of the leading edge of the windshield. • It is an ambulance or hearse. • It is a taxi, transport van or other vehicle used to specifically transport people or property for hire. • It is a non-personal-use vehicle specifically modified for business (i.e., a cargo van with shelving permanently installed). • It is a heavy “non-SUV” vehicle or truck with a cargo area that is at least 6 feet in interior length (this area must not be easily accessible from the passenger area). Certain vehicles with a gross weight rating above 6,000 pounds but no more than 14,000 pounds qualify for deducting up to $25,000 if the vehicle is purchased
and placed in service prior to Dec. 31.
Tax rates
Tax reform eliminated the multiple tax brackets for C corporations and instead imposed a flat rate of 21 percent. Owners of S corporations may be eligible for a 20 percent qualified business income deduction on their personal return for 2018. The calculations and rules pertaining to this deduction are complex, so be sure to talk to your tax preparer if you think you might qualify. Although tax reform seems to always be labeled “simplified,” this is never the case. Be sure to consult a professional if you haven’t in the past. Now more than ever, corporations need professional help to weave through the maze of laws and regulations that we refer to as our tax code. Christine Hall is a partner in Hall, Murphy & Associates PC, a full-service accounting firm. For a complimentary accounting, tax or business consultation, call 706.855.7733 or email cmh@ hallmurphycpas.com.
GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY MOVES TO MAKE WAY FOR BANK The Augusta Genealogical Society has officially closed its 1109 Broad St. office, which will eventually be one of two new locations of Aiken-based Security Federal Bank. Dec. 15 was the society’s last day in the historic building, which was built in 1924. The Adamson Library will relocate to an office at 1058 Claussen Road, Suite 108, near the intersection of Washington Road and Interstate 20, according to a report. The AGS began in 1979, and its first home was at 1025 Chafee Ave. In addition to the Broad Street office, Security Federal will open a branch at
1607 Walton Way, in a space that was previously occupied by Georgia Power. That location will have a more current feel and will house a new corporate training center. The two branches will be the bank’s first locations in Richmond County. Tony Ateca, chief administration officer for Security Federal Bank, said in September that he expects the Walton Way branch to open in the spring. The renovation of the office downtown will be a significantly larger undertaking. “It has a great history; it’s on a great corner,” Ateca said. “We’re excited about the possibility of renovating it.”
The building at 1109 Broad St. downtown will become the new home of a Security Federal Bank Branch. File photo
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ON CAPITOL HILL
Change in Congress keeps Affordable Care Act alive By Russell Head After the midterm elections, Republicans in the U.S. Senate have indicated that they will no longer attempt to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The midterms created a power split in Congress, with Democrats retaking control of the U.S. House of Representatives and Republicans retaining control of the Senate. Many Democrats campaigned on health care issues, including retaining the ACA’s popular protection for individuals with pre-existing conditions. A Democrat-controlled House now will work to shield the ACA from repeal for at least the next two years. As a result, the ACA will remain current law and employers must continue to comply with all applicable ACA provisions. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has recognized that the Democrat-controlled House will not support any proposals to repeal and replace the ACA. Instead, lawmakers have indicated that they may work together, on
a bipartisan basis, to make small changes to improve the ACA. Although Republican lawmakers have indicated that they will no longer attempt to repeal the ACA in its entirety, the Trump administration will likely continue to use the regulatory process to lessen the impact of certain ACA reforms. President Donald Trump had promised to immediately work to repeal and replace the ACA when he took office. Although Republicans controlled both the House and Senate, they narrowly failed to pass bills to repeal the ACA in 2017. The Republicans’ efforts to repeal and replace the ACA came to an end on July 28, 2017, when members of the Senate voted 49-51 to reject a “skinny” version of a bill to repeal and replace the ACA. Despite these failed attempts to repeal the ACA, Congress did roll back specific provisions of the ACA, such as the individual mandate, which requires individuals to obtain health insurance to avoid paying a penalty. Also, Trump and his administration have used the regulatory process to
change specific ACA rules, such as: • Expanding the availability of shortterm, limited-duration insurance, which is not subject to the ACA’s market reforms; • Making it easier for small employers to join together to purchase health insurance as an association health plan; and • Proposing to expand the options for health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs), such as allowing HRAs to be used to pay for individual health insurance coverage. Now that the midterm elections have shifted the balance of power in Congress, the ACA will remain current law, and employers must continue to comply with all applicable ACA provisions. Employers should continue to monitor ACA developments, because it is likely that the Trump administration will continue issuing regulations that change how the ACA is implemented. It is also possible that lawmakers may work together, on a bipartisan basis, to change specific ACA provisions that are unpopular with voters or that negatively
impact the insurance market. In another note, on Dec. 14, a federal judge in Texas issued a partial ruling that strikes down the entire ACA as unconstitutional. The case, Texas v. U.S., will be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans, and then likely to the U.S. Supreme Court. The White House has stated that the law will remain in place, however, pending the appeals process. The ACA has largely survived more than 70 repeal attempts and two visits to the Supreme Court, and many anticipate it will survive this one, too. The bottom line: Employers should continue to comply with the ACA, as it remains the law for the foreseeable future. Russell T. Head is CEO of Head Capital Advisors, an Acrisure agency partner and Augusta’s largest employee benefits brokerage. He can be reached at 706.733.3459 or rthead@ headca.com.
PERSONAL GROWTH
Take 5 to evaluate whether your job fits your values By Dagan Sharpe We spend most of our lifetime working, and although that might sound depressing at first, it is how it should be. We aren’t meant to simply consume and stagnate, but to create and contribute. However, it has been estimated that more than 80 percent of people don’t like their jobs. They go to work miserable, disgruntled and dissatisfied. Now, that is sad. There are no doubt various reasons for this, but I do believe there is hope. It may require a job change, if possible, but a change in our perspective is most helpful. The following exercise is called “Take 5,” and I have personally applied it and shared it with members on my team. It’s helpful because we often struggle at work when we feel like we are not meeting expectations or we
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insecure about our contributions and/or aren’t stimulated and challenged by what we do. So, this reflective exercise is helpful. It starts with listing at least 5 Beliefs we have about how our job can help others and contribute to solving problem(s) we are passionate about. Sounds big, but almost anything we do actually creates a ripple effect and can make a greater impact than what we might initially assume. Second, list 5 Benefits, or
strengths and skills we possess, that make us uniquely effective in our role. These strengths might be empathy for others, specific experiences, talents, or gifts like service and teaching. Lastly, consider 5 Behaviors, or actions, we can take in order to leverage and maximize our benefits to propel the beliefs we have about our job. In other words, what can we begin doing differently and/or proactively in our jobs to make things happen?
This is basically our action plan. By “taking 5” and investing some time to think about and consider what we do and why we do it, we can better see the value of the positions we hold. Taking 5 also helps us realize how we might be uniquely gifted for our roles and discover new ways we can begin leveraging our roles to make a difference. It might also help clarify that we are in the wrong job and potentially identify a position that we have passion for and can benefit through our unique talents, skills and gifts. Far too often we jump into things without much thought or decide to invest our lives in something simply for money. However, it’s been proved time and again that no amount of money or job prestige can ultimately fulfill us completely. Job satisfaction doesn’t have to elude the vast majority of working people. Far too often we find
we get trapped, working for reasons that leave us empty. It might be doing a job because someone else directed us that way, like our parents, or we do a job simply for monetary reasons. But there is always opportunity to work at something we are passionate about when we invest the time to consider how, why and what we do and how it can be used for a greater good and impact beyond merely ourselves. This gives purpose to our daily duties and motivates us to a greater cause — elevating our spirits and motivations when Mondays come back around. Dagan Sharpe is senior vice president of Queensborough National Bank & Trust and the author of Highways End and Full Disclosure. Email him at dagan.sharpe@qnbtrust.com.
BUSINESSPERSON OF THE MONTH
SWANSON FOLLOWS DIVINE PATH TO LOCAL RADIO STATION By Gary Kauffman The radio bug bit Steve Swanson early in life. While in grade school in Moline, Ill., his parents gave him a transistor AM radio. At night he would tuck it under his pillow, keeping track of how many stations he could listen to. “It was fascinating to me that people could speak in one place and I could listen to them in another,” Swanson said. “Although I was a little disappointed when I realized that the bands were not really at the radio station.”
Steve Swanson, station manager, 88.3 WAFJ That set Swanson on what he believes was a divine path that has led him to North Augusta, where he has been station manager and on-air personality playing contemporary Christian music at 88.3 WAFJ for the past 12 years. “It’s a calling more than a job,” he said. “God called me to it.” The path of that calling took him nearly from one end of the country to the other. His fascination with radio continued into his teen years, when his high school youth leader, an on-air personality on a local station, invited him to the studio. “I watched him through the glass with all those knobs and buttons and thought, ‘That is awesome,’” Swanson said. He left the Midwest to attend a Bible college in Seattle, where he met his wife, Susie, but also met some people with the local Christian radio station. Swanson then took the step of attending a radio school in Minneapolis. When the church he attended there expanded its TV and radio ministry, he was put in charge. That morphed into joining a friend to buy some on-air time on a local station and then finally launching full-time into the radio world in 1989. “Along the way people were encouraging me to take that path,” Swanson said. “They were saying, ‘Yeah, you can do this.’” Along the way he worked at the radio station in Iowa where President Ronald Reagan got his start (although he said he’s worked at fewer stations – 10 – than
Steve Swanson has been interested in radio since his youth in Moline, Ill. He has worked as the station manager and as an on-air personality at Christian music station 88.3 WAFJ in North Augusta for 12 years. Photo by Gary Kauffman
most people assume). But in the mid-’90s, when a radio station he worked for in the Quad Cities area (four cities in Iowa and Illinois straddling the Mississippi River) was sold, he suddenly found himself out of work. Even though he was unemployed, he and Susie attended a broadcasters’ convention in Nashville, Tenn., where he had a chance meeting with a radio station executive from Sarasota, Fla. That led to an offer of a job there. He spent 11 years in Sarasota as program director and afternoon on-air host before taking the job at 88.3 WAFJ in 2006. Among the many hats Swanson wears as station manager is selecting the songs that the station plays. That involves listening to them and evaluating them for WAFJ’s “stationality,” his term for the personality of the station. Although he will only add about five new songs per month, the station is offered about 50 songs from a variety of record labels each month. He also creates the daily playlists, having to evaluate the right mix of established and new artists, groups and solo artists, listener favorites and new and exciting songs. Because the quality of Christian music has improved, he said the number of good songs that are available has made
his job harder. “It’s subjective,” he said. “I care most about the songs that speak to our listeners.” That’s because he knows that music is about more than just the music. “Music impacts people like nothing else,” he said. “It connects the heart, the head and their faith.”
In his own words
What are you passionate about in your business? “Our bottom line is different because we’re interested in seeing people’s lives change. The good news of Jesus doesn’t call us to be better people but to live new lives. I want to introduce people to the reality that they’re not just here but they’re here for a reason. I want my kids and grandkids to have a place they can go to be reminded that God loves them, He’s with them and He cares about every part of their lives.” What have you learned about yourself in your years in radio? “That I can’t do what I’ve been asked to do without God’s help. The perception is that the only time we’re working is when we’re on the air, but most of what we do is off the air. I do everything from making sure the roof doesn’t leak to working with the FCC and all the red tape and pa-
perwork that entails. The expectation of listeners is wide and varied, and they let us know it. I’ve learned how easy it is to rely on my own strength but that will only get me through about 9 a.m. Monday. I’ve been fortunate to watch the progression of how we do things in radio. Sometimes people say, ‘You’re a radio legend’ which is just a nice way to say, ‘You’re old.’” What are the hardest and best things about being on the air? “What the listeners want is a relationship. They want us to be transparent and authentic. I don’t operate at that level naturally. It’s taken me awhile to realize that they want that. And they remember you talking about things like buying the wrong dryer plug or not getting that last bill paid on time, because you’re just like them. On this side of the speaker I’m talking to a room that’s empty, but folks will call me by name at events or restaurants because they feel like they know me. It’s inviting people to have a seat at the table with us.” How much is the radio world like the classic TV show WKRP in Cincinnati? “Those are exaggerations of actual people I’ve worked with.” How do you unwind? “I’m a reader. I love photography and music. That helps me shift gears a bit. I’m a seasonal sports person. I love to walk and I like a good conversation. But the most difficult thing is unplugging. Radio is always 24/7. I can wake up in the middle of the night and start making lists.” How do you personally give back to the community? “We contribute to local causes, and I’m available to speak to local groups. I also am available to help people in their quest to see if broadcasting is for them. And a Sunday doesn’t go by that someone at church doesn’t ask about or make a comment about something at the station. They identify me, and my wife as well, as representations of the station. It’s interwoven. A radio station is part of the community. I remember the first time I saw a live broadcast on location and thought, ‘Wow, that’s my radio station.’” What are your plans for the future? “I’m going to continue to do what I’m doing until God has another call for me. We like it here. It’s a great place to be, and we enjoy the relationships here. I’ll keep plugging away until I get another calling.” January 2019 Buzz on Biz
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Augusta has seen success in recent years in attracting new businesses to the area, which is a vital component of community growth. But bringing in new businesses is only one element of a city’s economic success, according to Rock Hill, S.C.-based entrepreneur Jason Broadwater.
SUGGESTS VIEWING AUGUSTA DEVELOPER WAYS THE CITY CAN FROM THE OUTSIDE GROW ITS WORKFORCE
By Witt Wells
In the eyes of an Augusta outsider — Rock Hill, S.C.-based speaker, entrepreneur and development collaborator Jason Broadwater — the economic outlook of the Garden City is an enviable one. That means something coming from someone who lives in a thriving town in the Charlotte, N.C., metro area. From the outside looking in, Augusta has the low cost of living, tight-knit community, light traffic and growing number of good jobs that so many people look for when seeking out a community to call home. But like every other city, Augusta has its flaws, too. During the Augusta Metro Chamber Member Economic Luncheon in December, Broadwater spent a few minutes expounding on how Augusta can best leverage its ongoing economic growth for the brightest possible future.
Workers needed for manufacturing
The next big challenges for Augusta, he said, are finding and connecting with qualified workers for
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manufacturing jobs and focusing on the holistic success of individuals in order to help the city prosper. Augusta has seen success in recent years in attracting new businesses to the area, which is a vital piece of community growth. But that’s only one element of economic success, Broadwater said, one that cities sometimes focus on too much while neglecting other important issues. Businesses still need quality workers, and those workers are typically looking for a variety of factors in a city where they will live — culture, relationships, health, high quality of life, entertainment and safety. Sure, attracting big companies is important. But if qualified workers don’t find much appealing about the lifestyle that a city provides, they won’t necessarily be motivated to take the job. And if a city doesn’t make an effort to improve the lifestyles of its own people, it won’t even find enough workers in its own backyard. “What are workers looking for? Workers are looking for community,” Broadwater said. “So, we’re kind of chasing our tail here. Workers are people and so are business owners, and so are the people who decide
where to move multimillion-dollar businesses. We justify it with logic later, but we make our decisions based on emotions: It’s fun, it’s nice, it’s pleasant, it’s safe, engaging. ‘I want to live there’ — that’s why they go. They’ll figure out the economics of it later.” Broadwater also presented the city’s medical industry (and more recently, the cyber industry) as a model for improving recruiting in the advanced manufacturing industry, which is struggling to attract qualified workers.
Mimicking the medical industry
According to Broadwater’s data, 13.8 percent of jobs in Augusta are in the medical industry, which is matched nicely by a robust medical school system; nursing students account for around 17 percent of students in the area, according to Broadwater’s statistics. Thus, the medical field has a nice feeder system of talent to fill demanding, high-skill positions in the medical field. Meanwhile, manufacturing industries don’t communicate to the public nearly as effectively, resulting
“The extent that this success moves people (upward) is the extent that the whole city will be successful. And the way you do it is focus on the success of the individual.” – Jason Broadwater in a lack of understanding about what the positions in those fields entail or require and the benefits they offer. The nature and purpose of the medical field is also more intuitive for people than manufacturing, the idea of which is more nebulous to the average citizen. The same could be said about the cyber industry, but local school systems, businesses and local government in Augusta have started to be more intentional about educating students, skilled workers and the public in general about the cyber world. Broadwater said that it’s time to start applying those principals to manufacturing, or the industry won’t maximize its local economic potential. “(Manufacturing is) still 10 percent of your workforce and it’s growing, and it’s great jobs, but the individual can’t understand how to even approach it,” he said. “Most people have no idea what a Type 2 machinist even is. They definitely don’t know what the companies are called who employ such people. They have no idea what kind of salaries they’d make if they would’ve even known about it to begin with, and they have no idea what the lifestyle looks like.”
Focusing on individual success
This gets to the core of Broadwater’s point about focusing on the success of the individual, which appears to be the foundation of his philos-
ophy for community and economic development. He believes that when the needs and successes of the individual become the driving force To boost the manufacturing workforce, people need to have a better understanding of what is available. behind a community’s economic efforts, developers have a more holistic, will be successful. And the way you do it house? We’ve got to figure this out. more realistic and less compartmental- is focus on the success of the individual. There’s a disconnect. And this is not an ized view of what the community needs For example, if there’s a clear career path Augusta thing, man. This is everywhere, to do attract and retain workers. in advanced manufacturing, that has a everywhere across the country.” For one, Broadwater addressed Au- huge impact for individuals.” gusta’s wages relative to housing costs (he Capitalizing on food presented data from Georgia as a whole, Are tiny houses the answer? As is evident in downtown Augusta, not Augusta specifically). Broadwater also spoke briefly about the local food is another big element of a “The amount of people making under city’s approach to housing and other eco- culturally vibrant place. Continual sup$30,000 a year is astronomical,” he said. nomic opportunities like locally grown port of local farmers and entrepreneurs in “The amount of those people who are food. the local food economy will create more paying over 60 percent, up to 70 perA diversified housing market — one connections between urban and rural cent, of their income on housing is a real that appeals to millennials looking for Augusta and create a higher-quality food concern, a real concern. And the amount apartments in the city center, baby boom- scene that will attract potential residents of those people that are passed over ers looking to downsize in a nice neigh- and tourists. when you hear somebody say, ‘I can’t find borhood, or a single mom making miniThat involves asking questions such as, good people to employ’… it’s a real prob- mum wage and looking for an affordable “How do people sell products?” “How lem. apartment — needs to be a priority for could policy be changed or eliminated “That is your nonmobile population. Augusta going forward, he said. It’s a to benefit the local food market?” “What The extent that this success moves people problem all over the country, not just Au- types of events could be held that would (upward) is the extent that that the whole city gusta. But the early stages of economic perpetuate growth?” ex- tent the whole growth create an opportunity to make “So, to have a culturally vibrant downthat growth constructive for the whole town that attracts the affluent, which community. would include a person who would deBroadwater mentioned that in some cide to relocate his corporate headquarcities, for example, it is illegal to build ters there, you want to have restaurants houses that are less than 250 that have this type of localism built into square feet, a size that would it,” Broadwater said. “That’s an opportube perfect for certain people. nity to support local farming and entreThat’s a policy issue that needs preneurs in the kind of local agriculture to be addressed, he said. community. “I’m talking about first-year teach“So, there’s got to be collaboration — ers,” Broadwater said. “I’m talking and there might already be — with the about police officers and firemen. rural areas around Augusta, and look at These are the heroes of our com- creating an economic exchange platform munity, right? And they can’t buy a for food and food-related things.” A diverse housing market — even one that has room for tiny houses, which are growing in popularity — is essential to a vital economy, Broadwater said.
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FIGHT THE FEELING
OVERCOMING FEAR OF REJECTION UNLOCKS YOUR POTENTIAL By Gary Kauffman The deciding factor between people reaching their potential or not usually boils down to one factor — how they handle rejection. “Rejection holds back people more than anything else,” said Jeb Blount, founder of Sales Gravy and author of several motivational business books. He spoke at the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce’s Executive Luncheon on Nov. 28. Blount’s new book, Objections, details ways to overcome the fear of rejection. His topic at the luncheon was “How to Become Rejection-Proof.” Blount related stories about Stephen King, Steve Jobs and Colonel Sanders overcoming repeated rejections to ultimately become successful. “The vulnerability you feel when you expose yourself to rejection is biological, not psychological,” Blount said. In ancient times, he said, life or death literally depended on being part of a tribe. Banishment was worse than death, which meant people had to get along. Those who didn’t were banished and often died quickly without procreating. Those who were more sensitive to rejection passed their genes down through history, creating a larger group of people who are physically sensitive to being rejected. Blount said the biological reaction makes fear of rejection different from other emotions. “It’s the only emotion that the body treats like a physical injury,” he said. With rejection, the body releases the same chemicals it would to respond to the threat of physical injury. It creates an unconscious memory of what rejection feels like to keep it from happening again. “When you get rejected, your self-esteem drops, and when your self-esteem drops, it actually attracts more rejection,” Blount said. “It’s a vicious cycle.” Often, rejection is merely perceived. For example, if a boss says he or she will think about your idea and get back to you later, that can be perceived in the same way as being told no, even if that wasn’t the boss’s intention. Sometimes rejection is merely anticipated, and the body responds to the feeling of rejection even before you ask for something. “Even when people you don’t care about or don’t even want to accept you reject you, it hurts,” Blount said.
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Rejection can provoke a physical response in people, and fear of rejection can cause people to be less successful, says Jeb Blount.
“You can’t change how you feel about (rejection), but you can change how you respond to it. If you anticipate the emotion, you can change your response to it.” – Jeb Blount, founder of Sales Gravy and author of several motivational business books
Because it is such a powerful emotion, it creates a “fight or flight” response in the body. Blount said fear of rejection is one of the major causes of youth violence. But still, rejection is a common possibility in life. “The only way to avoid rejection is to never ask for anything again,” Blount said. Of course, that is impossible for anyone who functions in the real world.
“If you want to get something, you have to ask for it,” he said. Surprisingly, though, simply continuing to ask for something is a great way to overcome the fear of rejection. Blount cited the experiment of a Chinese entrepreneur forcing himself to ask people for crazy things in order to inure himself to the inevitable rejection. Blount himself spent some time on the streets of New York City asking people to sing Mary
Had a Little Lamb while he recorded them. While that act created a lot of rejection, it also eventually led to some people saying yes. “If you ask enough times, someone will say yes,” Blount said. “Yes has a number.” In the case of finding singers in New York City, that number became 11 – ask 11 people, and one would be likely to say yes. That number can be manipulated by how and when the question is asked, which was discovered after trial and error. “But most of us don’t know that number because we don’t ask the first time,” Blount said. “Or we ask once, get rejected and never ask again.” He said that awareness is the mother of change, so the key to successfully breaking through the fear of rejection is to be aware of how you respond to it. “You can’t change how you feel about it, but you can change how you respond to it,” Blount said. “If you anticipate the emotion, you can change your response to it.”
IN THE WORKPLACE
Reactions to #MeToo could lead to new problems By Gary Kauffman I’m not exactly Nostradamus, but about a year ago, as the #MeToo movement began gathering steam, I made a prediction to several colleagues about the sexual harassment issue that seems as though it might be coming true. In years to come, 2018 might be remembered as the year of sexual misconduct. Going back to fall 2017, when Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein was accused by multiple women of sexual misconduct ranging from harassment to rape, the number of high-profile men publicly accused of sexual misconduct rose dramatically. Most prominent were those in Hollywood, Congress, churches and in business. Women across the country rallied behind the #MeToo movement to tell their stories of sexual harassment or worse. That culminated a year later in the politically charged accusations of sexual misconduct against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. As the cries against Kavanaugh rose to a fever pitch, the #MeToo movement morphed into #BelieveAllWomen. Eventually the charges against Kavanaugh were discredited because of lack of any evidence and the realization that at least one of the women was deliberately lying. But even though Kavanaugh was appointed to the Supreme Court, some people feel that the allegations may have permanently damaged his reputation and may taint his career. The repercussions of all this national drama, from Weinstein to Kavanaugh, have been felt much deeper in society. But has anything changed? The answer is yes, but the changes might not all be for the better. In late 2018, the Society for Human Resource Managers (SHRM) released a survey of more than a thousand businesses and found that a third of executives said they had changed their behaviors to avoid sexual harassment. Ninety-four per-
A recent story in Bloomberg showed that male executives, wary of being accused of impropriety or harassment, are changing the way they conduct business with women, in some cases refusing to meet one on one and even excluding them from conversations.
cent of the businesses surveyed had a sexual harassment policy in place, and 72 percent of employees said they were happy with their employers’ policies on sexual harassment — although a third believed their workplace still fosters a culture of harassment. All of that sounds positive, and it is, but this is also now where my prediction of a year ago appears to be coming true. At the time, I told several colleagues that the #MeToo movement could easily lead to men distancing themselves from women in the workplace, and that that could lead to a new form of sexual discrimination. Recently, Bloomberg released a story that an increasing number of male executives and managers have started to follow the “Mike Pence Rule.” Vice President Mike Pence famously said that he does not dine alone with a female other than his wife in order to avoid any appearance of impropriety. Although Pence was ridiculed by many people for that stance, the Bloomberg story noted that it is becoming a popular rule among Wall Street executives. Some of
them refuse to meet one-on-one with a woman behind closed doors; keep their distance when in a small space, like an elevator; won’t dine alone with a female colleague and especially not with someone they have authority over; travel separately to events; and temper their talk when around a female colleague. Some of that, no doubt, is backlash from the Kavanaugh debacle, when due process seemed to have been thrown out the window. Many declared that simply alleging sexual misconduct, regardless of whether there was proof, was enough to deem a man guilty of it. Also at play in the interaction between male and female colleagues are studies that found that men and women have different perceptions of what constitutes sexual harassment. In training to become a life coach, I took a class in how men and women react differently to the same situation. Men are more geared toward action and physical attitude, so they pay less attention to what a person’s actual words are. Therefore, they tend to be more blunt when they speak.
Women, though, are generally geared more toward verbal skills. They find meaning in words and often convey subtle messages behind the words they choose. What they actually say might be quite different from what they really mean. So, when a male boss or colleague tells a joke, or assesses a situation, the men in the room know that the joke is just a joke or the assessment is just an assessment, while the women might find a hidden meaning behind the joke or assume the assessment is somehow subjective and carries a veiled, often sinister, meaning. That’s a generalization, of course, and some men and some women react differently. And that doesn’t excuse genuine sexual harassment in suggestive words or unwanted sexual advances, but it’s easy to see why men are sometimes left puzzled by accusations of sexual harassment when that had never been their intention. Given the fear of being falsely accused of sexual harassment or having something they said taken as sexual harassment has made many men, especially those in power, skittish in their relationships with women. That leads to following the Mike Pence Rule. But not only are they watching their personal behavior, they are also instituting changes at a corporate level — canceling afterwork get-togethers, limiting or eliminating alcohol at corporate parties, and instituting speech and conduct policies. While those things certainly will address the problem of sexual harassment, they could create another set of problems for female employees. The changes could keep them out of the loop of important discussions and meetings, keep them from taking key business trips and create an uncomfortable distancing of colleagues. Perhaps most worrisome is that this shift in behavior could keep male executives from mentoring women for potential career advancement. In many companies, especially large cor-
porations, mentoring is a key to advancing to the C-suite. There is already a disparity between men and women at that level. If men decline to mentor a woman for fear of an accusation of impropriety, women might miss out on advancement because there aren’t enough female executives to act as mentors. Some leaders are now calling for a return to common sense and decency to keep the fear of being accused of sexual harassment from swinging into policies that discriminate against women. In all likelihood, it will take a combination of efforts to bring the situation into balance. Communication will be the key in avoiding potential conflicts, especially in understanding the different way men and women perceive words. Being different doesn’t mean they can’t work together; in fact, acknowledging and keeping in mind the differences can actually strengthen their collaboration. Corporations will have to institute policies that take complaints seriously without creating a guilty-until-proveninnocent situation that could unfairly blemish someone’s career. It will take men calling out other men for sexually inappropriate behavior and women championing due process that doesn’t automatically make a man guilty merely because of an accusation. I believe that if men and women together work to put fair guidelines and strategies in place, they can create a better, more productive workplace for everyone. Perhaps then, in the near future, the #MeToo hashtag can be replaced by a hashtag of symbolizing working together — something like #WeTwo. In addition to serving as editor of Buzz on Biz, Gary Kauffman is a Christian life coach working from an office in Martinez. Contact him at 803.341.5830 or kauffman coaching@gmail.com or visit kauffman coaching.com.
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FAMILY-FRIENDLY RADIO
88.3 WAFJ CELEBRATES 25 YEARS OF SERVING THE COMMUNITY By Gary Kauffman With the words sometimes found in the lyrics of popular music these days, it’s not surprising that parents might suddenly lurch for the radio dial to protect young ears. But there is one station in the CSRA where that has never been a worry. That’s 88.3 WAFJ, which in 2019 will celebrate its 25th year in the CSRA playing familyfriendly contemporary Christian music. “We continue to be the music alternative that the whole family can listen to together,” Steve Swanson, station manager, said. “Mom and Dad don’t have to reach for the dial because they don’t know what words the kids will hear.” WAFJ is owned by Radio Training Network (RTN), which licenses more than 25 stations playing Christian music, primarily in the Southeast. RTN was founded by Jim Campbell in Lakeland, Fla., more than 30 years ago. RTN set up its first two stations in Bradenton, Fla., and Greenville, S.C. It was the Greenville station — HIS Radio — that first caught the ears of residents in the CSRA and had them asking for a similar positive music station in the area. At first that meant a translator — a radio tower that relayed the Greenville signal — but then, in 1994, WAFJ set up its station between Georgia and Knox avenues in North Augusta. “It’s been the same format and original vision for all 25 years,” Swanson said. “That’s unusual in the radio business.” One thing that has changed, he said, is the quality of the music. Today’s contemporary Christian music has improved since the Christian music Swanson grew up listening to in the 1970s and ’80s. “The quality coming out of Nashville (a center for Christian music) is better,” he said. “The folks who grew up on Christian music are now producers themselves and are making music on par with any other music. The format is growing by leaps and bounds.” But 88.3 WAFJ is about more than just music — in fact, it uses “more than music” as a tagline. In addition to sponsoring several con-
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For the past four years, radio station 88.3 WAFJ has helped iCare, a local agency fighting child sex trafficking, with a fundraising concert called Praise Beneath the Stars. The event is one of many ways WAFJ gives back to the community. Photo by Gary Kauffman
“You can get a lot of streaming Christian music, but we’re different because we’re local. We have feet on the ground in our community.” – Jill Kauffman, WAFJ promotions director certs each year featuring some of the top names in Christian music, the station also contributes to and promotes a number of community events. In December, WAFJ held a “Ham it Up for the Holidays” event that raised nearly $6,000 for Golden Harvest Food Bank. Other events in 2018 included Pursenality Night, an event that raised nearly $15,000 for SafeHomes through a purse raffle; Praise Beneath the Stars, a concert raising money for iCare, a local organization which combats child sex trafficking; helping The Lydia Project raise awareness about breast cancer through the Pink Railcar Project; participating in
area Christmas parades; promoting blood drives with Shepeard Blood Center; and giving free public service announcements to local nonprofits. “It gives us a chance to connect face-toface with the people we talk to every day and be the hope and encouragement we talk about,” said Jill Kauffman, WAFJ’s promotions director. “You can get a lot of streaming Christian music, but we’re different because we’re local. We have feet on the ground in our community. That’s the favorite part of the job for me.” WAFJ is a nonprofit, which means that according to Federal Communications Commission rules it can’t sell advertising.
Instead, it holds semi-annual fundraisers called Sharathons. “Lots of stations rely on advertising; we rely on people,” Swanson said. That means thousands of people making monthly contributions. The standard is “a dollar a day,” or $30 monthly, although the amounts range from $5 to hundreds of dollars per month. Businesses also contribute through a donation process called underwriting, which allows the station to mention the business by name as a Business Ministry Partner as a thank you for the contribution but not as an advertisement for the business. Venture Auto Sales in Augusta has been one of those Business Ministry Partners almost since the business opened in 1997. Not only does manager Debra Niederhofer have WAFJ playing in her office, she has also set radio dials on all 70 vehicles on their lot to 88.3. “The station gives me hope and joy and peace,” Niederhofer said. “I hope that rubs off on my customers.” But she also appreciates the personal
touch, knowing that she can call the station with a prayer request and have the staff stop and pray with her right away. “It’s nice to have that connection in this evil and sin-filled world,” she said. “I can’t imagine my life without 88.3. There’s nothing else I want to listen to.” It is appreciative supporters like that who keep WAFJ on the air. “We couldn’t do this without God’s faithfulness and the generosity of our listeners,” Swanson said. “The listeners are generous because we make genuine connections with them. We’re part of the community.” That creates a partnership between WAFJ and its listeners. “They listen in a different way when they’re a partner,” Swanson said. “It becomes my radio station, not just a radio station.” One of the most popular community outreaches has nothing to do with music — the job board on WAFJ’s website. Started in 2008, when the economy faltered, it has become a go-to place for many employers and people looking for a job. On average, 10 or more new jobs are listed daily. It has become the most visited part of the website and has earned praise from employees for the quality of jobs listed
The vibrant colors of the WAFJ vehicles are often seen in the community, including in parades like this one at the 2018 Laurel and Hardy Festival in Harlem.
and from employers for the quality of people who apply for the jobs. WAFJ has a listenership of about 62,000 per week and places in the top five among the three dozen radio stations in the area in almost every category of the radio business. Listeners are loyal to the station and, thanks to a smartphone app, stay connected even when they move away or are on vacation. Swanson said one listener entered an on-air contest
while sitting by a pool while on vacation in Florida. Because of that loyalty, WAFJ plans to kick off its 25th anniversary celebration with an open house on Jan. 25 to meet and thank listeners. Also part of the plan are concerts by two giants of Christian music: Steven Curtis Chapman in February and For King and Country in March. Other events and contests celebrating the anniversary will be announced later in the year.
In 2017, WAFJ teamed up with Samaritan’s Feet to provide free shoes and socks to children in a local elementary school. WAFJ staff helped fit the shoes on the children. Photos by Gary Kauffman
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ARTS & LEISURE
Downtime is a great time to binge watch TV By Samantha Barksdale Cold weather makes me want to curl up in my pajamas and do a whole lot of nothing. Luckily, I have been on a bit of an extended vacation from work, so hanging around in my pajamas is pretty much my M.O. right now. As such, I’ve had the opportunity to watch a lot of Netflix. If you have a week or two of vacation coming up, these reviews are for you. Find your comfy spot on the couch, get your snacks and settle in for the long haul.
‘Damnation’
Let me begin by saying the preview for this show does it no justice. I watched the preview twice and kept looking. After a day or two, I ran across the show again and decided to go ahead and give it a try. Two days later, I had finished all 10 episodes. Damnation is a Depression-era drama set in a small Iowa community in the midst of a farmers’ strike. Seth Davenport, the town preacher, plays a major role in keeping the strike going and uses the pulpit to keep the townsfolk united during these difficult times. Just as Davenport and his wife begin to make some headway, a stranger rolls into town. This stranger has been hired by a wealthy businessman to bring the farm-
I hope Netflix orders a second season of the riveting drama Damnation.
ers’ strike to an end by any means necessary. He is ruthless due to desperation, and we soon find out he is no stranger to the preacher. It has been quite some time since I binge-watched an entire season of a show so quickly. Damnation is well-written and filled with stellar performances, so don’t be surprised if you find yourself putting off the laundry for another day. There is, however, one problem. Season One ends on a cliffhanger. Of course, the first thing I did was look to see when Season Two would be available. Turns out, Damnation originally aired on the USA network and was cancelled after one sea-
son. My fingers are crossed that Netflix decides to bring it back.
‘The Last Kingdom’
After the disappointment of finding there was only one season of Damnation, I made sure my next choice would keep me busy for a while. With three seasons, you can watch The Last Kingdom for weeks, although you probably won’t want to. The first episode of The Last Kingdom is by far the best. We meet Uhtred, a young Saxon boy whose father is a king. One day, Vikings come to town. Uhtred’s father is killed, the kingdom is taken over
by his evil uncle, and Uhtred is taken as a slave. Uhtred is a headstrong young child and often forgets he is a slave. Once daily chores are done, he is permitted to play with the Dane children. It is during one of these playtimes that he defends the honor of his captor’s daughter. From that moment on, Uhtred is considered a Dane and taught the Viking ways. As previously stated, episode one of The Last Kingdom is, in my humble opinion, the best. From there, we follow the adult Uhtred as he navigates life between two worlds, ultimately seeking to take back the kingdom his uncle stole from him. While entertaining, I must warn you that things get a bit redundant after a while. If you’re a fan of Viking dramas, you should certainly give The Last Kingdom a try. I had to call it quits at Season Two, but I’m no Viking aficionado. You’ll have plenty to watch! Samantha Barksdale, “Sam the Movie Chick,” is on a mission to find the best movies and TV shows for you to stream from Netflix. She loves good flicks, good food and good friends. Her eclectic tastes are sure to give readers a wide range of viewing choices.
No white Christmas but a tasty brown beer for the holidays experience with the cans. I’m not going to even attempt an intelligent explanation for that. It’s just how I feel — leave it alone. I’m also not going to dwell on the fact that I had one of these beers on Dec. 1 around 7 p.m. during a certain football game. All in all, I’d recommend Hazelnut Brown Nectar as a full-bodied yet highly drinkable ale for this holiday season. It pairs well with spice bread, pumpkin bread, banana nut bread, Irish soda bread, challah bread, zucchini bread, cranberry bread and gingerbread. You get the point.
By Ben Casella I am not dreaming of a white Christmas. I will not tell you that I want your days to be merry and bright. I don’t want you to have a cup of cheer. Let’s see … what else is there? OK, OK. I like dark beers out of mugs this time of year. In fact, it’s finally time to break out my mug that looks like the ones they serve butterbeer in. If you’re not abreast of the wizarding world, I suggest you look that one up. So, what am I going to serve first in my favorite winter mug?
Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar
A departure from the hoppier to the relatively malty is welcome for me this time of year. With that said, I really don’t have a sweet tooth, per se. Yet I really enjoy this brew and also agree with its nomenclature.
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Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar is a great ale choice for the holiday season.
The hazelnut is more apparent on the nose for me than on the tongue, but it is present throughout. I first tried this beer when it only came on draft or in a bomb-
er. Now that it’s canned, I still appreciate it as well as I did a decade or so ago. Back then, I enjoyed it from a bottle more than on draft, and now I’m having a similar
Ben Casella wishes you and yours a happiest of holiday seasons. He does, in fact, dream of a white Christmas, indeed, does want your days to be merry and bright, but he will not drink beer from a cup (unless you’re buyin’).
AT THE TABLE
Poblano’s earns high marks for taste, price and service By Millie Huff Growing up in a medium-sized city in Alabama with Southern, middle-class parents, tacos and tortilla chips were considered an occasional “exotic” treat. It wasn’t until I was in my 20s and moved to Phoenix, where authentic Mexican restaurants are featured in every neighborhood and paper-thin homemade tortillas are sold on street corners, that I was introduced to and learned to love Mexican food. Over the last two decades of living in Georgia, my standards for Mexican food have diminished a bit, but I’m still a fan and always open to a meal of traditional south-of-the-border flavors. My family and I eat at different Mexican restaurants at least twice a month. At most of our local Mexican restaurants, diners can count on the common denominators of flavor, fast and inexpensive. My recent lunch at Poblano’s Mexican Grill on Baston Road did not disappoint and scored high marks in each category, plus bonus points for attentive, courteous service and an extensive, interesting menu with choices beyond the expected. My lunch companion has discerning taste in Mexican food and gave a bite-by-bite evaluation of our lunch. Our entire experience was positive, from quickly being seated when we arrived to a cheerful cashier at checkout. We were shown to our booth almost immediately by a friendly host. The restaurant had a good lunch crowd but has ample seating and wasn’t full. Within seconds of being seated, a server delivered chips and salsa to our booth. The chips were fresh and still warm. My companion, who considers himself to be a connoisseur of chips and salsa, declared the chips to be perfectly crispy and the salsa appropriately flavorful for mild salsa; a copious amount of hot sauce was added to his salsa bowl as he prefers his salsa to bite back. Another server took our drink orders while we perused the extensive menu. I tend to choose either a chicken or shrimp dish at every Mexican restaurant, so I considered those items first. I was impressed by the 16 chicken and the 12 seafood options, many more than typically offered on similar menus. I eventually ordered one of my favorites: a grilled-chicken Quesadilla Mexicana, priced at $6.95. My colleague selected a $5.95 lunch combination of an enchilada, beef taco, rice and beans.
At Poblano’s Mexican Grill on Baston Road, a lunch combo of enchilada, beef taco, rice and beans earned praise from my lunch companion. With it’s tasty dishes and excellent service, the restaurant might even be my favorite place to get Mexican food in town. Photo by Millie Huff
Poblano’s Mexican Grill Rating is based on a scale of 1 (worst) to 5 (best).
Food Price Location Networking Noise Level The restaurant is at 341 Baston Road. It is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Saturday. Reach it at (706) 922-5924.
As is typical in Mexican restaurants, most of the meals were reasonably priced, with more than two dozen lunch combinations priced at $5.95. The prices increase slightly at dinner time, and a few of the more unexpected choices were closer to $10, but all still very affordable for a weekday lunch. There are even eight vegetarian options and several salad and soup selections on the menu.
Within five minutes, our meals were delivered to our table. Both entrees were generous portions served on platters. My quesadilla was by far the tastiest and most-filled I’ve ever eaten! There was at least two cups of shredded chicken in the quesadilla plus grilled onions, peppers and shredded white cheese. The tortilla was grilled to golden perfection. It was accompanied by a heaping salad of shredded lettuce with fresh diced tomatoes, a dollop of sour cream and a scoop of guacamole. The dish was garnished with slices of orange, grapefruit, and cucumbers—each fresh and delicious. I enjoyed every last bite of my meal! My colleague was impressed with the presentation of his combination platter and said the enchilada was well-filled with flavorful ground beef and covered with delicious brown sauce. His taco shell was crispy but not brittle, so it was easy to eat and didn’t crumble with every bite. His beans and rice were declared to be flavorful and “better than average.” Our server was attentive and refilled our drinks several times in the short while we were there. Even with a leisurely conversation, we finished our lunch — from ordering to paying our bill — in less than 40 minutes. The main dining area has both booths
and tables and is divided into sections, creating a quieter environment perfect for a business conversation. The décor is a bit more sophisticated and sedate than the average Mexican restaurant. Upbeat Spanish-language music played softly in the background. The Poblano’s is at Baston and Furys Ferry road, across the street from the Earth Fare shopping center. A location is at 663 N. Belair Rd. in Evans, just down from the Lady A Amphitheater. They are both open for lunch and dinner every day. Each are conveniently located for those in the Martinez and Evans areas but easily accessible from downtown Augusta and North Augusta. Overall, I was impressed by my lunch experience at Poblano’s and highly recommend it as a weekday lunch or dinner option. It might now be my favorite Mexican restaurant in Augusta. Millie Huff is a freelance writer, part-time teacher and new executive director of Sacred Heart Cultural Center. She has eaten lunches in the Augusta area since 1996 and loves any excuse to dine with friends and colleagues. Her restaurant reviews are written with a businessperson in mind.
January 2019 Buzz on Biz
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