Buzz issue June July 18

What do business owners think about Augusta’s smoking ban?

Page 8

JUNE 29—JULY 27, 2018 • THE CSRA’S MONTHLY BUSINESS MAGAZINE

JOB MARKET IS BOOMING IN AREA

EMPLOYERS STILL NEED TO FILL SKILLED POSITIONS

Baby Boomers are retiring faster than the next generations can enter the job market, creating a void in many skilled positions. One way employers are solving the problem is through apprenticeship programs. Photo from iStock Photos.

BY GARY KAUFFMAN

If you’re looking for a job in the Augusta area, the timing has never been better – especially if you’re a skilled worker.

“It’s an employees’ job market,” said Randy Hatcher, president of MAU Workforce Solutions in Augusta. “If you want a job, now is the time to get it.”

Augusta is a microcosm of what is happening at the national level. On June 1, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that employment in May had a net increase of 223,000 jobs and that unemployment was at an 18-year low at 3.8 percent. For African-Americans, the unemployment rate is at a historic low of 5.9 percent, and college graduates have an unemployment rate of 2 percent. In addition, wages have increased.

While Augusta’s unemployment rate is a bit higher than the national average, around 5.2 percent, it is on a downward trend. Instead of employees clamoring for jobs, employers are eager to find people to fill positions.

“Most of the skilled labor jobs are really hot right now,” said Robert Kelly, senior staffing specialist with Augusta Staffing.

“People are moving things and making things more than they have in a while.”

Augusta has also seen an increase in wages, in part because of adjustments made with salaried employees regarding last year’s change in overtime policies.

“I’ve noticed over the last couple of years that pay rates have gone up,” Kelly said. “There are still jobs paying minimum wage but not nearly as frequently as 10 years ago.”

Hatcher agreed.

“The average wage is going up, not only for full-time employees but also for employees who work on contract,” he said.

Wages in the Augusta area typically have been about 13 percent below the national average, but that is offset by the cost of living also being 13 percent below the national average.

While the job market is great for employees, it leaves some employers with unfilled jobs. Positions in food services and lower-skilled jobs in areas such as

warehousing are quickly filled, but jobs that need specialized skills such as welding or pipe fitting are harder to fill.

“It’s a healthy adjustment for the workers because their skill sets are being recognized,” Hatcher said. “But it’s harder to find people. I feel sorry for some of the employers.”

Adding to that is the beginning of what could be glut of skilled job openings as baby boomers retire (Read more on page 2).

The job-heavy situation is creating some changes in employee-employer relationships.

“More companies are focusing on training and developing their own team,” said Kristin Hansen, director of career services for Goodwill Industries of Middle Geor-

gia and the CSRA. She believes that more emphasis on development creates more dedicated and loyal employees.

“I think every employee, from entry level to the C-suite, wants to be developed in some way as a team member and be involved in a team,” she said.

In addition to staffing, Goodwill offers education and training resources through its Job Connection centers, as well as training for specific skills in culinary arts and health services through Helms College. Other agencies, such as Augusta Staffing and MAU Workforce Solutions, have also developed training programs for See EMPLOYMENT on Page 2

Retiring baby boomers leave a skills vacuum in the workplace For years, the CSRA has been warned about a potential problem: Baby boomers — people born between 1946 and 1964 — leaving the workforce faster than the next generations can enter it.

Not only does it create job openings, but it also leaves a vacuum of skills and experience that can’t be easily replaced.

“We were told in the ‘80s that it would happen in about 20 years and last about 15 years,” said Randy Hatcher, president of MAU Workforce Development.

Savannah River Site might be especially hard hit by those retirements, but so will manufacturing plants. The retirements could create a large number of unfilled jobs for many companies.

“These are people who’ve worked there for 30 years; you multiply that by 100 companies — our education systems can’t pump out (new workers) quite that fast,” Hatcher said.

W E A LT H M A N A G E M E N T P L A N S F O R T R AV e l

Robert Kelly, senior staffing specialist at Augusta Staffing, said the void is already showing up in auto mechanic positions as baby boomers retire.

“Dealerships are already feeling it,” he said. “They’re going the oldschool method of growing their own talent.”

The void has also created a unique situation of some baby boomers returning to their old jobs after they retire.

“People are staying with a company after they retire through a temporary agency as a contracted employee,” Kelly said.

“Some are doing it for four or five years.”

Kelly does think the labor market will eventually catch up in filling the jobs left by retirees, but it may not happen quickly.

“It should catch up,” he said, “but it could be a like road construction in Columbia County. It could take a decade.”

– Gary Kauffman

EMPLOYMENT

Continued from Page 1

their clients.

But the training many employers want isn’t so much in specific job skills as in what have become known as the “soft skills” — personal appearance and conduct, showing up to work on time, getting along with others and similar interpersonal skills.

“It’s like employers are craving soft skills,” Kelly said.

Hansen said, “Employers are looking for qualified employees with education and experience, but a close second is employees with professional skills — how to be a great employee, how to be professional on the job.”

Megiddo Dream Station, based in Aiken but with several branches in the CSRA, has a mission of training people in soft skills as well as in personal skills, including money management. Because of that, Kelly said, graduates of Megiddo are in high demand in the job market.

The shortage of skilled labor for specific jobs has led some companies to offer old-fashioned apprentice programs.

“You’re almost guaranteed a position if you’re willing to go through an apprenticeship,” Kelly said.

2 Buzz on Biz June 29–July 27, 2018

Many companies are also partnering with local schools, from middle school through college, to prepare students for the types of jobs that are available in the area.

“We start educating the parents of middle schoolers that they can’t wait until they’re juniors to start thinking of a career,” Hatcher said. “We’re educating the educators on manufacturing.”

That includes bringing teachers into local manufacturing plants to see what various jobs entail and the skills required for them.

Hatcher and Kelly agree that Augusta has a great base of diverse of jobs, ranging from hospitality to medical to manufacturing, which will benefit both employers and employees.

“We’re very blessed with very diverse industries,” Kelly said. “Any one of these industries would make an area successful.”

Will the job market continue to grow, nationally and in Augusta? “‘I don’t know’ is my best answer,” Hatcher said. “We seem to be doing the right things to address the issues. We have solutions in place — they’re not perfect, but we’re working through them and it’s making all of us better. It’s a great problem to be part of.”

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IT’S A GOOGLE WORLD

TEACHING AN OLD DOG NEW DIGITAL TRICKS

BY NEIL GORDON

As more than 100 business leaders and yours truly attended a Googlesponsored digital marketing seminar on June 6, speaker Lee Regan’s words really hit home with me. I just learned that the mainstream career of a former CSRA sportscasting legend abruptly ended.

I worked with Chick Hernandez at News 12 in North Augusta in the early 1990s, and his career ascended to covering sports for NBC Sports in Washington, D.C., until early June, when his contract was not renewed. He’s devastated.

As of this writing, more than 500 wellwishers on his Facebook and LinkedIn accounts offered him encouragement and what I think is sage advice: “Reinvent thyself ! Years of intelligence is yours to share.”

“Chick, I would put your own sports franchise together. Produce, distribute and profit handsomely from your own product. Stop peddling to the man.”

“Podcast Network?”

“C’mon, Chick do a podcast. You have a hell of a network … use it! Maybe you don’t need a major network to be successful.”

Then, on social media, his fans offered up show titles for his consideration: Chillin’ with Chick and Chick’s Champions.

I also flashbacked to 2008, when

Google-certified speaker Lee Regan spent time talking about marketing through mobile devices at a digital marketing seminar June 6. Photo by Neil Gordon

WGAC’s John Patrick and I sat on my back porch in Evans deciding whether to do the area’s first daily business radio show.

I vividly recall him saying that people won’t be listening to mainstream radio as much and it will all go online. That was John’s way of saying that we all need to get ready for the digital transformation, and he was right! We decided to do the show on radio and stream it live online.

At the Google seminar, Regan showed how John Patrick’s prediction was right tenfold by sharing how important “howto” videos are to build your company

brand online. How to “shop” your competition online to see how it “stacks up” against your business on searches. How search re-targeting works when your potential customers are looking for products and services.

He gave good tips on the importance of a mobile-friendly website, such as: • Having a clear call to action on the landing page of the mobile site • Building mobile-friendly menus • Having clickable phone numbers • Not requiring mobile users to pinch to zoom • Ensuring site-search functionality

Features Buzz Bits....................................................6-7 Smoke Signals......................... 8 Augusta’s smoking ban is drawing mixed reactions from bar owners.

Businessperson of the Month...................22 Carol and Eddie Kennedy extend their great deals to customer service at Great Deals on Furniture

Openings, Closings..............................12, 13

Beautiful Jewel..........................................28 Sacred Heart Cultural Center is a jewel in the heart of Augusta.

Columnists Tim Dalton: 5 ways to finance the purchase of a business........10 Kristina Baggott: North Augusta Chamber rebrands..................16 Dub Taylor: Be specific with your successes for new opportunities............................................................................................18 Dagan Sharpe: Chaos creates opportunities for leaders............18 Gary Kauffman: Control your changes instead of waiting for chance..........................................................................................................20 Christine Hall: Changes make 529 even better..............................24 Ed Enoch: Summer could mean relaxed clothing rules..............24

Neil Gordon founded the Buzz on Biz brand in 2005 with a Business Minute concept on News 12 that still airs daily at 6:25 a.m. Gordon is adding new video concepts to help other businesses grow. To reach him, email thegordongrouppr@comcast.net.

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.

The Real World............................................. 4 Hull College of Business is collaborating with local businesses to create work-ready grads.

Upcoming Events.................................14, 15

• Not having a landing page with promotion-blocking site navigation This old dog, too, has been forced to learn new tricks — I’m back in business doing videos exclusively for clients’ websites and social media, not for television, and providing advice and vendors for other clients wanting to reach prospects on the worldwide web.

John Patrick was right. To some degree, everything we do is going online.

Missie Usry: Hit the target every time................................................25 Russell Head: ACA requires fee for comparing health outcomes....................................................................................................25 Stacy Roberts: Give yourself an annual review..............................26 Tony Creighton: Keep Your poolside clean and safe....................26 Ben Casella: Grab a slice of the local brew.......................................29 Samantha Barksdale: Remake of ’80s show launches secret binge watching........................................................................................29 Millie Huff: New Moon Café serves tempting tastes....................30

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 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 Layout Amanda Holahan 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.

Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/buzz-on-biz Follow us on Twitter @BuzzonBiz 643 Broad Street, Augusta GA 30901

June 29–July 27, 2018 Buzz on Biz

3

THE REAL WORLD

CHANGES AT HULL COLLEGE LOOK TO CREATE WORK-READY GRADS

BY GARY KAUFFMAN

Hull College of Business at Augusta University is taking steps into the real world.

“One of the biggest complaints about business schools is that we’re not really engaged with businesses,” said Richard Franza, dean of Hull College.

“The complaint coming from businesses was, ‘You’re supplying our workforce but you’re not asking us what we need.’”

Franza explained that in an effort to bring business schools the same respect at the college level as schools of arts and sciences, business schools in the past placed more emphasis on developing theory and laying a foundation for knowledge than on real-world skills. But doing so created an insular, academic atmosphere, which boosted respect but often didn’t address what businesses needed or what students needed to succeed in the business world.

But that is changing at Hull College — it now considers businesses as its customers.

“That’s the most fundamental change,” Franza said. “Our emphasis is to make our students more work-ready so they can hit the ground running.”

He said in the past there has been a big disconnect between doing well in school and doing well in a job. Correcting that involves a number of changes. One is more interaction between area businesses and business students.

One trend in accomplishing that is increasing internships for students in local businesses.

“Our students are seeing business not just from a book but from working on the shop floor and out in the field,” he said.

Business people are brought in from various disciplines early in the students’ academic careers to give them a better understanding of the various avenues they may pursue.

“It gives them more motivation to understand why they’re learning what they’re learning,” Franza said.

But the interaction is also good for the business leaders, because it gives them a better

In collaboration with local businesses, Hull College of Business at Augusta University is taking steps to give students more hands-on experiences, creating graduates who are ready to work.

Photo by Gary Kauffman

“Our students are seeing business not just from a book but from working on the shop floor and out in the field.”

– Richard Franza, dean of Hull College of Business understanding of local students.

“It’s a win for the graduates and a win for the companies,” he said. “There’s less time spent in getting students up to speed, and there’s a positive retention issue because the students are less likely to move to another job.”

Hull College is also focusing more on class projects and simulations instead of passive learning.

“Our responsibility as business educators is to provide more real-world experiences,” he said. “The more experiences they have, the more opportunities they have to thrive. And the majority of students think it’s more fun when education is active instead of passive activities.”

The education includes developing “soft skills,” something many local businesses have said is lacking in job applicants. That includes such things as getting to work on time, dressing properly, team skills — such as getting

4 Buzz on Biz June 29–July 27, 2018

along with others — and written and oral presentation skills.

Making all this happen means Hull College has had to make some changes to courses and requirements.

For example, all business students will now be required to take a class in professional business-to-business sales. Another requirement for all is a class in project management. Franza also sees a need for increased knowledge and skills in digital marketing and social media.

Starting this year, Hull College added a new concentration in health care management to provide a workforce that can be an asset to Augusta’s large medical community. Technologybased management skills will also become an asset as the area’s cyber businesses grow.

Those changes also created a need for changes in faculty.

“We’ve just rewritten our mission statement to explicitly ad-

WANT TO THRIVE IN THE BUSINESS WORLD? JOIN A TEAM

BY GARY KAUFFMAN

One of the best ways to learn how to thrive in the business world, according to Richard Franza, dean of Hull College of Business at Augusta University, is to play team sports.

“There is no greater leadership laboratory than being on a sports team,” he said.

Being on a team teaches people how to communicate, how to deal with adversity and how to get along with people you don’t like.

“You can get some of that in band and other clubs, but there’s winning and losing in sports,” Franza said. “You learn a lot of life lessons that way.”

Franza said many executives and business leaders played team sports, and that is especially prevalent among female business leaders.

“Statistically among women at the C-level, the numbers are astounding on how many played high school and college sports,” he said. dress that,” Franza said. “We want a portfolio of faculty with both academic rigor and business acumen.”

Even with all the anticipated growth from the changes, Franza said Hull College’s focus will remain on the Augusta area.

“I don’t ever see us being a national brand, but I see us being

a significant player in the state,” he said. “We may not be the business school for business, but one the business community can look to for areas of expertise in health care or technology-based management. If the pillars of our area are health care and cyber and technology, we need to support those.”

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June 29–July 27, 2018 Buzz on Biz

5

buzz bits KAMO HONORED

BY FEDERAL AGENCY KAMO Manufacturing of Augusta was named the 2017 Small Business of the Year by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

Cited in an official DOE publication, KAMO received the award “for the creative, unique, and extraordinary performance of a small business which has significantly and directly impacted core DOE mission objectives and requirements.”

President Harris Weinstein received the award on behalf of KAMO in Houston on May 22 at the 17th annual U.S. Department of Energy Small Business Forum & Expo.

Thanks to past performance, Supply Chain Management (SCM) also awarded KAMO with a long-term strategic agreement providing critical supplies to Savannah River Site.

KAMO initiated a cost-benefit analysis that identified process and product changes of 60 percent waste reduction opportunity, according to a news release. It also helped reduce the cost to SRS by 35.7 percent ($1.05 million).

LEGENDARY COMEDY DUO TO PERFORM AT BELL Augustans will have a night to remember – or maybe not – when comedy legends Steve Martin and Martin Short come to Bell Auditorium on Oct. 27.

Martin and Short recently released their latest entertainment endeavor, “Steve Martin and Martin Short: An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life” on Netflix.

The show will also feature the Steep Canyon Rangers, a bluegrass band that has collaborated with Steve Martin for several years. They will also be joined by pianist Jeff Babco.

6 Buzz on Biz June 29–July 27, 2018

DONATIONS NEEDED FOR RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE

The Ronald McDonald House Charities of Augusta is in the midst of its “Stock Our Shelves” campaign, asking people throughout the CSRA to bring in donations of food and supplies to be used in caring for more than 1,000 families each year while their children are receiving treatment at the Children’s Hospital of Georgia.

The campaign is a partnership with South State Bank and local McDonald’s locations.

Anyone can drop off goods at any

South State Bank branch or the Ronald McDonald House at 1442 Harper St. in Augusta.

The Ronald McDonald House is asking for some specific items that are used frequently by their families, including trash bags, laundry detergent, canned goods, Keurig cups and gift cards to purchase fruit and dairy items.

The “Stock Our Shelves” campaign will run through July 11. Those wishing to donate online can contribute to the campaign at rmhcaugusta.org.

Ronald McDonald House Charities provides families a place to stay while their children receive medical care.

Rolling Stone called the special “showbiz comfort food,” while Esquire wrote that the special will “take comedy nerds to heaven.” Dozens of reviews have taken note of the show’s goofball wit, charming nostalgia and clever knocks on celebrity culture.

Tickets for the event are available at augustaentertainmentcomplex.com, at the SRP Box Office at James Brown Arena or by calling 877-428-4849.

N. AUGUSTA ADDS 2 GYMS TO REC CENTER North Augusta’s Riverview Park Activities Center has two new gyms, just in time for the annual Nike Peach Jam tournament.

The gyms officially opened in June.

It gives the center a total of six gyms.

Each of the new gyms seats 500 fans.

The Peach Jam tournament, a national event featuring some of the top

high school basketball players in the country, has been held at Riverview Park for more than 20 years. This year’s tournament takes place July 11-15.

The expansion includes concessions areas, office space and a covered walkway to the original Riverview Park Activities Center.

CHARITY PROVIDES BEDS FOR CHILDREN Mercedes-Benz of Augusta donated $100 for every car that was sold in the month of May to the YMCA’s “A Place to Dream” program, which provides beds to children in need throughout the CSRA. “We signed on to support A Place to Dream at the beginning of the year when we heard how widespread the need is,” said Nate Cartwright, gen-

eral manager of Mercedes-Benz of Augusta. “How could we not? So many of us take for granted every night a comfortable and clean bed, which many of these kids have never had. Our staff has also pitched in for some of the deliveries in these homes, which I urge everyone to consider helping with. It will really change your perspective and increase your gratitude.”

Families receive beds via an application process with area social service agencies. Plans are underway to expand the program throughout the CSRA as resources and volunteer manpower will allow, with an annual goal of more than 500 beds by the end of the year.

MCLEOD IS NAMED WOMAN OF THE YEAR An employment law attorney with a soft spot for volunteer work has been named the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce’s Business Woman of the Year.

Fulcher Hagler LLP’s Beth McLeod was the eighth recipient of the award, which the chamber created to recognize members who exhibit “hard work, dedication and compassion in their professional and personal life.”

McCleod, of Harlem, said she received her introduction to community service while attending Mercer University’s Walter F. George School of Law. “I never did much volunteer work growing up, but when I was in college I was exposed to it and I found out I really had a heart for it — especially with children,” McLeod said.

She has spent her entire legal career at Fulcher Hagler and has volunteered for organizations including the Children’s Hospital of Georgia, the former Trinity of Augusta Hospice, the Family Y and the American Cancer Society.

She and her husband, James Bower, a Richmond County public school teacher, have three children.

GIVING TOPS $400 BILLION FOR FIRST TIME Charitable giving was at an all-time high in 2017, according to a recent report from Giving USA, topping $400

buzz bits billion for the first time.

The report catalogued giving from individuals, estates, foundations and corporations, estimating they gave $410 billion in 2017. That’s more than the gross domestic product of many countries.

Giving in 2017 was up 5.2 percent from the previous year, when an estimated $389 billion was given to charities.

However, the percentage of giving of disposable income didn’t increase, remaining at about 2 percent, which is slightly less than it was in 2000. The percentage of U.S. households making charitable donations has also decreased, from about 67 percent in 2000 to 56.6 percent in 2015, the latest year that data is available.

AUGUSTA TO HOST COLLEGE CYCLISTS Augusta will host the 2019 and 2020 USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships, according to a news release from the Augusta Sports Council.

More than 300 of the top collegiate road cyclists from more than 80 universities will race for a national title on Augusta’s roads when the event comes to town next year. This year’s competition was held May 4-6 in Grand Junction, Colo.

“USA Cycling is thrilled to return to Augusta in 2019 and 2020 for the Collegiate Road National Championships,” said Chuck Hodge, vice president of operations for USA Cycling.

“The city has been a welcome home to cycling, providing challenging courses for championships at all levels. We are pleased to extend our partnership with the Augusta Sports Council to showcase the best collegiate cyclists in the country.”

Augusta hosted the USA Cycling Masters Road National Championships for a second consecutive year in mid-June.

The USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships will be held in downtown Augusta and at Fort Gordon, with courses similar to those used during the Masters Road National Championships.

The collegiate riders will compete over three days across multiple events: the Road Race, Criterium, Individual Time Trial, Team Time Trial, Individ-

Uses for the Regency Mall property are still being discussed. Photo by Gary Kauffman

COULD REGENCY MALL BECOME A MUSEUM?

Augusta voters voted against using the Regency Mall as the site for a new James Brown Arena, but one commissioner thinks it could still be used to honor the legendary singer.

Commission member Marion Williams has suggested using the site for a James Brown Museum. He believes the city needs to think outside the box in using the site, which has become an eyesore.

The property is owned by the Cardinal Group, a New York company. The 50 acres is assessed at $2.5 million.

Williams imagined the space being used for a new, large building to honor Brown, which he believes would make it a tourist destination.

The Augusta Museum of History already has a James Brown display and plans to expand that exhibit. ual Omnium and Team Omnium. The championships will take place in late April or early May with exact dates to be announced later.

LARGE TRACT DOWNTOWN IS SOLD TO DEVELOPER One of the largest tracts of land remaining in Augusta’s downtown area was sold to a development group in May. Real estate company Sherman and Hemstreet sold the 24-acre property at 1812 Slaton St., near the intersection of 15th Street and Wrightsboro Road.

The site, located behind the Dart Container Plant, was previously used as a 400,000-square-foot industrial distribution center.

“This site is one of the last large tracts of land left in the downtown area,” Matt Aitken, the agent who brokered the transaction, said in a news release.

“It is going to be exciting to see what

HOSPITAL FOR COLUMBIA COUNTY MOVES AHEAD It took three years of appeals, but Columbia County is finally in the process of getting a hospital.

A Georgia court recently made a ruling that allows AU Medical Center to build the county’s first hospital. Columbia County is the largest county in Georgia without a hospital.

The appeals process came after Doctors Hospital of Augusta challenged the way AU Medical Center had been awarded the opportunity to build the hospital.

Normally, the amount of hospital beds available in nearby Richmond County would have precluded the building of a hospital in Columbia County. But AU Medical Center tapped into a rare exception that allows a new hospital if it is the only one in the county and the county pays for 20 percent of the cost, which Columbia County plans to do.

The 100-bed facility is expected to cost about $150 million.

Doctors Hospital had also bid on the project, but AU’s bid was chosen by the county. Doctors objected to the choice because it planned to offer a great scope of services, but the court ruled that the county’s choice was valid. Doctors Hospital is still considering further appeals.

A 24-acre parcel near 15th Street and Wrightboro Road in Augusta has been purchased by a development group.

Photo by Witt Wells

AIKEN COUNTY COMPLEX IS SOLD

type of development the group puts in place on the site.”

Sherman and Hemstreet did not release any information about plans for the development, but Aitken did say in the statement that the transaction “shows that there is significant demand for good housing in the downtown area.”

“We need more innovative projects such as this and the Foundry Project, which just broke ground very close to this site,” Aitken said, referring to the 221-unit market-rate apartment complex that recently broke ground in the Laney-Walker/Bethlehem area.

The old Aiken County Government Complex will have new owners, after the Aiken County Council agreed on June 5 to sell it.

The 9.3 acres that contains the old Aiken County Hospital will be sold to the Marian Group of Louisville, Ky. The real estate development group plans to preserve the four-story brick structure that was built in the 1930s.

Another 1.6-acre parcel, which contains the old County Council Building, was sold to Martin Buckley and Lucy Knowles of Aiken.

They also plan to preserve the building as an example of midcentury-modern architecture.

June 29–July 27, 2018 Buzz on Biz

7

SMOKE SIGNALS

SMOKING BAN DRAWS MIXED REACTIONS FROM BAR OWNERS A decision by the Augusta Commission to ban smoking inside Richmond County bars (along with most other enclosed public workspaces) has some people breathing easier, but the economic impact of that decision is still unclear.

A number of business owners opposed the ordinance because they believe it would infringe upon their basic rights as business owners. There are plenty of bars and restaurants in town that had become nonsmoking establishments over the years, they reasoned, giving nonsmokers a plethora of dining and entertainment options. Why couldn’t the rest be left to do business as they pleased?

new law in 2011).

Initially, Jukebox saw a 30 percent drop in sales, a big hit that not all Savannaharea bars survived. But since then, less than a year after switching to nonsmoking, Schadler has seen a 20 to 25 percent recovery. Jukebox Bar and Grille is now close to being on par with its sales when patrons were still allowed to smoke inside.

What caused her to make the change when she didn’t have to?

“Overall cleanliness, overall cost,” Schadler said. “It costs more to keep things clean, it does. It affects who comes in. It was a business decision based on a number of factors, and it wasn’t because I was concerned about everyone’s health.”

A question of rights

A welcome change

BY WITT WELLS

One of those business owners opposed to the ban is the owner of a bar that, ironically, is already smoke-free.

“This is going into our worst time of year, too,” said Clint Martin, owner of Bar West in west Augusta. “The summertime in Augusta is the slowest time of the year for bars and nightclubs in Augusta. So, it’s a time where I think it would really, really hurt Augusta, and there’s no need for it. There’s a lot of different nonsmoking options.”

Bar West has been a nonsmoking bar since it opened in 2011, but Martin believes that’s a decision that should be left up to bar owners. He arrived at that conclusion for a few reasons, but mainly because of his strong belief in business owners’ right to choose and the disproportionate effects and complications he believes the law will cause for smoking bars.

“They’re basically incentivizing people to go out and drink in their cars, not frequent the bars and loiter outside,” Martin said. “It’s never enough. Once they get this passed, they’ll be back in the next five to 10 years. They’ll be back with something else. It’s disgusting in my opinion.

To think that you have grown adults that are going to tell other grown adults what they can and cannot do with their lives — it’s sickening. It’s un-American.”

The debate is nothing new; it has been an ongoing dialogue in Augusta for several years as cities across the country pass similar smoking bans (including statewide bans in more than half the states in the U.S.), including one in Savannah that went into effect in 2011.

The issue had been voted on by the Augusta Commission before but failed to pass. This time, the ban passed with one notable change to the proposed or-

8 Buzz on Biz June 29–July 27, 2018

Augusta recently passed an ordinance to ban smoking in all bars in Richmond County, although many already had voluntarily posted such signs. Photo by Gary Kauffman

dinance: The previous restriction that would have required patrons to smoke at least 10 feet away from a bar was changed to a “reasonable distance.”

That change will allow Martin to use Bar West’s patio as an outlet for smokers, although he’s still worried about the loitering issue.

Improved health for bar workers

For Breatheasy Augusta, a coalition that has spent years trying to pass a comprehensive smoke-free ordinance in the city, the decision validates years of hard work and a compromise that, in the minds of its proponents, should never have been a big deal in the first place.

“We’re not saying you can’t smoke,” said Jennifer Anderson, a respiratory therapist and volunteer for Breatheasy Augusta.

“We just want you to go outside, have a cigarette and come back in.”

Anderson’s path to her current profession began with her health issues as a “very sickly” child in a home where her father consistently smoked. She missed most of the sixth grade because of a lung infection and regularly had difficulty breathing.

“Nobody needed to tell my mother that that was bad,” Anderson said. “But you know, it’s legal. It must not be too bad!”

For Anderson, the issue of “choice” isn’t so cut and dry when it comes to a substance that affects the people around it.

“What we really don’t take into consideration is people who have to work in it every night,” Anderson said. “I think what’s going to really come out of this ordinance is public education.”

Just days before the commission vote,

former Savannah Mayor Otis Johnson addressed a letter to Augusta Mayor Hardie Davis and the commission, encouraging them to pass the ordinance.

“We took this action to protect the health of our citizens,” the letter reads.

“The scientific evidence was clear about the dangers of smoking. Also, we took into account that there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke. The health risks of secondhand smoke are documented and include heart disease, stroke, cancer, asthma, and other respiratory infections. Our non-smoking citizens who were patrons or worked in smoked-filled environments were at risk of suffering from smoke-related illnesses.

“There was strong opposition from bar owners and some restaurant managers expressing a fear that passage of the ordinance would hurt their bottom-line,” the letter continued. “We respected their opinion, but we felt that our citizens would adjust to the change. A Georgia Department of Public Health study in 2013 concluded that Savannah’s SmokeFree Ordinance had ‘no impact on taxable sales revenue for bars and full-service restaurants in Chatham County after adjusting for time, seasonality, unemployment rate, and overall sales in all other sectors.’”

Economic losses and gains

For one Savannah-area bar owner, Johnson’s idea that bar owners would adjust to the ordinance proved correct.

Leslie Schadler, owner of Jukebox Bar and Grille in Richmond Hill, a city in the Savannah metro area, transitioned the bar into a nonsmoking one in 2017 ( Jukebox Bar and Grille was grandfathered into the

Josh Williamson, owner of Firehouse Bar in downtown Augusta (one of a few bars on Broad Street that allows smoking), said he and his employees are looking forward to working in a cleaner environment starting Jan. 1, 2019.

“As I’ve gotten a little older and more health-conscious, I don’t like being in the smoky environment anymore,” Williamson said, adding that some of his employees are also looking forward to the new ordinance kicking in. “I enjoy going to bars in other cities where it’s not a factor.

I think we were kind of behind the times in getting this done.”

Others weren’t so thrilled, including some owners of vape shops and hookah lounges.

“We were pretty much completely blindsided by the whole situation,” said Ashel Said, co-owner of Sharifa’s Hookah Bar and Lounge on Broad St. Said and Stacey Mertins, the owner of vape shop Vapor Hut, are confused as to why they were included in the nonsmoking ordinance, even if they are grandfathered in. Mertins said Vapor Hut is a retailer, according to its business license.

“We don’t have a smoking license or a liquor license, so how are we classified as a bar?” Mertins asked. “That was our problem with the whole scenario. Why are we being lumped into this group?”

Some business owners, including Mertins and Said, are determined to fight the new ordinance.

Only time will reveal whether businesses take a significant financial hit.

Williamson doesn’t think there will be many economic changes for bars at all. If anything, it’s a breath of fresh air.

“I think after a little while, it’s just going to be business as usual,” Williamson said.

BEST BUYS

5 WAYS TO FINANCE THE PURCHASE OF A BUSINESS

BY TIM DALTON

Probably the biggest obstacle to selling a small business is for the purchaser to obtain financing. Larger, strategic buyers or private equity groups tend to have the financial capabilities or their own funds to make a purchase, but the challenge is that these purchasers are typically looking for business opportunities with minimum sales of $10 million and a bottom line of more than $1 million. Most small businesses don’t meet this criteria, and a buyer is left with finding a means to finance the purchase.

There are several ways to finance a business purchase.

Conventional bank financing: Although this is where most business buyers start their financing search, it is probably one of the more difficult ways to obtain financing for a purchase.

Banks are small business advocates and help many of their clients, but when it comes to an acquisition with an individual they don’t have a prior small business relationship with, it can understandably become more difficult.

A lender looks for collateral to cover the loan should there be a default, and, unfortunately, if a small business closes its doors, there is not much value left in the non-operating business. There might be some used equipment and maybe some inventory, but in most cases, not nearly enough to cover the outstanding loan amount. For this reason, a conventional bank loan might be challenging.

Small Business Administration (SBA) financing: The government is in a position to help with business acquisition financing through its 7(a) and 504 loan programs. With these loan programs, the government is typically not the lender, but it is a guarantor of a portion of the acquisition loan a bank might provide. Here’s an example: A purchaser comes with a 20 percent down payment and the SBA provides a 50 percent guarantee; now the bank only has a 30 percent liability should there be a default. Like I said, banks are not crazy about acquisition loans, but if they have the government helping to

10 Buzz on Biz June 29–July 27, 2018

Are you dreaming of buying a business? There are several ways to secure financing.

guarantee a portion of the loan, they do become more receptive.

Retirement funds: There are several companies that specialize in a buyer using their retirement funds to invest in a business purchase without triggering penalties and taxes. With a 401(k) plan, your money can be invested in stocks of a corporation as part of your investment strategy. What these companies have put into place is that now a business purchaser can use his or her 401(k) money to invest in (purchase) a corporation using those funds without penalty.

This method of financing a purchase is well vetted and comes with IRS approval.

Family and friends: This is where a lot of business purchasers turn for financing. Who better to believe in a purchaser’s dream and abilities than the people who know him or her best?

Seller Financing: Prior to conventional bank financing or SBA financing, seller financing was the main source of funds for a business purchase, and it is still a good means today. Most sellers would like to get 100 percent cash for their business at closing, and that is understandable.

However, many business owners do a poor job with their financial recordkeeping, which will turn off many banks.

This gives the opinion to a purchaser that if a bank is not willing to finance, it must be a bad business.

Many times, this is not the case, and there is no better way for a seller to give confidence to a buyer about the quality and viability of a business than to say he or she is willing to back it up with seller financing. There is no such thing as a guarantee of future success, but if the seller is financing the purchase, that is about as close as you will come.

Tim Dalton is president of Integra Business Brokers and has more than 19 years of experience in the Augusta area assisting business buyers and sellers. He is also a Certified Business Value Builder.

Additional services include targeted business acquisitions, business valuations and financing assistance. Dalton is a licensed real estate broker in Georgia and South Carolina and can be reached at 706.650.1100 or tdalton@integrabrokers.com. Visit Integra’s website at www.integrabrokers.com.

OFFERING SERVICES FOR BUSINESSES FOR SALE IN GA & SC • SELLING A BUSINESS • BUYING A BUSINESS • BUSINESS CONSULTING

• VALUATION CONSULTING • MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS • BUSINESS ACQUISITION RESEARCH

Mordecai Evans Michael Reagan Tim Dalton mreagan@integrabrokers.com tdalton@integrabrokers.com mevans@integrabrokers.com

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TO ADVERTISE, PLE ASE CONTACT

LE SLIE WHITNE Y

leslie.whitney@augustamagazine.com 706.823.3719 June 29–July 27, 2018 Buzz on Biz

11

Openings, Closings and Moves OPENINGS

The Pie Hole In early June, Colleen Hall turned in her notice after working as a radiation therapist for 25 years.

“I’ve been treating cancer patients for this long, now I care for people’s bodies in a different way,” she said.

By feeding them pie, of course.

Hall started selling her pies under the name “The Pie Hole” in Augusta last year and is now getting ready to open a brick-and-mortar shop of the same name at 3604 Veranda Drive, next to Boardroom Clothing Company.

Hall said she is aiming to open the shop in mid-July.

“There’s not a dedicated pie shop in Augusta,” Hall said. “I got really

The Pie Hole, at 3604 Veranda Drive, is expected to open in mid-July

inspired by that reality … it’s become very popular in bigger cities.”

Hall’s pies and breads are set apart

by her use of freshly milled organic wheat. The pies range from savory to sweet — Hall tells people she does dinner and dessert — and the Augusta Market mainstay has found most success with the lemon berry pie.

“It was our biggest hit throughout the whole summer last year,” she said. “People are already looking for it again.”

The small shop will be designed primarily for people to come in and out quickly, although there will be seating for around 10 people. Hall said it will have a “coffee shop feel,” and she plans to serve coffee from Buona Caffe.

Bowlero The largest bowling center in the

world is coming to Augusta.

Bowlero, with more than 300 bowling centers worldwide, will replace Brunswick Zone National Lanes on Washington Road sometime next year.

Bowlero bills itself as a nightlife destination that brings bowling into the 21st century. It incorporates bowling with music videos, and patrons can dine on such things as 5-pound hamburgers and 2-footlong hot dogs, plus cocktails. In addition to bowling, it has arcade games and laser tag and is open for social and corporate events and birthday parties.

Bowlero also owns the Brunswick Zone National Lanes brand.

No details have been released on an opening date. The new brand will

WHISTLE STOP CAFE IS RETURNING Seven years ago, Whistle Stop Cafe at the corner of Sixth and Greene streets closed after a fire gutted the downtown Augusta mainstay. This summer, it will come back to life.

Angelo Paulos, the owner of the revived “Whistle Stop Cafe 573,” (the building is owned by Fred Daitch) and John Pannell, the head chef — longtime Augustans who have been friends since they were 4 years old — have renewed the old cafe with new kitchen equipment and a renovated interior, including new seating and a paint job.

“I don’t believe in cutting corners,” Paulos said. “I like things to be immaculate. I want it to be a clean environment, a healthy environment. We’re gonna serve good food.”

Paulos opened the eatery in mid-June. The 850-square-foot building at 573 Greene St. last functioned as the Olde Town Diner, which was open for about a year and closed in January.

The new cafe will serve classic diner food, from eggs and bacon at breakfast to cheeseburgers at lunch, as well as vegan options. Much of the food, including farm fresh eggs and produce, will be locally sourced from Riggs Farms in Waynesboro, Ga. “As long as everything goes out fresh, hot, the service is great, the establishment is clean — that’s a recipe for success right there,” Pannell said.

Pannell last worked as a sous chef at Jones Creek Golf Club. Before that he worked as a chef at Abel Brown and executive chef at Finch and Fifth.

During Masters Week, Paulos, who had spent years in the body shop industry and was ready for a change, told Pannell he wanted to take a chance on a restaurant, a venture the two friends had long fantasized about.

Even as a chef at a highly regarded institution,

12 Buzz on Biz June 29–July 27, 2018

Angelo Paulos and John Pannell are reopening the restaurant at the corner of Sixth and Greene streets in downtown Augusta. Photo by Witt Wells

the opportunity to run his own show was too good for Pannell to pass up.

“It’s like having my own kitchen, my own place and getting to work with a lifetime friend,” Pannell said. “There’re no hidden agendas. We both want to see each other be successful.”

The new Whistle Stop Cafe seats around 40 people, and Paulos plans to keep the restaurant open

from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. He said he might change up the hours on the weekends. As he works to make sure the restaurant opens next month, his vision remains simple: he just wants to have a laid-back eatery.

“I could’ve named it anything I wanted to,” Paulos said. “I always liked the Whistle Stop and I just wanted to bring it back.”

Openings, Closings and Moves update the fixtures to reflect the design of other Bowlero locations.

This will be the fourth Georgia location for Bowlero. Other Georgia sites are in Marietta, Norcross and Columbus.

CLOSINGS

The Sears Hometown store in Aiken is closing its doors July 23.

The owner of The Swank Company is planning a third location. This one will be in North Augusta next to the new SRP Park.

Swank Company & Posh Tots An Augusta-based retailer will soon invest in the up-and-coming Riverside Village development in North Augusta.

Rafy Bassali, owner of clothing retailers The Swank Company and Posh Tots, said a new location of The Swank Company, a women’s clothing store, will open next to SRP Park.

Bassali said the building is still in development, and a date for the store’s opening has yet to be determined.

The Swank Company currently has locations in west Augusta (391 Highland Ave.) and Martinez (403 Furys Ferry Road).

“I’m excited about the development,” Bassali said. “It’s a chance for us to be in South Carolina, to be in a new state.”

Meanwhile, Posh Tots opened a second location in Martinez; the first is in Augusta’s Surrey Center.

The new store is at 403 Furys Ferry Road and shares a shopping center with Publix and Swank.

Posh Tots sells designer clothes, room décor, accessories, toys and playhouses for babies and older children.

The new store in Martinez is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m.

Sunday.

Sears Hometown Store The financial difficulties of Sears Hometown Stores will impact the CSRA when the Aiken store closes in July. It is one of nearly 100 stores the company is closing nationwide after a $9.4 million loss in the first quarter of 2018.

The Aiken store is liquidating its stock with reduced prices before it closes July 23. The business sells appliances, tools and lawn and garden equipment.

Sears Hometown moved to the Kalmia Plaza shopping center on Richland Avenue West in Aiken in March. It had been in the Mitchell Shopping Center, where it had been located since the Sears store in the Aiken Mall closed in 2014.

EXPANSIONS

Bobby Boggs, founder of Pot Smoker BBQ, said the restaurant has drawn heavy traffic in its opening week, as the restaurant has eased into business with limited hours.

The restaurant is at 651 Silver Bluff Road, the location of the former Buckwheat’s Bar-B-Que. Philip Pye, the franchisee who opened the Pot Smoker location in Columbia, finalized a deal to lease the building from former Buckwheat’s owner Dewayne Jones.

“What makes us different from every other barbecue restaurant in this entire region is that we take our time to smoke the meat properly,” Pye said in a video published by the Aiken Standard. “We do not cut corners, we do not refrigerate our meats.

Straight from the smoker, straight to the consumer.”

Pye followed his father into the restaurant business and has done everything from managing multiple Firehouse Subs franchises to launching his own tapas concept in Columbia.

In an interview in January, Pye said he came to the Pot Smoker with his father and tasted the barbecue that Boggs had been cooking up ever since he and his family starting selling it out of a mobile unit in 2013.

Boggs said the restaurant will be a mirror of his restaurant in North Augusta.

Pot Smoker BBQ is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.

MERGERS

Bobby Boggs, right, and Philip Pye have opened a new location of Pot Smoker BBQ at 651 Silver Bluff Road in Aiken. Photo by Witt Wells

Pot Smoker BBQ A new barbecue place that has been in the works for the last few months opened at the beginning of June in Aiken.

Pot Smoker BBQ, which first opened in North Augusta, will now have two CSRA locations. A third opened in Columbia, S.C., last spring.

State Bank & Trust State Bank & Trust, which acquired First Bank of Georgia in 2015, might soon have a new name.

The bank is awaiting news on a merger with Cadence Bancorp, a Texas company. The deal is contingent on approval by Cadence shareholders and regulatory approval. The deal is expected to be finalized by the end of the year.

The merger would create a bank with more than 100 offices in the Southeast.

The name of State Bank will change to Cadence Bank, but customers will be part of a bank with more than triple the assets, which could mean access to new products and technology.

Cadence plans to move its headquarters to Atlanta and will add State Bank executives to its board of directors. No personnel changes are planned for the local level.

North Augusta Habitat for Humanity North Augusta’s chapter of Habitat for Humanity will merge with the Aiken County chapter July 1.

North Augusta started its own chapter in 2000, but recent regulatory changes have made it difficult to continue to operate on its own.

North Augusta has also had challenges in finding reliable volunteers and good candidates for home ownership.

The Aiken County chapter started in 1988. The merger is expected to strengthen the group’s ability to reach its goals.

North Augusta built 18 houses during its tenure. The Aiken County group is building its 107th and 108th homes, both in Aiken. It has also built homes in Jackson, New Ellenton, Warrenville and North Augusta.

SALES

Brandon Wilde University Health Care System has announced that it is selling retirement community Brandon Wilde. It is being acquired by Iowabased senior-living company Life Care Services.

University Health said the deal could be finalized in August.

“In order to remain marketable to new residents and continue the high quality of services and accommodations residents expect and deserve, we felt it was time to transition Brandon Wilde to a company whose primary focus is the expert operation of continuing care retirement communities,” said Brandon Wilde’s interim Executive Director Benjamin Guest.

Life Care Services operates 130 communities across 32 states. It was founded in 1971 and manages a variety of institutions, including assisted living facilities and rental independent living complexes.

June 29–July 27, 2018 Buzz on Biz

13

Friday, July 13

UPCOMING BUSINESS EVENTS

SCORE: Plan Your Business, 10 a.m., North Augusta Community Center, 495 Brookside Ave., North Augusta.

This workshop explores helps you develop a written business plan, with detailed examination of your product or service, your customers and marketing, and more. For more information, visit northaugustachamber.org.

Wednesday, July 11

Business Planning Essentials, 1 p.m., Conference Room, Small Business Development Center, 2907 Professional Pkwy., Augusta. This three-hour class guides participants through the specific components of a well-written and comprehensive business plan to position your business for stability and growth.

Registration required. For more information, visit georgiasbdc.org/ augusta-office.

Monday, July 16

Chamber After Hours, 5 p.m., Springhill Suites, 1110 Marks Church Road, Augusta. A networking opportunity to meet and build relationships with other local businesses. Registration required.

For more information, visit columbiacountychamber.com.

Wednesday, July 18

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 required. For more information, visit georgiasbdc.org/augusta-office.

14 Buzz on Biz June 29–July 27, 2018

Catch the Buzz! Get more on events and follow business and economic news across the CSRA at buzzon.biz.

Thursday, July 19

Third Thursday Business Builder, 11:30 a.m., Augusta Metro Chamber office, 1 10th St., Augusta. “Customer Service: Closing the Gap” examines the gap between how you think your company thinks it’s doing and how your customers say it’s doing, by D.J. Thatcher of Dale Carnegie. Registration required. For more information, visit augustametrochamber.com.

AYP Third Thursday, 5 p.m., Aiken Chamber of Commerce, 121 Richland Ave. E., Aiken. An opportunity for individuals age 22 to 39 to meet other young professionals in a relaxed atmosphere for networking.

Registration required. For more information, visit aikenchamber.net.

Thursday, July 26

Networking for Leads, 3 p.m., County Chamber of Commerce office, 1000 Business Blvd., Evans. A structured program designed to promote meaningful business relationships. The goal is for businesses to give leads.

For more information, visit columbiacountychamber.com.

Friday, Aug. 3

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.

Ribbons cuttings scheduled July 5: AR Workshop, 3116 William Few Pkwy., Suite 2, Evans, 4 p.m.

July 9: Goodwyn Mills Cawood, 1450 Greene St., Suite 505, Augusta, 11 a.m.

July 13: Hope House Inc., 2205 Highland Ave., Augusta, 2 p.m.

July 31: Susie Q’s Sweets, Nothing Bundt Cakes, 4217 Washington Road, Suite 7, Evans, noon

At the Clubhou.se •A ugusta 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.

July 12: T he Augusta Developer brings together developers and managers to talk about the developer culture in Augusta. 6-8 p.m.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP: Palmetto Cyber Kenneth Peeples

Chief Technology and Security Officer

1. What is the business?

Palmetto Cyber is a startup with a focus on all levels of Cybersecurity and DevOps training for the Department of Defense, healthcare, and other verticals.

July 18: A TDC Lunch & Learn: Top 10 Legal Mistakes Made by Entrepreneurs, with Ed Enoch. Noon to 1 p.m.

2. When and where did you found it?

July 17: Our Gathering of Those Who Make Stuff is gearing up for the HACKATHON at theClubhou.se the following week. 6-8 p.m.

3. Where is the business now?

8. How do you choose who to hire?

16. Best piece of advice?

We are in startup mode and preparing for classes which we will be teaching, including Certified Ethical Hacking (CEH) and DevSecOps.

We are focusing on knowledgeable experienced DevOps and Cyber instructors who can work in a part time/1099 capacity.

Never give up as those that have succeeded also failed at some point.

4. What were you like in school?

11.

Who are competitors?

We will educate future Cybersecurity professionals.

July 20: P yNight is a quarterly competition of Pythonistas sponsored by Booz Allen Hamilton. 5-9 p.m.

July 24: A gile Augusta meets to discuss agile project management. 6-7 p.m.

July 26: H ACKATHON! Cycling back around to a night of collaboration and cunning creativity! Come make something amazing! 5-9 p.m.

July 27: G rowler Gardening gets together the horticulturally minded for some garden maintenance and good beer! 5-7 p.m.

Palmetto Cyber was started in paretnership with Christine Gilson earlier this year at theClubhou.se.

My passions have always been soccer and computers. In high school I tried to learn as much about programming as possible and played indoor and outdoor soccer year round. That continued into college with getting a Bachelors, and then Masters, in Computer Science.

your

main

The Augusta area is booming with the growth of Fort Gordon and Augusta University. A lot of companies are starting up and coming into the area. I see other similar companies as partners instead of competitors.

5. Any significant experiences/ skills that influenced your business?

12. What have you learned from your competitors?

My experience in the Defense and Healthcare sectors influenced the direction I wanted to go in starting a business.

A successful company focuses on their customers’ needs and helps fulfill their requirements. A startup company will fail when they try to do too many things initially and only focusing on how much money they can pull in.

6. How did you find your cofounders?

13. Favorite books?

Christine and I have known each other for a while with mutual friends. We decided to pursue the startup together.

The Open Organization: Igniting Passion and Performance, by Red Hat CEO Jim Whitehurst.

7. How did you fund the business?

15. Favorite entrepreneurs?

Currently the funding is coming from our personal funds.

Walt Disney, as he grew the best theme park in the world in the middle of a swamp through faith in his vision.

17. What is next for your business?

18. How has theClubhou.se company?

working out of benefitted your

theClubhou.se is great for startups.

They have helped us network with other companies and individuals, as well as provided us exposure in the area.

WANT TO BECOME A MEMBER? VISIT www.theclubhou.se Would you like to schedule a tour?

STOP BY 540 Telfair St. Augusta, GA EMAIL ivy@theclubhou.se

June 29–July 27, 2018 Buzz on Biz

15

POINTING AHEAD

NORTH AUGUSTA CHAMBER UPDATES TO HELP BUSINESSES MOVE FORWARD

BY KRISTINA BAGGOTT

The North Augusta Chamber of Commerce has been moving business forward in our community for more than 60 years.

Founded in 1951, we knew then (as we do now) that local businesses needed an advocate, a resounding voice, amplified by hundreds of members united in the desire to see our businesses prosper and grow.

Fast forwarding to the present, the North Augusta Chamber board leadership and staff still hold fast to these same ideals while working to ensure that we are continually innovating and looking forward.

So, we looked in the mirror and realized … North Augusta doesn’t look the same as it did 10 years ago, so why should its chamber?

Step 1: Minding Our Mission

After speaking with chamber members, boards members, local business and government officials, we realized that our mission needed to be less focused on our community and more focused on the business of growing business in our community. This realization led to a mission statement that truly reflects our focused approach to moving business forward: Our mission is to promote and meet the unique needs of local business and industry in order to strengthen the community in which we live, work, play and do business.

New branding reflects the updated mission statement for the North Augusta Chamber of Commerce.

Step 2: Looking the Part

Everyone knows that to be successful, you must “look the part.” We took a look at ourselves and realized that our “look” — our brand — did not reflect our commitment to innovation, forward thinking and progress. So we did something about it.

We looked at our community, our businesses and our relationships, and we designed a brand that reflected our goal to move business forward in our community.

The distinctive “chamber arrow” can now be found in all of our branding and reminds us that our sole purpose is promoting local business and industry.

When you see our arrow, you can be assured that your business and our business are pointed in the same

direction — toward growth, toward prosperity and toward a better, stronger community for all of us to live, work, play and do business.

Step 3: Going to Work

It’s time to get down to business.

Your business.

We are proud to be your advocate, the voice that will help move your business to the next level. The North Augusta Chamber has the unique ability to unite your business voice with the voices of hundreds of other local business leaders to ensure that your needs are heard, loud and clear.

So, join us. Your business is our priority, and we are excited to see how we can move forward together.

The North Augusta Chamber: Where Business and Community Meet.

Be sure to check out our new website for more ways that we can help move your business forward at northaugustachamber.org.

Kristina Baggott is a member of the Executive Committee of the North Augusta Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. She is employed by Augusta University and serves as the associate vice president for Volunteer Services and Engagement. In that role, she is focused on strategically connecting the university and medical center with our local community through voluntary service efforts.

NORTH AUGUSTA GREENEWAY EXPANDS TO ALLOW MORE ACCESS It is only three-tenths of a mile, but that short addition to the North Augusta Greeneway opens the popular walkway to another 550 homes.

The greeneway, about 8.1 miles of paved walkway that meanders through the heart of North Augusta, connecting the north side of the city with the Savannah River, had previously ended at Bergen Road.

During the spring, a tunnel was constructed beneath Bergen Road, allowing for the expansion into the housing additions on the north side. That allows an estimated 3,000 people access to the greeneway.

16 Buzz on Biz June 29–July 27, 2018

Bergen Road was closed in late March for construction of the tunnel, and the road reopened in April.

A ribbon-cutting was held May 31 to open the tunnel.

The greeneway follows the route of an abandoned railroad right of way that the city purchased in 1988.

It was constructed in phases, originally ending at Pisgah Road. A 1.1-mile extension in 2011 brought the trail beneath Interstate 20 to Bergen Road.

The trail now runs from just north of Bergen Road

south through Hammonds Ferry, along the Savannah River and past the new SRP Park and The River Club. Parking for the greeneway is available at Bergen Road, Martintown Road and Riverview Park.

The greeneway winds through the heart of North Augusta, much of it under a leafy canopy of trees.

It is popular with walkers, runners and cyclists. It is listed in many South Carolina tourism brochures and websites.

The trail was named in honor of former Mayor Thomas Greene.

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June 29–July 27, 2018 Buzz on Biz

17

BLOW YOUR HORN

BE SPECIFIC WITH YOUR SUCCESSES TO GET NEW OPPORTUNITIES

BY DUB TAYLOR

Your accomplishments are those things that you’ve successfully achieved and are the empowering force that drives you to your next destination, opening up the door to new opportunities.

The extraordinary thing about the newfound empowerment an accomplishment brings is that it means something different for everyone. With its versatile definition, empowerment can vary depending on who you are, where you live, what you believe in and your culture.

To one person, it can mean accomplishing control over his or her own finances and household, and to another, it can mean negotiating equal pay at work or taking time to launch a new business.

No matter how you define your own empowerment through your achievements, the important thing is that you accomplished something great and now it’s time to leverage those experiences to create new opportunities.

Below are a few ways to help you leverage your achievements more effectively.

be a job duty, whereas “raised $100,000 by selling out tickets to a 200-person charity event” is an accomplishment.

Why is this important? You want to tell the person who is listening something that he or she doesn’t already know about you rather than simply share the obvious.

By including accomplishments, you paint a picture of your abilities — a picture that will better help sell and market yourself.

2. Make a list. Compile a list of all the accomplishments that set you apart. For each position and accomplishment you’ve achieved, ask yourself: • What did I do that was above and

1. Describe how well you did it, not what you did. When describing what you’ve done, keep it simple. A duty describes what you did, while an accomplishment describes how well you did it. For example, “planned events” would

beyond my normal job duties?

• How did I stand out from others?

• Was I ever recognized by a client, partner or supervisor for a job well done?

When and why?

• Did I win any awards or accolades?

• What new processes did I implement to improve things?

3. Paint the picture with numbers.

Take your list and add in as many facts, figures and numbers as you can. How many people were affected by your work?

By what percentage did you exceed your goals?

Instead of saying you “effectively managed a budget,” list how much money you managed and how much you saved. By quantifying your accomplishments, you not only make them easier to understand, but you also allow the hiring manager to picture the level of work or responsibility you demonstrated to achieve this accomplishment.

Highlighting your accomplishments is critical to success.

4. Add the benefit. Finally, take each statement one step further and add in the benefit to your boss or your company. By doing this, you clearly communicate not only what you’re capable of, but also the direct benefit the decision-maker will receive. And let’s face it, everyone wants to know what’s in it for them!

So, say you have “created 20 client reports each month” on your list. Instead, write something like “created and prepared 20 weekly and monthly status reports to ensure clients consistently received timely and complete information.”

Reading that, a decision-maker will automatically see that, if he or she hires you, you’ll be able to develop ways to provide great service to clients. When you include the benefit, you more effectively sell the tangible things you can bring to the company.

Creating a bio full of accomplishments is the best way to show off what you can do and set you up to leverage those accomplishments in the most effective way.

Dub Taylor, the CEO of Dub Taylor Consulting, holds an executive master’s degree in business management from the Jack Welch Management Institute and a bachelor’s degree in history from Stillman College. He is pursuing his doctoral degree in business with a concentration in leadership at Walden University. Contact him at info@ dubtaylorconsulting.com, call 205.454.7242, follow #askDub or visit his website, dubtaylorconsulting.com.

CHAOS THEORY

CHAOS CREATES OPPORTUNITIES FOR COURAGEOUS LEADERS

BY DAGAN SHARPE

Not many people like chaos, change and conflict. Yet, they are inevitable.

Therefore, our perspective and reaction to them are vital in determining outcomes.

Some people want to get away from chaos and conflict at all costs. So, we choose to ignore an aggravating situation like it never happened, try to laugh it off, attempt to find something good in it and/ or simply run away from it by detaching ourselves from the situation and/or person(s) involved completely.

Perhaps we have attempted all these strategies at some point in our lives, and if so, we have realized they rarely advance well. Rather, they may prolong the chal-

18 Buzz on Biz June 29–July 27, 2018

lenge, awkwardness and irritation, which can lead us to try and deaden the pain of the situation even more.

However, the most impactful leaders demonstrate something different. They rarely do any of these things. Rather, they courageously enter the chaos for the opportunity to create change.

Chaos creates opportunities. Courageous leaders choose to enter these situations, not gleefully but intentionally, and to make the most of the opportunity.

Challenges present times, unlike any other, for leaders to truly be the “change agents” we are meant to be. We do not have to like or enjoy the chaotic environment we find ourselves in, but we can

seek creative transformation for all parties involved.

We cannot deny or deaden the reality of the pain and difficulty in chaos — rather, we can acknowledge it and feel it, but choose not to run from it. These are our opportunities to address challenges and chaos is positive ways.

As a result, we grow in our roles and development. These are times leaders are polished, accountability is upheld and integrity is forged. We get to help others grow as we grow, and whether reconciliation is achieved or not, the outcome can be beneficial as we grow in our discipline to stand up under pressure, remain faithful and dutiful to greater purposes than

our own.

May we enter the chaos that will come our way not foolishly, but wisely, fully aware of its difficulty, but also fully intentional and available to be instruments for instruction and change agents for good.

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.

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We’re Here to Help!

Josue Garcia, CPA, LLC Professionalism Responsiveness Quality •

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803-335-8092 | JGarcia@JGCPALLC.com | JGCPALLC.com

June 29–July 27, 2018 Buzz on Biz

19

CONSTANT CHANGE

CONTROL YOUR CHANGES INSTEAD OF WAITING FOR CHANCE

BY GARY KAUFFMAN

A couple thousand years ago, Greek philosopher Heraclitus philosophized that, “The only thing that is constant is change.” Things have changed a lot since Heraclitus’ time and will continue changing, proving his point.

Change happens in two ways — by crisis or by choice. We can’t always do anything when a crisis hits us out of nowhere, but sometimes the changes we make by choice can help us avoid the crisis changes, or at least help us deal with them in a better way.

In fact, many of the changes we face can be made by our choice. But it helps to have some kind of outline and plan to make those changes in the best way possible. One such plan can be described by the acronym ROAR – Recognize, Organize, Animate and Realize. Here’s how it works.

R

ecognize: This seems to be obvious — you have to recognize that you want or need to make a change before you can begin to make a change. The problem, though, is that even though you might know you need to change, you might not know the whys and hows of making the change.

The first step is to understand where the impetus for change comes from — is it a self-appointed change or a change someone else wants you to make, and for the Christian, is it a God-appointed change? Sometimes it could be all three;

20 Buzz on Biz June 29–July 27, 2018

Real, lasting change comes when you stay patient with yourself and the process and commit to push through the pain. for example, a man might want to be a better husband and father because he wants to be (self-appointed), because his wife and children want him to be (otherappointed) and because that is God’s desire (God-appointed).

Another part of this step is then recognizing what unique natural skills and talents you have, your personality, your passions and your values. All of these can help you assess what changes you need to make and how you can best make them.

A trained life coach can help you think through all of these things in an honest way that is often difficult to do on your own or with loved ones or friends.

O

rganize: It is much easier to move forward in making a change if you have a plan. A plan helps you focus on the steps you need to make to create the change you desire.

You’ll set your ultimate goal, but along the way you’ll set a series of short-range

goals that will keep you moving in the right direction.

It’s impossible to plan for every bump in the road or to write down every detail, but with a plan you’ll know you’re going in the right direction. Setting “mile markers” helps you see how much you’ve progressed.

It is also important to begin to focus on using your strengths. Often, we look at our weaknesses and expend a lot of effort trying to bring them up to speed.

There is nothing wrong with overcoming weaknesses, but if our focus is on our shortcomings, our attitude will tend to be negative and progress will come slowly.

By focusing on what we’re good at, utilizing that and making it even stronger, we will have a positive attitude and changes will come faster. And building those strengths will help us to overcome our weaknesses.

A

nimate: This is where you bring your plan to life, where you put your shoes on the ground and start moving. A plan is only as good as your commitment to following it. This is where a life coach can help with accountability in achieving both the short-term and long-term goals. We all do better when we have someone encouraging us and expecting our success.

Change seldom is painless, physically or emotionally. It can be exhausting because it’s different than how you’ve always done things. You’ll stumble and fail

at times.

But real, lasting change comes when you stay patient with yourself and the process and commit to push through the pain. People who push through the things that are painful soon find that those things become normal and painless — pushing through develops your emotional muscles. This is another place where a life coach can give you a big assist.

R

ealize: All of the effort will eventually result in success — you’ll achieve the change you desire.

When that happens, celebrate! Have a party if you want.

But don’t become complacent. It is all too easy to slide back into the same bad habits you had before. Work with your life coach to develop a maintenance plan that keeps you firmly planted in the change you just made.

And then prepare for the next change.

Heraclitus was right that change will constantly happen. How and when it happens, more often than not, is up to you.

In addition to serving as editor of Buzz on Biz, Gary Kauffman is also a Christian life coach working from an office in Martinez.

Contact him at 803.341.5830 or kauffmancoaching@ gmail.com or visit kauffmancoaching.com.

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SMOKY BEEF BRISKET BREAKFAST CHOCOLATE CHIP PANCAKE BREAKFAST CAMPFIRE BAKED BEANS SEASONED CORN ON THE COB CAMPFIRE S’MORE

BUSINESSPERSON OF THE MONTH

CARING FOR CUSTOMERS MEANS A GREAT DEAL TO KENNEDYS

BY GARY KAUFFMAN

The sign on the door says Great Deals on Furniture, but for customers, the great deal extends beyond the price tag to the service that comes with every sale.

For owners Eddie and Carol Kennedy, the desire to help customers find the right furniture to create a home they can be proud of has led to a drastic change in their business model.

Eddie and Carol Kennedy, Great Deals on Furniture When the Kennedys opened Great Deals on Furniture in November 2005, the need in the area was for basic furniture at affordable prices, presented in rows with few frills. The store was open only on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the days when most people did their shopping.

“When we started we just offered the core pieces: sofas, chairs, end tables,” Carol said. “We didn’t have lamps, we didn’t have pictures or any accessories.”

As the country plunged into a recession, that business model continued to work well. But as the economy stabilized and began to grow, the needs of the customers changed.

“We started seeing they wanted things that could be customized, that were unique,” Eddie said. “The things they’d bought from us four years before were wearing out and they wanted something better.”

He also found that customers who wanted higher-end furniture took an average of four store visits to make up their minds, something that was difficult to do in a store that was only open on weekends.

“You have to respond to your customers’ needs, and they were letting us know they wanted us here more days,” Carol said. “When you’re here on a day off and there are literally 40 people trying to get in, you know you need to have a serious conversation about it.”

That led to an evolution of the store’s concept.

While the store still has the buying power to sell at competitive prices, it now emphasizes the shopping experience as well. It is open Monday through

22 Buzz on Biz June 29–July 27, 2018

Carol and Eddie Kennedy own and operate Great Deals on Furniture. Photo by Gary Kauffman

Saturday, and the higher-end pieces are displayed in appealing settings that allow customers to envision the complete suite in their homes. And there are plenty of lamps, pictures and other accessories to complete the look of the home.

“I say if they can see it, we can create it,” Eddie said. “We can put all the pieces together. We’re helping create a home environment.”

Eddie has plenty of experience working with furniture. His parents owned General Freight Furniture in downtown Augusta, and he began doing odd jobs there while in elementary school. After he graduated from college in the early ’80s, he became a buyer for the store.

Carol had always been interested in working in the furniture business, so when an administrative role opened at General Freight in 1989, she took the position. That led to the two dating and eventually marrying.

Eddie continued working in the family business after his father passed away in 2001.

Then, in 2005, he and Carol decided to branch out on their own, fulfilling Eddie’s

desire to own a store.

He already had some national recognition at that point because of his forward thinking a decade earlier. Big-box stores began to put the mom-and-pop shops out of business because they could buy in such volume that they received big price breaks.

So, in 1994, Eddie and three others formed a buying group, Furniture First, to help the small family businesses buy in bigger volume so they could also receive discounted prices.

Today, that group encompasses 440 store fronts and has a collective buying power of $2 billion, which allows the small stores to stay competitive in price with the big stores.

Relationships — with other stores, other businesses and with customers — continue to drive the Kennedys in their business. But competition is constant.

When they opened Great Deals on Furniture, they were the only furniture store on Bobby Jones Expressway between Washington Road and Interstate 20.

Now there are six others.

Furniture sales on the internet have

also created a challenge, although sometimes they help. The Kennedys cited several cases where people who bought furniture online were so disappointed that they came to Great Deals on Furniture to make replacement purchases.

In their own words

What are you passionate about in your business?

Eddie: “We want to do something to create a home environment where people can create a family memory.”

Carol: “The thing that drives us is solving our customers’ furniture problems.

We don’t want to stop short and say, ‘Sorry, we can’t get that for you.’ Our passion is exhausting every possible option for that customer that is in the realm of possibility. And our employees are very important. We support 16-20 families by having them work for us.”

Relationships seem very important to you. Why? Eddie: “Because I grew up in the furniture business, I did every single job that’s involved in having a business like this. I had the connections and friends in the

industry to learn all kinds of little things.

I’ll never be without work because I’ve helped so many other people get work through my relationships and connections. My dad was that way, too.”

Carol: “You learned the value of relationships because your dad had such a good relationship with people.”

What’s it like being a married couple in business together?

Eddie: “That has its challenges. The question at the end of the day is, ‘What are we going to eat for dinner and who’s cooking?’ ” Carol: “We both have a good sense of humor. That sense of humor is critical.

And patience.”

How do you divide responsibilities as a married couple?

Carol: “Thankfully, there are a lot of things we can both do well. Each of us has a set of things that we’re the only ones who can do it well. We’re able to find our niche and divide things without needing a formal job description. But sometimes there are blurred lines about who’s responsible for something — especially if it’s something neither one of us wants to do.”

Eddie: “We recently changed responsibilities. For 10 years she was the sales manager and I was the warehouse manager. Then, in 2016, we flipped that.”

You do a lot reading and listening to

podcasts about business. Why is that important to you?

Eddie: “You have to feed yourself that stuff. We’re always looking for inspiration and information.”

Carol: “We don’t know everything yet.

Sometimes you need that outside voice to bring you inspiration or a bit of information. If you’re not growing, you’re really going backward.”

How do you give back to the community?

Carol: “We are involved in causes that are greater than us. We want to be part of things that help and are a blessing to people. Eddie speaks at Boots to Business that works with people coming out of the military into the business world.”

Eddie: “Carol and I and several other couples started Good News Church, and we’re still involved in that. We’re part of Channel 12’s Time to Care, and we work with a program that helps veterans get beds. If they don’t have a place to live, as soon as they get them a home we help them get a bed. We’ve helped over 100 vets.”

What does the future hold for you?

Eddie: “We have two kids who at this point are pursuing their own things.”

Carol: “We’ll continue doing this and growing this, to respond to customers problems. We’ll probably do this until we retire. I don’t know when that’ll be because we like to work.

June 29–July 27, 2018 Buzz on Biz

23

SMART START

BY CHRISTINE HALL

We are often asked about saving for future education costs. A 529 plan is an excellent way to do this.

Even better, thanks to the passage of tax reform legislation in 2017, 529 plans are now available to those wishing to save for a child’s K-12 education as well as college or vocational school.

You may open a Section 529 plan in any state, and there are no income restrictions for the individual opening the account. Contributions, however, must be in cash, and the total amount must not be more than is reasonably needed for higher education (as determined initially by the state). There may also be a minimum investment required to open the account, typically $25 or $50.

Each 529 Plan has a designated beneficiary (the future student) and an account owner. The account owner may be a parent or another person and typically is the principal contributor to the program. The account owner is also entitled to choose (as well as change) the designated beneficiary.

Neither the account owner nor beneficiary may direct investments, but the state may allow the owner to select a type of investment fund (e.g., fixed income securities) and change the investment annually as well as when the beneficiary is changed. The account owner decides who gets the funds (can pick and change the beneficiary) and is legally allowed to withdraw funds at any time, subject to tax and penalties (more about this below).

Unlike some of the other tax-favored higher education programs such as the

CHANGES MAKE 529 EVEN BETTER FOR EDUCATION SAVINGS

American Opportunity and Lifetime Learning Tax Credits, federal tax law doesn’t limit the benefit only to tuition.

Room, board, lab fees, books and supplies can be purchased with funds from a 529 savings account.

Individual state programs could have a more narrow definition, however, so be sure to check with your particular state.

Distributions from 529 plans are tax-free as long as they are used to pay qualified higher education expenses for a designated beneficiary. Distributions are tax-free even if the student is claiming the American Opportunity Credit, Lifetime Learning Credit or tax-free

treatment for a Section 530 Coverdell distribution, provided the programs aren’t covering the same specific expenses.

Qualified expenses include tuition, required fees, books, supplies, equipment and special needs services. For someone who is at least a half-time student, room and board also qualifies. Also, starting in 2018, “qualified higher education expenses” include up to $10,000 in annual expenses for tuition in connection with enrollment or attendance at an elementary or secondary public, private or religious school.

Contributions made by the account

owner or other contributor are not deductible for federal income tax purposes, but many states offer deductions or credits. Earnings on contributions grow tax-free while in the program. Distribution for a purpose other than qualified education is taxed to the one receiving the distribution.

In addition, a 10 percent penalty must be imposed on the taxable portion of the distribution, comparable to the 10 percent penalty in Section 530 Coverdell plans. Also, the account owner may change the beneficiary designation from one person to another in the same family. Funds in the account roll over tax-free for the benefit of the new beneficiary.

Remember, if you are interested in setting up a 529 plan for a young person in your life, that child does not need to be a relative. Any person can set up a plan for a beneficiary. Financial advisors are well versed on the subject, so contact yours if you are interested in setting up a plan. An investment in a child is an investment in the future!

Christine Hall is a partner in Hall, Murphy & Schuyler PC, a full-service accounting firm. For a complimentary accounting, tax or business consultation, call 706.855.7733 or email cmh@hmandscpas. com.

WARDROBE MALFUNCTIONS SUMMERTIME COULD MEAN RELAXED CLOTHING RULES FOR BUSINESSES

BY ED ENOCH

Summer tends to bring a more relaxed attitude around many workplaces. People are coming and going on vacation, work may slow down, calendars are not as full.

Maybe you have younger temporary workers or interns who would otherwise be in school.

There also tends to be a relaxing of the dress code during this time, particularly in the heat of an Augusta summer. So, how can employers walk the line between business casual and inappropriate in the workplace?

First, it is perfectly fine to have employee dress and appearance codes. These codes can address minimum standards of dress (e.g., coat and tie for men, dresses and closed-toed shoes for women) as well as grooming and appearance standards, including for hair, piercings and tattoos.

Companies can set these standards, constrained only by the legal requirements not to discriminate based on sex, race, national origin or religion.

Whatever the policy, it must be applied consistently

24 Buzz on Biz June 29–July 27, 2018

across the workforce, and accommodations need to be made for appropriate religious, race or national origin requests.

If, as a company, you decide to relax the dress code during the summer, or even if you are implementing a “casual Friday” type of policy that might run throughout the year, how do you communicate to employees what is appropriate and what is not? Many companies use examples such as “no spaghetti-strap tops for women” or “no open-toe shoes for men,” maybe no flipflops.

I recently read a good idea. Have the employees submit suggestions of things they do not want to see at work — sweatpants, short shorts, yoga pants, etc. Having the employees participate helps give them buy-in on the policy.

Along with dress and grooming codes must come training for managers on how to deal with employees who violate that code. The first rule is, do not call someone down about their dress or grooming in public. That

discussion should happen in private.

Second, make no comments about that person’s body (e.g., “You are just too buxom to wear something like that at work”).

Third, if possible have a manager of the same sex as the employee do the counseling.

With all the hassle of trying to figure out what is appropriate, why even bother implementing a relaxed dress code? Because it is a very popular benefit that basically costs the company nothing.

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.

MONEY FOR RESEARCH

ACA REQUIRES FEE FOR COMPARING HEALTH OUTCOMES

BY RUSSELL HEAD

HIT THE TARGET EVERY TIME

CONSISTENCY IS IMPORTANT FOR BUSINESS GROWTH, LEADERSHIP

BY MISSIE USRY

Famed French soccer manager Arsene Wenger once said, “When you look at people who are successful, you will find that they aren’t the people who are motivated, but have consistency in their motivation.”

The textbook definition for consistency

is having conformity in the application of a task repetitively; it is believed that consistency is a characteristic that is imperative for leaders in every way of life.

Entrepreneur Eric Holtzclaw lists five reasons why consistency is important in business and in leadership:

1

Consistency allows for measurement. Until you’ve tried a process consistently, for a specific period of time, you won’t know if the process is working. Otherwise, how can you measure performance?

2

Consistency creates accountability. When asking employees to be accountable for meeting company goals, it’s a priority that a leader does the same, with consistent feedback and recurring team meetings. The fact that there is a set time to report on business progress means that employees will be motivated to carry a project to success.

3

Consistency establishes reputation. Business growth requires a successful track record, and this won’t happen if the business is not consistent with its plan. Constantly shifting gears and changing tactics doesn’t allow enough time to measure success and gives the appearance of a failing business.

4

Consistency makes a business rele-vant. This applies to leaders as well. A business or leader that is not consistent loses ground, employees lose respect and the business never has a chance to gain traction.

5

Consistency is important in the messaging, too. Your team pays as much attention to what its supervisor does as to what he or she says. Employees watch a manager and model that behavior, despite what rules or guidelines have been set. Practice what you preach!

In short, consistency is the power that fuels businesses to succeed. Consistency means that a business is providing predictable, reliable results to a customer, client or employee every time.

Missie Usry is the enrollment manager at Georgia Military College’s Augusta campus.

For questions about Georgia Military College, call 706.993.1123 or visit its website at gmcaugusta.com.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) imposes a fee on health insurance issuers and plan sponsors of self-insured health plans to help fund the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. The fee, called the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) fee, is calculated based on the average number of lives covered under the policy or plan.

PCORI fees are reported and paid annually using IRS Form 720. These fees are due each year by July 31 of the year following the last day of the plan year. This means that for plan years ending in 2017, the PCORI fees are due by July 31, 2018. Here are some questions and answers about the fee: Q: What is the purpose of the PCORI fee?

A: The ACA created the PatientCentered Outcomes Research Institute to help patients, clinicians, payers and the public make informed health decisions by advancing comparative effectiveness research. The institute’s research is funded, in part, through fees paid by health insurance issuers and self-insured health plan sponsors.

Q: Who pays the PCORI fee?

A: The entity responsible for paying the PCORI fees depends on whether the plan is insured or self-insured.

• For insured health plans, the issuer of the health insurance policy is required to pay the fees.

• For self-insured health plans, the fees are to be paid by the plan sponsor.

Although sponsors of fully insured plans are not responsible for paying PCORI fees, issuers may shift the cost of the fee to sponsors through a modest premium increase.

Q: How are the PCORI fees reported and paid?

A: Issuers and plan sponsors will file Form 720 annually to report and pay the PCORI fee, no later than July 31 of the calendar year following the policy or plan year to which the fee applies.

The fee is based on the average number of lives covered under the plan or policy.

Sponsors of self-insured plans may determine the average number of cov-

ered lives by using the actual count method or the snapshot method, as defined by the IRS. Using Part II, Line 133 of Form 720, issuers and plan sponsors will be required to report the average number of lives covered under the plan separately for specified health insurance policies and applicable self-insured health plans. That number is then multiplied by the applicable rate for that tax year, as follows: • $2.26 for plan years ending on or after Oct. 1, 2016, and before Oct. 1, 2017.

• $2.39 for plan years ending on or after Oct. 1, 2017, and before Oct. 1, 2018.

The fees for specified health insurance policies and applicable self-insured health plans are then combined to equal the total tax owed.

Q: Are the PCORI fees deductible?

A: On May 31, 2013, the IRS issued a Chief Counsel Memorandum addressing the deductibility of the PCORI fees. According to the IRS, the required PCORI fee is an ordinary and necessary business expense paid or incurred in carrying on a trade or business and, therefore, is deductible under Code Section 162.

Q: What should employers do now?

A: The deadline for filing Form 720 is July 31, 2018, for plan years ending in 2017. Employers should take the following steps to assess their compliance obligations: • Determine which employee benefit plans are subject to the PCORI fees; • Assess plan funding status (insured versus self-insured) to determine whether the employer or a health policy issuer is responsible for the fees; and • For any self-insured plans, select an approach for calculating average covered lives.

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.

June 29–July 27, 2018 Buzz on Biz

25

PERSONAL REFLECTION

GIVE YOURSELF AN ANNUAL REVIEW TO STAY ON TRACK

BY STACY ROBERTS

Have you ever completed an annual review? I believe that everyone should complete personal reviews to evaluate growth, development and the need for change.

At this point, we’ve made it halfway through 2018! The year is moving fast, and it’s time to take a moment to evaluate how we’re doing.

Think about this: Many people have said they wanted a promotion or a new job. Have you updated your resume? Others have said they wanted to go back to school. Have you researched universities or filled out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)? Some people committed to spending more time with their family. How is that going?

Everyone sets goals or says he or she “wants to” complete a certain task. However, some never take the necessary steps to move forward. Annual reviews focus on what we’ve accomplished, what we can improve and how we’ve contributed to our organizations. Let’s apply this in three ways: 1. Reflect on what you have accomplished and learned so far. Take a moment to write down what went well and what led to success. What are some takeaways that you need to continue applying in your personal and professional life?

What are some lessons that you learned and can implement to continue to grow?

These are great questions to answer to enable you to analyze your progress and development.

2. Decide what needs to remain and what needs to change. After you reflect, it is time to take a hard look at the decisions and methods that didn’t work. Do you need to change a way you operate

Personal reviews are not always fun, but a careful evaluation of your personal and professional life can help get you to the next level, whatever that might be.

your business? Are some business practices not working like you thought they should? Do you need to let people go?

Did you invest in a project that didn’t have the expected return?

It is OK to admit that something didn’t work. Learn from it and keep going. Remember that what you’ve been doing might not show immediate results and might just require more time.

3. Make plans about what you still need to work on. Plan for the future: Don’t get stalled in the excitement of suc-

cess or the disappointment of what didn’t go well and forget that there is still work to be done.

Be grateful for the wins and learning moments, but don’t forget to implement needed changes and set new goals. You are never done learning and developing.

Reviews are not always fun, but careful evaluation of your personal and professional life can catapult you to the next level. Don’t be afraid to take a long, hard look and make the necessary changes.

Reflect, celebrate, change and grow.

Stacy Roberts is president of SMR Leadership Solutions LLC. As an executive coach with extensive HR and corporate leadership experience, she assists in providing leadership coaching and training. She also authored Boomer, Be Nice and Roscoe’s Rescue. She believes that leadership skills can be taught to help children develop into successful adults. Contact her at stacy@ smrleadershipsolutions.com.

CLEAN SWEEP

THE KEY TO A CLEAN AND SAFE SUMMER POOLSIDE

BY TONY CREIGHTON

It’s that time of year again — the time for pool parties, barbecues, summer holiday picnics, outdoor birthday bashes and just beating the heat poolside with friends and family after a long day at work. That said, how many of us actually notice our pool deck surfaces?

With the hustle and bustle of activity comes heavy foot traffic, dirt and debris being scattered and spread, and sticky spills from those umbrella drinks taking a tumble. And, while the inside of the pool is supposed to be wet, of course, dampness in other areas can be damaging and dangerous.

26 Buzz on Biz June 29–July 27, 2018

During a wet year, or in areas such as the CSRA where humidity is a constant, mildew, algae and other organic materials can grow on most outdoor surfaces. Not only is organic growth displeasing to the eye, it is also unsafe.

Algae and mildew are indeed very slippery when wet, and in an area where there might already be a water hazard, an extra one is not needed. Additionally, if left over a long period of time, an accumulation of algae and other organic growth can cause concrete and other pool deck surfaces to crack, leaving you with more hazards and a large repair bill.

Relaxing by the pool should be just that —

relaxing. When the area around the pool is as sparkling as the water inside, that’s just what it will be — relaxing and enjoyable.

Hiring a licensed, knowledgeable pressure washing company such as AllClean Pressure Washing to clean your pool deck surfaces not only saves you money in the long run, it also saves you time that could be spent poolside.

With annual cleanings of your pool deck surfaces using commercial-grade, environmentally safe detergents, your pool and outdoor surfaces will remain free of the dangers of algae, mildew and other organic materials.

Contact us for a free estimate.

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 allcleanaugusta@gmail.com.

EYE IN THE SKY

STARTUP LOOKS TO USE DRONES TO HELP FARMERS, GOLF COURSES

BY WITT WELLS

Daniel Scheiner is starting with farms, but he doesn’t want to end there.

The sooner he and other tech-savvy sci-fi nerds can find a way for automated systems to take care of the necessary but tedious tasks like spraying (the right amount of ) pesticides across 5,000-acre farms, the sooner humanity’s brightest minds can dedicate their time and energy to designing more dynamic, futuristic communities.

Or maybe even spaceships.

Scheiner hesitates to get too philosophical during a conversation about his 2-year-old company, Skyraider Aeronautics, which uses drone technology to help farmers analyze their yields. But in his mind, it’s all connected.

He’s in the right place to keep him grounded. While Scheiner’s ambitions soar as high as the drones he deploys to make a living, the reality of launching a tech startup in Augusta brings him right back down to earth.

Some of Scheiner’s friends and colleagues enjoy success on the West Coast, generally considered the natural habitat of innovative entrepreneurs and openminded investors. The same can’t be said of the conservative, risk-averse Southeast.

Comparatively, he can’t help but feel like he’s planting seeds on rocky soil. And yet, in some ways, Georgia is right where he needs to be.

Being surrounded by rich agriculture and sharing a home with the Masters Tournament covers the two biggest areas he wants to improve: farms and golf courses. Both could see massive savings on the cost of pesticides and herbicides, which many farmers unnecessarily dispense across thousands of acres instead of pinpointing spots where they are needed.

Nail that, and it’s on to spaceships.

Here’s what Scheiner had to say during the conversation about his company: What gave you the idea to use drone technology for agricultural purposes?

“I come from the U.S. military, where I worked on the sensors that are in Predators and those kinds of drones. I got kind of tired of that and decided to start using my knowledge for drones in the commercial space.

“In 2013, I had the idea of starting a search-and-rescue company for people who are lost in the woods. We’re still trying to go the search-and-rescue route, but there’s no profit in that. I couldn’t sustain a business. So, how else can we help people? We decided to go into agriculture.”

How are the two connected?

Photo by Witt Wells

“I think that by automating the basic processes of what we do, we can start focusing on the human endeavor of improving our lives and making the world a better place.”

– Daniel Scheiner, owner of Skyraider Aeronautics “The sensors we use to identify IEDs (improvised explosive devices) in Afghanistan and Iraq are exactly the same kind of sensors we used to identify problems in crops. They’re multispectral sensors.

“Plants have a kind of natural sensor.

It’s why we see green whenever we look at a plant. When you look at a dying plant, your eye can detect that there’s a problem.

With a multispectral sensor, we can start seeing that change before you can.

“This isn’t new technology. We didn’t create the idea of multispectral sensors for plant health — that’s been done since the ’70s by satellites and aircraft. But that’s expensive to utilize. It’s a slow turnaround time. And if it’s a satellite, you’re not going to get great resolution.”

What does it look like for Skyraider to apply that technology?

“Last year, after Hurricane Irma rolled through south Georgia, there was a pecan orchard that was 3,000 acres, and the farmer thought he lost about 2,000 trees.

We flew 3,000 acres in a single day with two drones, which is a lot more space than the average farmer can cover trying to count trees. He lost 5,000 trees. That’s

a $2.2 million loss in one year.

“The concept of using drones in agriculture isn’t new, but it’s still a race. Who is the first that can get to a sustainable product that can help out the farmer the most? That’s what we’re working on.”

So, how exactly do you work with farmers?

“They lease from us. We take them the drone and the boxes and all this stuff that they need. We build the flight plans for them. All they have to do is push the button; it flies into a mission, it lands, they upload the data to the system. We then process that imagery, send them the report within about an hour, and then they can start doing whatever it is to help bring their grassroots sample back to where it’s supposed to be.”

What are some of those main industries that you’re pinpointing?

“Peaches, pecans, grass and turf, blueberries. Essentially, high-yield crops.

We’re kind of narrowing down a little bit.”

What’s the feedback been like?

“There’s two main types of feedback.

One group thinks it’s really cool and they really want to get it, but it’s outside of their price range. Maybe they want

one- or two-time surveys. The other ones are not sure about the technology yet, so we have to prove that technology. We’re trying to focus on those high-yield crops. So, it’s really kind of varied.”

So, the biggest thing is, you’re making their whole process more efficient and they’re not wasting resources?

“Ultimately, our goal is to be able to build a system where a farmer can go visit his grandson in New York who’s graduating from college, look at his farm, know exactly what’s going on in his farm within a 24-hour period of us flying over. My end vision is to have it completely automated.

And I want to build an ecosystem where small farmers — not just these massive, 5,000-acre farms — have their own systems. All they have to do is fly over every other week, and we can then say, ‘This is the solution that we have for you.’

“In addition to that, we’re also working on a golf product for golf courses. The same concept applies, because golf courses have the same type of problems that a corn farm will have. Augusta National spends hundreds of thousands of dollars on pesticides, herbicides and irrigation. We’re working with the University of Georgia to be able to build an entire ecosystem that can work to identify the problems and then eventually elicit a solution, so they can say ‘There’s a problem over here, go spray over here,’ versus having to spray an entire golf course for one problem.”

You’re saving them a ton of money.

“Yes. We’re building specialty crop solutions. Being able to develop these specialty products for these specific industries is really important. When we first got started, we were all agriculture. Now we’re starting to narrow in our focus on these specific industries inside of agriculture.”

Are all your clients in Georgia?

“Most of them. We’ve got some in South Carolina and some in Florida.”

What’s your ultimate vision for this technology?

“This is my future concept: autonomous, ground-based solutions that can do more analysis.

“One of the problems with looking at See SCHEINER on Page 31 June 29–July 27, 2018 Buzz on Biz

27

SACRED HEART IS A JEWEL IN THE HEART OF AUGUSTA

BY GARY KAUFFMAN

For many Augustans, the Romanesque spires of Sacred Heart Cultural Center at the corner of 13th and Greene streets serve as a commuting landmark, but most drivers have never ventured inside to discover how special it is.

“Many have driven by it hundreds of times but have never been inside to see what a jewel it is,” said Millie Huff, new director of Sacred Heart. “It still takes my breath away.”

The 120-year-old structure is indeed breathtaking, inside and out. Construction on what was then Sacred Heart Catholic Church began in 1897, with the first service taking place just before Christmas 1900.

Built in a Romanesque style with Byzantine influences, it features twin spires, soaring arches, 15 types of brickwork and nearly 100 stained glass windows.

The interior features a sanctuary that brings to mind some of the great cathedrals in Europe. The soaring vaulted ceiling features the original paint. The main altar is intricately carved with life-size statues. Rows of columns line the large main hall, and stained-glass windows shine brilliantly all around, many depicting biblical scenes or honoring saints. The original baptistery is located in the back.

But by the early 1980s, Sacred Heart was anything but grand. It served as a church until 1971, but as people moved to the suburbs, the need for two Catholic churches downtown diminished. Sacred Heart’s parishioners were moved to the Church of the Most Holy Trinity on Telfair Street, leaving an empty building.

“It was vacant and vandalized and was home to pigeons and the homeless,” Huff said.

But then the Peter Knox fam-

ily, which has a passion for historic preservation, stepped in.

“They recognized what a jewel it is,” Huff said.

After millions of dollars in renovations, including repairs to the stained-glass windows, Sacred Heart reopened in 1987. It was deconsecrated as a Catholic Church and is now known as Sacred Heart Cultural Center.

As a cultural center, it is home to the offices of the Greater Augusta Arts Council, Augusta Ballet, Choral Society, Children’s Chorale, the Augusta Players and the Red Cross.

It is also a popular events venue, especially for weddings. Huff said it hosts about 75 weddings a year and is booked more than a year in advance. The original pews were moved to Most Holy Trinity, so the great hall can be filled with chairs and tables for weddings and other events. It boasts a modern catering kitchen. New lighting was recently added.

“Part of taking care of a 120-year-old building is that we have to modernize and upgrade as things are needed,” Huff said.

But there are drawbacks to the age of the building — it has only one bathroom on the main level.

In addition to weddings, the site has also hosted vow renewals, quinceaneras, the Cotton Ball, the annual Best of Augusta event and even a few funerals.

In the hallways outside the sanctuary, part of the former rectory is used to display work by lo-

New Sacred Heart Cultural Center Director Millie Huff calls the former Catholic cathedral a jewel that many Augustans have yet to discover. Photo by Gary Kauffman

cal artists. The artwork of Karen Banker and Jan Jackson will go on display on July 12.

Sacred Heart puts on its own events, too, to raise funds for the center. The biggest is the annual three-day Garden Festival each April, featuring lush landscape and floral exhibits, speakers, a vendor market and tours of private gardens.

On Sept. 22, Sacred Heart will continue its popular silent movie screening. This year, the feature will be the 1924 Harold Lloyd film Girl Shy. The event has sold out the past few years, so Huff said this year the seating will be expanded.

The annual Gift Shop Open House is planned for Nov. 16.

Huff said those events and a donation box near the entrance are important to the continued success of the facility.

Sacred Heart is open and free for public tours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

With its long history in Augusta, Sacred Heart has launched many stories. Sacred Heart is looking for people whose stories began there, from births, christenings, faith stories and weddings. Anyone who would like to share a memory of a beginning at Sacred Heart can do so on social media via the tagline #wherestoriesbegin.

28 Buzz on Biz June 29–July 27, 2018

New director no stranger to area nonprofits Millie Huff officially took over the reins as Sacred Heart Cultural Center director at the beginning of June, but she is hardly a stranger to nonprofits in Augusta. She served as vice president of marketing and communication at the Family Y for more than 11 years and worked at Fort Discovery and the Dental College of Georgia. Before moving to Augusta in 1996, she worked with the Atlanta Olympics committee and the American Heart Association.

But she admits she has big shoes to fill after the retirement of Sandra Fenstermacher, who had served as director for Sacred Heart for 28 years.

“She left a huge legacy,” Huff said.

Huff began at Sacred Heart on April 15, and Fenstermacher retired at the end of May, which made the transition smoother. It also helps that the rest of the staff has been there for more than 10 years, some for several decades.

“It’s a long-term committed team, and that’s a testament to Sandra,” Huff said. “She made this a fun place to work.”

Huff said coming to Sacred Heart combines her passions for history and helping people discover new things. Her background in nonprofit marketing and communications will help her do that.

She plans to work at introducing new events that will open the cultural center to multigenerational audiences.

“I’ve always loved Sacred Heart and attending events here,” she said. “It was a natural combination of my passions.”

GUILTY PLEASURES REMAKE OF ’80s SHOW LAUNCHES SECRET BINGE WATCHING

BY SAMANTHA BARKSDALE

Big Top Brewing Company’s Conch Republic Key Lime Wheat has a nice balance that’s well worth a sip or two.

‘DRINKABLE’ PIE WHEN IN FLORIDA, GRAB A SLICE OF THE LOCAL BREW

BY BEN CASELLA

I grew up thinking that Florida wasn’t really the South. Of course, I understand the basic geography of it all, and I realize that north Florida and south Georgia are basically interchangeable.

The Florida to which I am referring starts around Flagler and goes south from there. The fried chicken is tougher, and the tea is not sweet.

So, for that reason, while on vacation somewhere between St. Augustine and Flagler Beach, I was looking for a beer with something sweet in it — not like a raspberry malt beverage or whatever the youngsters are drinking these days — something not that hoppy but not that heavily malted, either.

Back up a bit and you’ll remember that key lime pie — arguably indigenous to Florida — is tart in and of itself. It’s the graham cracker crust that gives the front of your tongue something to think about.

Extrapolating all of this into a beer seems quite difficult to achieve.

However, I found one that came pretty close.

you should smell in a piece of key lime pie: limes. However, there’s a tad of malt in there, creating an almost sweet contraire to the sour aroma.

An expected hint of grass is also evident on the nose.

The first element of the sip also mirrors the first bite of key lime (as much as a sip of beer can mirror a bite of pie). When you finish the sip, however, a slight but definite tinge of graham cracker crust makes its way around your mouth.

There really isn’t any significant suggestion of sweet, but there’s a balance in this brew that rivals that of many of the citrus brews I’ve had over the years.

So, if you’re in the neighborhood and in the mood for more of a session beer rather than a piece of pie, I say this one deserves your attention.

Conch Republic Key Lime Wheat

Big Top Brewing Company has done a nice job of balancing this wheat beer, which pours a bit darker than you might think, while including the finer aspects of such a dessert.

The nose consists of the first thing

Ben Casella and his family did stop at Sally’s Ice Cream in Flagler Beach one night after dinner. He ordered chocolate-covered key lime pie, which turned out to be an actual slice of key lime pie dipped in chocolate and frozen. You’re welcome.

Summer is finally here, which means you can find me doing one of two things: Lounging poolside or seeking a reprieve from the heat by catching up on what Netflix has to offer.

The dog days of summer can be long, so this month’s reviews are dedicated to series that can keep you busy for a day or two … or more.

‘Dynasty’

As soon as I saw the preview for the Netflix reboot of this series, I knew I wanted to watch it. Although I’d never seen the original, I knew it was a classic and I was curious to see if this version would live up to it. If you were a fan of the original series, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

While watching the first episode of the new Dynasty, I couldn’t help but think that the creators had used their creative license pretty freely. The plot was wild; edgy, feminist daughter sleeping with her driver in secret, gay son who doesn’t feel accepted by his dad, and father marrying a younger woman who just happened to have had an affair with an already married man whose wife suffers from a traumatic brain injury.

There was no way, I thought, that all of this was included in the original version of Dynasty.

How wrong I was.

Fortunately, I did a little research before I decided to write this review. To compare the two versions of Dynasty, I hopped on to the CW Seed, which streams all of the original episodes free.

After watching the first episode, I realized that the only things that changed in this story were the location and the race of a few characters. Much to my surprise, the original plot was just as convoluted as the new version.

Generally, I like to watch things that have a little substance. Every once in a while, however, I like to watch things that are completely ridiculous. Dynasty is just that.

Sure, I paused it every time someone walked in the room because I did not want anybody to know what I was watching and judge me for it, but my shame did not stop me from watching eight episodes in three days. Work days.

I watched while I waited for my son to get out of practice, while I cooked dinner and any other time I had 10 minutes to myself.

I guess you can say I recommend this show, even if I would hesitate to admit to it in person.

‘Crossing Lines’

After my temporary addiction to Dynasty, I felt the need to redeem myself with a more respectable show. A show that deals with police agencies across Europe and international court systems sounded like just the thing I needed to get back my credibility.

How often I’m wrong.

I watched the first episode of Crossing Lines with my husband, who could not help but comment on the predictability of the characters within the first 10 minutes.

Even though he was absolutely right, I felt the need to shush him. Yes, darling, there is always a guy with a chip on his shoulder and another guy trying to get his gambling under control. And yes, there will probably be a love connection between colleagues.

After episode one, I realized I was going to have to watch this show alone if I didn’t want someone pointing out the obvious next steps in the story. I’m a Law and Order fanatic and I am well aware of the fact that cop shows all follow the same pattern.

I happen to like that pattern, and enjoying it meant watching this show alone.

While Crossing Lines isn’t as shallow as Dynasty, I’ll be the first to admit it’s still pretty much a soap opera. The backstories are completely overdramatized and seem to go on forever. Honestly, one of their team members has been missing for the last three episodes!

If you’ve seen almost every episode of Law and Order like I have, Crossing Lines is right up your alley.

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.

June 29–July 27, 2018 Buzz on Biz

29

MOONSTRUCK

NEW MOON CAFÉ SERVES TEMPTING TASTES IN COOL VIBE

BY MILLIE HUFF

When my original restaurant review assignment turned out to be without a lunch menu, I was disappointed and hungry. Even though I am a fan of coffee houses with muffins and cookies on the side, I was starving and had two hungry colleagues with me, so we moved on to plan B. Downtown Augusta is blessed with great lunchtime options, but many have previously been reviewed. So, after suggesting several other walking-distance options to my editor (I wasn’t going to give up my premium parking spot, and I was in heels, after all), we agreed upon a nearby acceptable alternative: New Moon Café.

I’ve worked on or near Broad Street for much of the past 20 years, and one of my consistent favorites for lunch or a quick break has always been New Moon Café, at 936 Broad St. When I worked directly across the street at the Downtown Family YMCA, I ordered takeout so often that the employees recognized my voice readily and asked if I wanted “my usual” as soon as I said “hello.” It is a rare and marvelous establishment that greets its regulars by name as soon as they come in.

This cozy café is usually populated by downtown workers, students studying at their laptops, and tourists attracted inside by the spacious, covered patio dining area.

The downtown New Moon recently reopened after renovations, so I was excited to see the changes made to my beloved eatery. The changes weren’t obvious when we walked in, but I was told they made some significant improvements to the kitchen and lighting. The indoor dining room is colorful and fun, with a gallery of local art on one wall.

Customers place their orders at a counter, and meals are delivered to your table.

In addition to the unique sandwiches, salads and soups on the menu, it also offers a “special of the day” which is usually a creative sandwich which never fails to please.

It also has a tempting breakfast menu for those who take advantage of the 7 a.m. opening time during the week (8 a.m. on Saturday). One day soon I’ll arrive in time to try the “Downtown Mess,” which is a bowl of grits with avocado, pimento cheese, salsa, bacon and Cholula sauce.

Many of the sandwich choices have unique names, but some self-explanatory options, like an herbed tuna salad sandwich and avocado BLT, are also offered.

Whole sandwiches are served with a

30 Buzz on Biz June 29–July 27, 2018

New Moon Café Rating is based on a scale of 1 to 5

Food Price Location Networking Noise Level New Moon Café is at 936 Broad St. in downtown Augusta. It is open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Reach it at 706-823-2008 or newmoondowntown.com.

My colleague enjoyed a smoked salmon bagel, above: thinly sliced smoked salmon with cream cheese, fresh red onions and a sprinkle of dill. He chose an everything bagel. The Green Monster Smoothie, at left, is a frosty blend of kale, peanut butter, yogurt, banana, honey and more, and it’s my favorite New Moon item.

Photos by Millie Huff

choice of chips, light pasta salad, baked potato salad, Asian coleslaw, bagel chips and hummus, or a mug of soup (with an upcharge).

On this visit to New Moon, I made a departure from my “usual” Green Monster Smoothie. I wish I had a dime for every Green Monster I’ve consumed in the past decade; I’d have enough money to drink them daily for the rest of the year.

I am a huge fan of the Green Monster and have introduced many new fans to the drink. It is a frosty, smooth blend of kale, yogurt, banana, peanut butter, vanilla and honey. And, yes, it is truly green — a

lovely, grass-hued green.

New Moon also offers a Beet Monster Smoothie, a delightful blend of beets, coconut water, chia seeds, strawberry, pineapple and banana.

I resisted the temptation to be predictable and chose a Turknado sandwich accompanied by my second-favorite thing on the menu: zucchini soup. The Turknado is smoked turkey, brie cheese, avocado, red onions and red pepper coulis toasted perfectly on panini bread.

I could write a book on the delicious zucchini soup, but let me just sum it up by saying it is creamy and smooth and topped with crumbled bacon and feta cheese. I highly recommend it, even if you typically aren’t a fan of the green squash.

One of my colleagues ordered the Tony Montana with a side of bagel chips and hummus. His sandwich was loaded with Cuban roast pork, ham, melted swiss cheese, mustard and dill pickle slices on

toasted Cuban bread. He said it was delicious but that he might have left off the pickles.

Our other colleague had a smoked salmon bagel: thinly sliced smoked salmon, cream cheese, fresh red onions and a sprinkle of dill. He chose to put his on an “everything” bagel. He assured us he had breath mints in his pocket.

He washed down his sandwich with a frozen Mocha Frappuccino, which he described as creamy and smooth without an overpowering mocha flavor. It is served with or without whipped crème.

New Moon Café has a casual, cool vibe, making it a great choice for a lunch with colleagues. Its covered outdoor dining area is a great choice when the temperature is comfortable. Indoors, there are cozy tables and booths, and a counter with stools around the perimeter that is perfect for working at a laptop or just people-watching.

Like most restaurants on Broad Street, parking can be a challenge, but it’s worth the effort. If you go, I highly recommend the Green Monster and zucchini soup.

Tell them Millie sent you.

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.

WORKING TOGETHER

THECLUBHOU.SE MOVING TO CYBER CENTER, FORMING STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP The Hull McKnight Georgia Cyber Center for Innovation and Training and theClubhou.se have formed a strategic partnership in which the Augusta-based nonprofit will provide support and services for the center’s incubator/accelerator.

Promoting cybersecurity innovation and entrepreneurship is one of the cyber center’s goals, and theClubhou.se has a proven record of helping technology startups succeed.

Founded in 2012, theClubhou.se has served more than 25,000 people in the greater Augusta area. It has grown more than 50 companies that have created more than 150 jobs and generated an annual economic impact of $7 million in the community. theClubhou.se will be one of the first occupants of the cyber center’s Hull McKnight building, which is set to open July 10. It will eventually occupy more than 7,000 square feet.

“I’m truly excited about the opportunities our partnership presents for both our organizations,” said Calvin Rhodes, state chief information officer and executive director of the Georgia Technology Authority, which is overseeing construction and partner coordination for the cyber center. “Reaching outside state government for support of our incubator/accelerator mission allows

In July, theClubhou.se will move to the new Cyber Center for Innovation and Training and form a strategic partnership with it. Photo by Gary Kauffman

us to benefit from the experience of the talented and creative team led by Eric Parker at theClubhou.se. We’ll be able to share resources with each other, reinforce each other’s work and help ensure greater success for us both.”

“Growing businesses in midsize communities involve distinct challenges,” said Parker, founder and president of theClubhou.se. “In the last year, we’ve been able to bring $1.2 million in private grant and investment funding from outside of Georgia to support startup growth in Augusta and across the state. By partnering with the cyber center, we will be able to strengthen that growth.”

Both the cyber center and theClubhou.se share a statewide focus, and as part of the strategic partnership, the center will help theClubhou.se expand its already existing

programs into other areas of Georgia.

The cyber center’s leadership and the state of Georgia have agreed to work toward establishing funds to support incubator and innovation activities. Through an existing Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation grant program, theClubhou.se works with at least 10 startup entrepreneur projects each year.

In addition, the cyber center and theClubhou.se will work together to create a work-study student program that includes Augusta University, Augusta Technical College and other state-funded institutions. theClubhou.se will also participate in a cyber center working group to be established and charged with identifying grant opportunities, prototyping, and other opportunities with university, technical college and private-sector partners.

NEW TOURISM LEADER

BENNISH BROWN NAMED AS NEW HEAD OF CVB The Augusta Convention and Visitors Bureau has named a new leader in the wake of former President and CEO Barry White’s departure, according to a news release from the organization.

Bennish Brown, president and CEO of Washington state-based travel organization Travel Taco- Bennish Brown ma + Pierce County, will replace White, who recently joined the tourism board in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Brown will take the helm at the Augusta CVB on July 9.

“It brings me back to a part of the country where I’ve spent most of my life,” said Brown, who spent 12 years as the executive director of the Rock Hill/York County Convention and Visitors Bureau in Rock Hill, S.C.

“We’re excited to welcome Bennish to Augusta,” said CVB Chair Phil Wahl. “After a nationwide search, his proven track record in recruiting visitors for both convention and leisure travel to stimulate economic impact through visitor spending was unmatched.”

Brown was recently elected to the Board of Directors of Destinations International, a resource for official destinations organizations, convention and visitor bureaus and tourism boards. He is also a member of the Board of Directors for the Washington Tourism Alliance.

He has experience working in radio, tourism and public relations.

“I’m excited to be part of leadership efforts to help grow Augusta’s economy through effective tourism sales and marketing efforts,” Brown said.

SCHEINER

Continued from Page 27

overhead imagery is that you can’t see underneath the leaf, and underneath the leaf is where a lot of pests like to hang out. Instead of spraying an entire field, we’re spraying five plants. It helps save money, but it also helps with the environment. A lot of people do either organic or conventional farming, but nobody’s really looking in-between. I want to take conventional farming and start dragging them over to the organic side, and I want the organic side to start coming a little bit more to the conventional side of it.

“So, then we can increase yield, feed more people but also have it where it’s environmentally friendly, where we’re doing the least amount of impact for the greatest amount of good.”

What led you to this interest in the first place?

“At the end of the day, I like automation. I think that by automating the basic processes of what we do, we can start focusing on the human endeavor of improving our lives and making the world a better place.

Automation is the first step of my life and what I want to focus on.”

What are some other parts of that system that you have a vision for?

“Do a survey of people in suburbs right now and ask them the names of their neighbors. I’m guaranteeing you 90 percent of them don’t know. What if we didn’t focus on who has the biggest house on the block and instead focused on who can cultivate the greatest community?

“I want to use this automation concept as a way of going into the sustainable housing concept. “Everybody has roughly equally sized houses, but it’s surrounded by the community center that has these big areas that people are currently leaving their communities for. Essentially, I want to start building these communities so that it encourages community connections instead of this isolationist housing.

“What it comes down to is that you have to make it technologically advanced. It has to be cool. It has to be economically and environmentally friendly. I want to make these for all classes, where it’s affordable.”

What are some of your biggest challenges right now in taking that to the next level?

“Right now, it’s investment. Getting funded in the Southeast is incredibly difficult. If I was on the West Coast right now, I would’ve been funded for the halfmillion dollars that I’m asking for. Down here, it’s very tight.

“Austin and Silicon Valley, that’s where innovation happened. And so they know that by putting this money in these early startups, they have an opportunity to get a great return on investment. Down here, everything is a risk, and risk is scary. I do think that with the cyber center being here, you’re starting to get that motivation back. And so when it comes to that kind of stuff, there’s a big cultural difference between out here and out West.

“I want to stay in the Southeast. If my golf product takes off down here, I’m at the home of the Masters.

Also, this is a big, agriculturally rich area. To put it as an agricultural reference, I feel like we’re growing here on rocks and gravel, while startups in California are in more soil.

“So, it’s tougher, but it makes us tougher. It takes a lot of guts to start down here.”

June 29–July 27, 2018 Buzz on Biz

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