Back to BUSINESS ADVOCACY Local & Regional Interactions
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Chamber Endorses November ESPLOST Referendum |
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The Augusta Metro Chamber’s Board of Directors took action last week to support the upcoming E-SPLOST referendum for the Richmond County School System. Voters will decide on November 3rd whether to support the referendum that will collect $230,000,000 over 5 years.
In making its decision, the Chamber’s Board reviewed the proposed projects and overwhelmingly agreed that in order to meet the demands of increased student population, technology-based learning, improved classroom environments and the maintenance of existing infrastructure, the financial resources generated by sales tax will be an important resource to accomplish those goals.
"The Chamber’s focus on workforce development and our efforts to ensure a future talent pipeline for our members was an important consideration in the decision, says Sue Parr, President/CEO of the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce. "We applaud the school district and the Board of Education for their thoughtful assessment of future needs, especially in the areas of more technology and additional schools."
Leading up to the election, the Chamber will serve as an educational resource for members to learn more about the referendum and how it will support public education in Augusta-Richmond County.
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Augusta's Unemployment Rate Drops in August |
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Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Augusta’s unemployment rate decreased in August.
Additionally, Augusta saw a monthly increase in jobs and a monthly decrease in initial claims in August.
“It is very promising that we continue to see the unemployment rate drop month after month, while the job market gets stronger, evoking positive news for Georgia’s economy,” said Commissioner of Labor Mark Butler. “The state as a whole is leading the nation in competitive unemployment rates, coming in at 7th lowest.”
In Augusta, the unemployment rate decreased 2.1 percentage points in August, reaching 5.3 percent. A year ago, the rate was 3.8 percent. Read more from GDOL.
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IRS Home Office Tax Deduction |
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The Internal Revenue Service wants individuals to consider taking the home office deduction if they qualify. The benefit may allow taxpayers working from home to deduct certain expenses on their tax return.
The home office deduction is available to qualifying self-employed taxpayers, independent contractors and those working in the gig economy. However, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act suspended the business use of home deduction from 2018 through 2025 for employees. Employees who receive a paycheck or a W-2 exclusively from an employer are not eligible for the deduction, even if they are currently working from home.
There are two basic requirements to qualify for the deduction. The taxpayer needs to use a portion of the home exclusively for conducting business on a regular basis and the home must be the taxpayer's principal place of business.
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CSRA Invests in 10 More Years of Transportation Infrastructure |
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The Transportation Investment Act (TIA) has been transformative for the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) region since voters approved the 10-year, one-percent sales tax for transportation infrastructure in 2012. Since then, TIA has funded projects that have helped fuel the greater Augusta area’s booming commercial, industrial, residential, medical, and military growth.
So, it was not surprising that on June 9, 2020, the citizens of the CSRA region of Georgia voted overwhelmingly to renew the TIA sales tax for another 10-years. “We know that transportation investments are critical to the lifeblood of the city,” said City of Augusta Mayor Hardie Davis, Jr. “It’s not just the roads, bridges, and infrastructure work that’s being done and seen, but it’s the number of long-term jobs it supports for people from the region and community. That’s one of the reasons our economy has been so strong.”
Augusta is the largest city in the CSRA region and, along with Richmond County and the surrounding areas, has seen unprecedented amounts of economic growth, including the U.S. Army’s new Cyber Command Headquarters, the new $100 million Georgia Cyber Center, the expansion of Augusta University and its healthcare system, and an uptick in manufacturing and distribution business. “TIA gives us the infrastructure to keep pace with the level of economic development and economic growth that we’ve seen,” said Sue Parr, President and CEO of Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce.
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The 25 Most Neighborly Cities in America |
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#1: Augusta, Georgia
We found the No. 1 most neighborly place in the U.S. to be Augusta, Georgia, and there were a lot of reasons for that.
For one, 87.5 percent of itemized tax returns filed by people living in Augusta included charitable giving. The average amount that those folks donated to charity was almost $7,000. But there’s more to being neighborly than just being charitable.
We also found that nearly 25 percent of the population has put in hours volunteering for an organization they believe in, and according to census data, almost 9 percent of people reported doing some “informal volunteering,” which includes doing favors for friends and neighbors. That’s the very definition of being neighborly!
And to top it all off, we found that 11.2 percent of workers in Augusta carpool, above the national average of 9 percent. Coworkers helping each other get to work? That’s pretty neighborly, too.
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Back to BUSINESS MEMBER NEWS Celebrating our Members
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*Sustaining Level Cornerstone Member
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Ribbon Cutting Celebrations |
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Friday, October 2 at 11am
Wednesday, October 14 at 10am
Friday, October 16 at 11am
Thursday, October 22 at 4pm
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Blanchard & Calhoun Insurance awarded Best Practices Top Performer |
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Blanchard and Calhoun Insurance Agency has been awarded as a Best Practices Top Performer. Not only is it retaining its Best Practices status, once again becoming a part of an elite group of independent insurance agencies around the United States, but also earning the additional designation as the highest performing agency in its revenue category. This status comes by participating in the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA or the Big “I”) Best Practices Study group. The annual survey and Study of leading independent insurance agencies documents the business practices of the “best” agencies and urges others to adopt similar practices. |
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Tune in This Week, Episodes 5 & 6 of Pivot + Pitch Video Series |
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Tues. Sept 29, 4:15 PM
Thurs. Oct 1, 4:15 PM
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Want to be a guest on Season 2 of Pivot + Pitch? We are filming upcoming episodes on Thursday, October 1 and want to virtually interview you! If your company has a story to tell about how you've pivoted operations during the pandemic, we would love to hear it and share it.
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Back to BUSINESS MEMBER PROGRAMS Chamber Events & Programs
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Creating an Inclusive Culture that Delivers to the Community |
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Tuesday, October 20, 2020 at 12:00 pm |
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Join the Chamber for an enlightening virtual session as Frank Andrew, President of Carole Fabrics, introduces three of the female leaders on the production team at Carole to offer their perspective on the established culture change within the manufacturing world.
Maria Rhinehart, Rashieda Murphy and Donna Gohagan will share the opportunities for women currently in manufacturing, deliver insight into what and who Carole Fabrics is, and what they provide to our community as a hidden gem to the city of Augusta.
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Maria Rhinehart
Senior Manager, Merchandising & Marketing
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Rashieda Murphy
Quality Manager
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Donna Gohagan
Senior Director of Customer Experience
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Thank You for Making our 20th Annual Golf Classic Such a Success! |
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Thank you to all participants and sponsors for joining us yesterday at Topgolf Augusta for our 20th Annual Golf Classic. Shout out to our presenting sponsor Cadence Bank, and all other top level sponsors Milestone Construction, Carole Fabrics, Queensborough National Bank & Trust, Spherion, Textron Specialized Vehicles, Enoch Tarver, F&W Transportation, Premier Networx and media sponsors The Augusta Chronicle and News 12 NBC 26.
Congratulations to Kelly Promotions Products for placing first in our tournament. McKnight Construction Co. came in second and FMI Defense rounded out third. Ryan Cato with Milestone Construction LLC won the Longest Drive, and Dr. Jim Koenig with FMI Defense won our Putt-Putt contest.
Follow the links below to view photos from yesterday's event!
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Back to BUSINESS CHAMBER NEWS Updates, Initiatives & More
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Meet the Class, Leadership Augusta Class of 2021 |
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An affiliate of the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce, the Leadership Augusta program enhances the civic participation of emerging leaders within the region. Each year, select individuals participate to develop deeper understanding of the region's priorities, grow the community civic network, and build a lasting association of future leaders. Meet the Leadership Augusta Class of 2021.
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CORNERSTONE MEMBERS Presidents Level Cornerstone Members
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JOIN US TODAY Join the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce
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