buzz bits Artwork at AGS to benefit injured Marines Augusta Regional Airport (AGS) is hosting its first national rotating art exhibit, the Colorful World of Polo. The Exhibit consists of three statues from a limited edition of fiberglass polo players on horseback that have been painted by renowned artists in celebration of the 25th anniversary of Polo America. The statues have all been donated and are scheduled to be auctioned off with proceeds to benefit The Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund. The exhibit will be on display in the airport boarding gate area now through July 10. The limited edition statues were produced by Polo America and given to artists around the county to be hand painted. Each artist was invited to artistically transform their polo player model in any way they wished while keeping the structural integrity of the form intact. On Aug. 23 the statues will be auctioned at the San Diego Polo Club to raise funds for The Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund. The fund was formed to provide immediate financial assistance and lifetime support for injured and critically ill members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families. The artists on display at AGS are Joanne Helfert-Sullam from Brooklyn, N.Y., with Polo Africa and Ford Pony sponsored by Polo America and Pat Levey from Lake Park, Fla., with Polo Shopper sponsored by Standard Aero. For more information on the exhibit and artists visit www.flyAGS.com or www. poloamerica.com. For more information on The Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund visit www. semperfifund.org.
FPL Food back in production after fire FPL Food LLC re-opened its beef harvest facility in Augusta on May 27, four weeks ahead of schedule.. FPL Food closed the 200,000-sq.-ft. plant for repairs after an electrical fire broke out in the ceiling over the harvest
8 Buzz on Biz June 2014
11 percent over March 2013. Hotel occupancy rates were at about 70 percent, about 15 percent higher than normal, and spending per room increased by about $15. Medcalfe said much of that increase came from contractors and area residents using hotel rooms after Ice Storm Pax and the subsequent clean up.
Sitel adding 200 jobs in Augusta
Augusta ATV moves to new showroom in North Augusta On Tuesday June 3, Augusta ATV moved from its longtime showroom and service center on 2325 Peach Orchard Road to a new facility just off Highway 25 on Sweetwater Road in North Augusta. Owner Chantel Holt will have twice as much space and will be able to have all of her E-Z-GO and Bad Boy Buggy lines on display inside the floor in early April. The repairs took eight weeks to complete. Meanwhile, the company made plans to move production to its other plants in Thomasville, Ga., and Columbia, SC. Approximately 500 people work at the Augusta plant which is the slaughtering and boxed-beef facility for the vertically integrated company. “We thank our employees and customers for their patience throughout the time taken to repair the harvest facility,” said an FPL Food spokesman. “We also thank all partners involved for repairing the facility in an efficient and professional manner allowing us to minimize our down time.” Cattle supplies were not interrupted, although the company was forced to modify production schedules.
Express Oil doubles in size
Express Oil Change and Service Center at 4312 Washington Road in Evans is doubling the size of its operations. The franchisee recently bought the building and property next door, which used to be an insurance
facility. She is also expecting to be able to help other dealers with service issues now that she’ll have more room to operate. Holt’s late husband Jimmy started the business in 2010 and quickly became affiliated with E-Z-GO as an authorized dealer. They offer new and used vehicles, a complete service center and accessory options. office, and construction is nearly complete on the expanded building. They currently have three bays to work on a variety of vehicles and have built an identical building next door on the vacant property. Express Oil Change promises 10 minute oil changes, much like Jiffy Lube’s, but also does various mechanical services such as rotate and balance, brake service, air conditioner maintenance, timing belts, belts and hoses, computer diagnostics, front end alignments, tires, batteries and general maintenance.
Ice storm made tourism count rise February’s ice storm in the CSRA had the unexpected benefit of increasing the area’s tourism numbers. Simon Medcalfe, associate professor of finance in the James M. Hull College of Business at Georgia Regents University, announced that Augusta’s Tourism Index in March 2014 increased by more than
According to Business Wire, Sitel will be adding 200 new jobs in the Augusta area. Prospective employees can also apply online in the “Careers” section of Sitel’s website at:www.sitel.com . The new associates will join the current team of 800 employees in serving as the voice of customer care for a leading Fortune 500 wireless provider, as well as for a major healthcare company. The business expansion is the direct result of the current Augusta team’s expertise in services such as billing, account records management, technical support and customer service. Sitel’s Augusta site is looking to expand its current management team to accommodate this significant growth in customer service agents. Sitel provides many career development opportunities, such as highquality management training programs for employees who show dedication and interest in learning a new role. Current associates at the Augusta site have moved on to roles such as operations managers, coaches, learning specialists and IT professionals within the company. Sitel provides an attractive benefits package to its employees after 90 days of employment. This includes medical, dental, vision, 401K, paid vacation and holiday time, and lucrative bonus and incentive opportunities.
Foundation honors Augusta Warrior Project The Augusta Warrior Project was recently recognized for its achievements by The Gary Sinese Foundation. The honor came at the Clos-
ing the Gap summit held in Los Angeles. The summit was designed to identify ways to help veterans transition into normal lives. The Augusta Warrior Project was one of five programs recognized for their work in meeting the future needs of America’s wounded veterans. The Gary Sinese Foundation found that diminishing resources and funding are making it difficult for the 50,000 wounded veterans to make the transition back into society. Programs like the Augusta Warrior Project help bridge that gap.
Masters helps unemployment rate The gain of hospitality, retail and business services jobs in April, much of it stemming from the Masters Tournament, pushed the metro Augusta unemployment rate down to 6.3 percent. The Georgia Department of Labor reported Thursday that the metro’s unemployment rate was a slight drop from the 6.6 percent in March. The rate was 7.6 percent in April a year ago. Labor Department data said there were 246,242 people with jobs in the area and 16,570 unemployed. The department reported last week that there were 4,700 jobs added to the metro area’s payrolls in April. It is the best April jobless rate since 2009, but it was 5 percent in 2008 and as low as 3.4 percent in 2000. For the six counties that make up the Augusta metro statistical area, only Richmond County had a higher jobless percentage than March. Columbia County, at 5.2 percent, was tied for sixthlowest in the state. Comparing other metro areas in Georgia, Athens had the lowest area jobless rate at 4.9 percent, and Dalton had the highest at 8.2 percent. In South Carolina, metro Greenville and Charleston had the lowest at 4.2 percent, while Florence had the highest at 5.9 percent. Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for April was 7 percent, unchanged from March. The rate was 8.3 percent in April a year ago. South Carolina reported 5.3 percent unemployment for April, a decline from March.