Buzz on biz november 2013

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NOVEMBER 2013

NOVEMBER 2013 ISSUE • THE CSRA’S ONLY BUSINESS MONTHLY PUBLICATION

Mark Owens, owner of Pipeline - work clothes, uniforms and boots -- stands with his mother, Gigi, before the Scrubs Shop at Pipeline which they hope to unveil this month.

Pipeline Rolls Out Scrubs for 35th Anniversary P

Christopher Selmek | Freelance Writer/Photographer

ipeline Work Clothes was established in 1978 and opened their current Wrightsboro Road location fourteen years ago this month. Pipeline originated when owner Mark Owens began selling Carhartt clothing out of the trunk of his car at construction sites and keeping his inventory in his home.

“I was a pipefitter by trade, but I would sell Carhartt out of my trunk and people would come and get them,” he said. “After I got married, my wife told me she was going to remodel the living and dining room, which were filled with clothes at the time. She had a friend, whose husband was in the boot business, and I started selling my clothes at his store until he went out of business in 1994; then, I picked up the boots as part of my line. I opened this location Nov. 1, 1999.”

This month Pipeline will add a storewithin-a-store “The Scrub Shop at Pipeline. “The addition of scrubs will

round out the promise of work clothes for all occupations. Pipeline Augusta will now be able to serve medical professionals as well as industrial workers, hospitality teams, and corporate employees.

Pipeline Aiken has successfully carried scrubs for more than six years on Whiskey Road.

“We’re seeing that a lot of companies besides just the medical field going toward using scrubs -- like daycare centers, for instance,” said retail director Erin Quattlebaum. “Some of our customers would drive up to Aiken, but this way we can serve them in our local community.”

“We’re being really exclusive with the types of scrubs we offer, focusing on the high-end, performance side that will last a long time for the professionals who use them,” she continued. “Scrub prints run seasonally, so we have some floral and decorative styles, but most of the hospitals around here wear burgundy,

grey, blue, white or black; we want to accommodate those employees.” All local hospitals color schemes will be represented. Since Pipeline offers onsite embroidery, select medical equipment, and healthcare footwear The Scrub Shop at Pipeline is a true one stop shop.

Owens will have a grand opening of “The Scrub Shop” in mid-November when they will invite different people and purchasing agents.

Pipeline’s footwear offerings are mostly safety-toe but a wide variety of brands including Timberland, Georgia Boot, Wolverine, Rocky 4Eur Sole, and many others are represented. The Pipeline Boot Truck regularly makes the rounds of the CSRA serving multiple plants and job sites. The Boot Truck has traveled as far as Lexington, South Carolina and can be loaded with 900 to 1200 pairs of site specific work boots.

“We have no set radius, as long as we have a customer with the right amount

of people who asks for us to come out,” said Owens.

Continued on Page 6

New in this Issue: Career Section Pages 21-32

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NOVEMBER 2013

Sunrise Grill Goes High Tech The Sunrise Grill on Martintown Road in North Augusta has been beta testing the usage of four iPods and a special restaurant app for its servers, and hopes to roll out these changes at their Washington Road location in the near future.

Becky Corley, manager of the North Augusta restaurant next to Big Lots, joined her brother and franchise owner Chris Gurley this summer to help implement the new computer system. The service staff at the North Augusta location has rid itself of “order sheets” that they used to stick on a clothesline system for the cooks. When you place your order, the wait staff sends an electronic message from their iPods to a POS system that alerts cooks and the cash register what has been ordered.

“The customers love it, and it’s made us a lot more efficient so we’re able to spend a lot more time on the floor with the customers,” said Corley. “Also the cooks don’t need to spend time studying our handwriting. The actual ordering takes some time to input, but it makes the whole process run much more quickly.”

At the same time that she began working on the computer system,

Corley also freshened up the menu and added a few things. Both locations serve breakfast and lunch all day and everything is made with fresh ingredients, including a popular Sunrise breakfast with meat, eggs and a side of toast. At lunchtime many customers choose to try the hand-pattied hamburgers, or the Reuben sandwich, which Corley says is unlike any sandwich you will get anywhere else.

Corley and Gurley decided to try to try the POS system at the North Augusta location to work out any kinks in the programming before expanding it to the Washington Road location, and are only now beginning discussions about when it will be available.

Both Sunrise locations are open every day from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. and serve breakfast and lunch all day. For more information, visit thesunrisegrill.com.

Gurley also announced that his “Man Cave” consignment concept in Harlem is going so well that staff has no more room in the 8,000 squarefoot warehouse for items. He is also getting ready to open an indoor shooting range on adjacent property.

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NOVEMBER 2013

RECORD GROWTH - A “PERFECT STORM” NEIL GORDON | President, Buzz on Biz LLC

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ou may be noticing “high dollar” paperboys and a papergirl stopping by your office soon! First a little history on where we have been with delivery of our newspaper and where

we are going...

This 44-page edition of the “Buzz” is the largest issue since we began publishing more than five years ago. We had humble beginnings with 4, 8, 12, and 16 page editions inserted inside of the Medical Examiner newspaper and delivered to area doctor’s offices and hospitals. We did this for a few years and then began utilizing area supermarkets as pick-up spots with other drop off points. For the last few years we have been direct mailing our “Buzz on Biz” newspaper to the four area Chambers of Commerce membership list.

Quality Printing has been our partner to print names and addresses on our newspapers for years. Recently they informed us that our larger newspapers were causing stress to their inkjet printer -- which is used to address brochures and other profitable printing.

At the same time, two Chambers of Commerce in South Carolina have been uncooperative with us in sharing updated, digital files of their membership list. As we delivered to Georgia Chamber members last month, we discovered some businesses no

longer existed and other key contacts had left the company or been transferred.

A perfect storm is upon me in business, and I’ve decided to increase our distribution of the “Buzz” by 10% so that we can utilize three unique distribution methods:

• Our key people will be hand-delivering our newspapers to specific business districts in Columbia County, West Augusta, Downtown Augusta, North Augusta and other pockets of the CSRA. Please say “hello” as we distribute and please offer suggestions.

• To ensure that other career-conscious business people will have a chance to pick up a copy, we have dramatically upgraded our drop off locations at area supermarkets.

We will be in more than 30 locations of Publix, Kroger, Bi-Lo, Food Lion and Earthfare from Aiken to South Augusta to as far as Thomson with key cities in between.

• We will also continue dropping off newspapers to our sponsors and to nearly 100 high-traffic locations in the CSRA through our Black “Verge” boxes (our sister publication) or inside, metal racks.

We will consider offering individual mailed subscriptions of the newspaper. Please email me at neil.gordon@buzzon.biz if you are interested, and I’ll contact you once the perfect storm passes.

THE CSRA’S ONLY BUSINESS MONTHLY PUBLICATION

BUZZ ON BIZ • INDUSTRY EXPERTS • WATERCOOLER STORIES • BUSINESS ADVICE • TRENDS

The Buzz on Biz mission: to act as an inspirational tool for those in the workplace and those who are entrepreneurs and to provide useful, practical information to help increase companies’ bottom lines.

To submit editorial content or to order a 12 month subscription mailed to your home or office for $12, mail a check to the address on the bottom of the page Neil R. Gordon: Publisher\Sales Manager (706) 589-6727 Jennifer Pruett: Executive Editor E35 Media: Design and Layout Kyle W. Evans: Sales(706) 288-9957 Christopher Selmek: Senior Writer Erin Campbell: Special Projects Coordinator Melissa Gordon: www.sofiacolton.com, Photography S.C. Contributors: Stephen Delaney Hale Opinions expressed by the writers herein are their own and their respective institutions. Neither the Buzz on Biz LLC, or its agents or its employees take any responsibility for the accuracy of submitted information, which is presented for informational purposes only.

www.buzzon.biz 3740 Executive Center Drive #300 Martinez, GA 30907

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NOVEMBER 2013

Should You Franchise Your Business?

Kim Romaner | Business Broker

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f you’re looking for business growth, becoming a franchise is one way to achieve it. Here are some questions and answers about franchising that will help you to decide to explore it further -- or leave it completely alone.

Q: How does franchising create business growth?

A: Put simply, invested and therefore motivated independent operators buy the right to use your trademark and your operating system and grow your brand and revenue with very limited risk to yourself or your business. Revenue is primarily generated through the collection of initial franchise fees, royalty fees and advertising fees, but the smartly run franchise can have several other revenue streams as well. For example, the franchisor may have bulk buying agreements with equipment or supply vendors that save its franchisees money but that also provide a profit to the franchisor.

Q: How do I know if my business is franchisable?

A: Does your company have

a unique differentiator that has broad market appeal? Local franchisor Shane’s Rib Shack has Shane’s grandfather’s secret sauce.

Edible Arrangements makes healthy and celebratory bouquets from fruit. Do you have a unique system for delivering your product or service? Anytime Fitness is open 24 hours a day, and has many mechanisms for keeping you safe, even if you visit the gym at 3 in the morning.

How easy is it to train someone else to do what you do? Think it’s hard? Might not be. Franchisor Liberty Tax Service says that you don’t even have to know how to do taxes to own a franchise, they’ll teach you everything! Will potential franchisees understand the value of buying your system? Huntington Learning Centers has a nationwide reputation for their method of tutoring school children to success, which every new franchisee leverages. If you’re not sure of the answers to these questions regarding your business, then it would be wise to take advantage of a franchise feasibility study, generally available from a franchise development expert, and often at low cost. (Or free!)

Just don’t think you have to be big in order to become a franchise. All of the franchises I just mentioned started very small.

Q: Isn’t becoming a franchise

SORRY SEEMS TO BE THE HARDEST WORD J.EDWARD ENOCH, J.D. | Business Attorney

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n light of recent political shenanigans, I thought it appropriate to write about apologies. You do not often hear attorneys talk about apologies, at least not in public. But sometimes an apology is appropriate, particularly in business.

We all make mistakes, lose our temper, or do an injustice, even if unintended, to another person. It’s only human. When that happened as a child and your parent found out, what did they do? They made you say, “I’m sorry” (whether you were really sorry or not).

Now I have learned as an adult that it is truly difficult to stay mad at someone who is sincerely sorry for whatever wrong they have committed against you. I do not mean the “I’m sorry . . . I got caught” or the “I’m sorry you think I did something wrong.” Those are not apologies.

Try it, it works. I have seen more times than I can count situations that turn into litigation when all someone wanted

was to be treated right. Many times that means acknowledging fault so everyone can get past it. I have also seen potentially damaging litigation defused by a simple apology.

Now, do not get me wrong. I am not advocating jumping out of the car after a wreck and proclaiming, “Oh, I’m so sorry, it’s all my fault!!” No, that is not a good idea. There has been no time to reflect and assess who is or may be at faulty in that situation. I am talking about a reasoned apology after the heat of the moment has passed. So the next time you find yourself having come up short, try some humble pie. It sticks a little going down, but you will feel better after.

J. Edward (ed) enoch This is a sponsored Law Talk article. Ed Enoch’s practice focuses on business, employment and real estate law. He is a 1992 Magna Cum Laude graduate of Washington and Lee School of Law. He has served in many leadership roles for SHRM, Rotary, the Family Y and the United Way. Reach him at 706.738.4141 or jenoch@enochlaw.com.

a lot of work? I can hardly get done what I need to get done now!

A: Depends upon how you go about it. If you’re thinking that you’ll have to sell all the franchises, you might instead consider partnering with a franchise sales organization (or two).

If you’re thinking that there’s no way you have the time to capture all of your unique processes into an operations manual, a training manual, a business opening manual, etc., much less write a legally sound franchise disclosure document, then working with a franchise development team that can do all of that for you will put those tasks on someone else’s shoulders under your supervision.

If you’re thinking that managing all of those franchisees will exponentially add to your daily task list, then work with your franchise consultant to create your support structure development plan.

Many, many businesses have become franchises before you. Follow their best practices.

Q: How much does all of that support cost? I couldn’t possibly afford it!

A: You’d be surprised. Some franchise development organizations

finance their fees and help market and sell your franchises, so entry into the franchise world can be a relatively painless exercise.

Don’t get me wrong: pivoting from being a business owner to being a franchise owner has many moving parts.

There are also very specific laws about franchising, both at the federal and state levels, so be sure to have a competent team in your corner, including a franchise attorney and a franchise development consultant.

With the right team in place, you, too, could reap the rewards of becoming a franchisor.

Kim Romaner This is a sponsored article.

Kim Romaner is president of Transworld Business Advisors of Augusta, a business brokerage that helps people buy and sell businesses, and also enter into the franchise world. With over 70 locations in the U.S. and abroad, Transworld has sold many thousands of businesses. If you’d like to talk to Kim about selling or valuing your business, buying a franchise or turning your existing business into a franchise operation, please call 706-383-2994, or email her at kromaner@tworld.com.

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NOVEMBER 2013

Pipeline Rolls Out Scrubs Continued from Page 1

Mark Owens is the owner of Pipeline, which specializes in safety-toed work boots as well as work clothes and uniforms.

Whether looking for chef-wear, work boots, uniforms or scrubs, most Pipeline customers come back because of the knowledgeable staff and excellent customer service.

“Keeping good people in place is what keeps the business running,” said Owens. “It’s also because we’re a part of the community. The only thing people have to sell is yourself and your service. You can get the same products other places around Augusta, but you come here and you get the best customer service from a well-informed sales team.”

“Here you get excellent service from educated salespeople,” said Quattlebaum. “Simple information like leather is skin. People don’t think about it, but the better you take care of your boots and leather items, the longer they will last.” Proper analysis of working environments and partnerships with high quality brands takes the Pipeline experience far beyond self-service shoe buying.

Pipeline Graphics is a department of Pipeline that designs and produces screen printing and embroidery for individual and corporate orders.

Creative Director Ashley Smith can produce customized uniforms, teeshirts, and signs. Pipeline Promo is another division of the company that can produce promotional items like pens and cups but offers a huge assortment of any type of marketing a company may need. Owens said he used to send out these orders but

when demand rose it made sense to handle in-house.

Mr. Owens said one of the keys to his success is his upbringing and the influence of his mother, GiGi, who successfully sold Tupperware for 20+ years and has spent the last ten years working for Pipeline.

“I do a little bit of everything,” said GiGi, who at 94 years old continues to be a high-energy contributor to Pipeline’s customer satisfaction team.

“I make a lot of telephone calls to tell people that their order is here. When we have to embroider something they unfold it to put it through the machine, so I do the re-folding and pack it back up when it’s done. I’m very proud of my son for what he’s accomplished.”

Mark Owens is very satisfied with the way Pipeline Work Clothes has grown over 35 years and has no immediate plans to expand the business beyond the current customers he already serves. But Mr. Owens suggested he may look at opening an additional location in the next few years.

Pipeline Work Clothes proudly serves the hardworking CSRA Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information visit Pipeline’s Facebook page Pipeline Works, www.getpipeline.com, or call 706.860.3220.

By Christopher Selmek

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NOVEMBER 2013

Downtown Slum or Tourist Attraction?

These opinions are those of THOMAS Scott Hudson and not necessarily those of Buzz on Biz Newspaper or its staff.

Article by Thomas Scott Hudson

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ugusta officials seem to be suffering from some type of psychosis.

One week they are on the verge of declaring the downtown area a slum and the next week attempting to find ways to draw tourism to the area. The casual observer might come to the conclusion that the Augusta Commission might need a prescription for Prozac.

Downtown business owners were horrified to learn that in order to secure the millions of dollars needed to finish the restoration of the municipal building, the city was applying for a federal grant that is aimed at cleaning up depressed urban areas. To qualify for the money, though, the city would have to declare the downtown area a ‘slum.’ However, no sooner than that little nugget of information hit the press, commissioners began discussing ways to draw tourist to the downtown area which left people wondering if the commission was having some kind of nervous breakdown.

In terms of tourism ideas, no one has forgotten Andy Cheek’s suggestion years ago of flooding Ellis Street and extending the Augusta Canal through the heart of downtown. Andy himself will admit the idea was pie in the sky and says he knew such a thing would

never happen and what he was trying to do was get other people excited about the urban core.

The latest idea to be floated came from none other than Marion Williams.

His idea is to turn Broad Street into a giant verandah with misting stations and water walls. Naturally, building decks over the already crowded sunken parking areas would create all kinds of problems -- not to mention the cost of building and maintaining such a thing. While the misting stations would be nice, who wants to sit on a verandah that has car exhaust fume rafting up through the cracks in the deck floor?

Even the Mayor has gotten into the act. Deke Copenhaver has helped raise private funding to refurbish the eyesore that was once the Chamber of Commerce building. At first, people were led to believe that the building would be repurposed as some sort of community gathering spot. However, the plan has now morphed into the city using the building as a jazz cafe which has people asking if the city is going to issue itself a liquor license and go into competition with the numerous other clubs on Broad Street. Someone might want to point out to the Mayor that numerous Jazz club concepts have been tried downtown and they have all failed.

City leaders somehow think that people from Columbia or Atlanta will

drive to Augusta to take a picture at the James Brown statue, watch a combo at the city operated Jazz club and marvel at the police and their SWAT armored vehicles that line Broad Street on First Friday.

David Hutchinson, owner of the Book Tavern downtown, feels the city has their priorities completely backward.

“They can’t maintain what we already have downtown,” he says, “so why build more things that won’t be maintained?”

Hutchinson has a point, Riverwalk has been allowed to fall into disrepair and all the volunteer cleanup work on the canal appears to have been in vain. Volunteers cleaned and restored Aqueduct Park and the Canal Authority has refused to maintain it properly.

Across town, the city operated golf course remains a shadow of what it once was. And, of course, everyone remembers the last great “tourist destination” that was built with tax payer’s money, the failed Golf Hall of Fame and Botanical Gardens.

It is a shame that the city spent millions of dollars to create the Trade and Exhibit Center only to find themselves several years later declaring the same area a slum.

Indeed, anyone looking for a place to have a convention is going to run a search engine request and what are they going to see on Google? The top results are going to include the

mugging at Riverwalk, the melees that have occurred after hours on First Friday and of course, that downtown Augusta is a slum.

The fact is, Augusta is not and will not in the near future be any kind of a tourist destination. Sure, we have some great golf courses, neat old historic buildings and all kinds of quirky restaurants and bars downtown.

However, the city does not have a Six Flags or a giant aquarium or a botanical garden. A Revolutionary battle did occur here, but it was a footnote in history and now much of what was that battlefield is covered in asphalt. Sure, this city is the birthplace of James Brown, but his version of Graceland is 45 minutes away in Beech Island.

“Instead of trying to turn the city into what it is not,” opined Hutchinson, “we all ought to be trying to find ways to make downtown more pleasant for the people who live and work here.” Most home and business owners downtown agree that calling the area a slum is not going to neither raise property values nor drive any form of tourism.

Thomas scott hudson is a free lance reporter for WGAC News and a local paralegal. For comments or story ideas email scott@wgac.com

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NOVEMBER 2013

Cloverleaf Catering Expands Next Door

Health Insurance Marketplace Christine Hall, CPA | Hall, Hall, & Associates P.C

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hen someone without health coverage gets urgent, often expensive medical care, but doesn’t pay the bill, everyone else ends up paying the price. That’s why the new health care law requires all people who can afford it to take responsibility for their own health insurance by getting coverage or paying a penalty. People without health coverage will also have to pay the entire cost of all their medical care. They won’t be protected from the kind of very high medical bills that can sometimes lead to bankruptcy.

The fee in 2014, which will be paid with your 2014 income tax return, is 1% of your yearly income or $95 per person for the year, whichever is higher.

The fee increases every year. In 2016 it is 2.5% of income or $695 per person, whichever is higher. In 2014 the fee for uninsured children is $47.50 per child.

The most a family would have to pay in 2014 is $285. It’s important to remember that someone who pays the fee won’t get any health insurance coverage. They still will be responsible for 100% of the cost of their medical care.

To avoid the fee in 2014, you need insurance that qualifies as “minimum essential coverage”. Georgia now has its own Marketplace for health insurance where you can shop for and buy insurance in person, online, or by phone. The Marketplace, also called an Exchange, is mainly for: • People who don’t have insurance • People who aren’t insured by their employer • People with pre-existing conditions who may have had trouble getting insurance before • Small businesses In Georgia, the federal government is running the health insurance Marketplace. If you enroll between October 1, 2013 and December 15, 2013, coverage will begin in 2014.

Five insurance companies will offer policies for individuals through the Marketplace. They are: Alliance, Blue

Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia, Humana, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, and Peach State.

All approved plans in the state must cover the same package of benefits, called essential health benefits. In Georgia, the benefits include: 1. Outpatient services, such as doctor visits or tests done outside a hospital, including chiropractic care and the diagnosis and treatment of conditions that cause infertility 2. Emergency services 3. Hospital stays 4. Pregnancy and baby care 5. Mental health and substance abuse services, including behavioral health treatment 6. Prescription drugs, including generic and certain brand-name drugs 7. Rehabilitation services, those that help people recover from an accident or injury and those that help people with developmental issues. In Georgia, this includes up to 20 visits for physical or occupational therapy and 20 visits for speech therapy. Coverage for autism services is also required.

8. Lab services 9. Preventive and wellness services, along with those that help people manage chronic conditions 10. Services for children, including dental and eye care Some services not included are hearing aids, cosmetic surgery, longterm care, and private nursing. Also, Georgia allows insurance companies to charge tobacco users 50% more than non-tobacco users.

After open enrollment ends on March 31, 2014, individuals will not be able to get health coverage through the Marketplace until the next annual enrollment period, unless they have a qualifying life event.

Hall, Hall, & Associates P.C This is a sponsored Employment article. Hall and Hall Associates P.C. is a full-service public accounting firm established in 1979. They have a staff of experienced professionals that stand ready to meet all of your accounting, tax and general business needs. For a complimentary consultation call 706-8557733 or visit hallassociatescpa.com.

The husband and wife team at Cloverleaf Catering, located at the Ashley Square Shopping Center at 4015 Washington Road, are expanding their business to provide offices in the space next door.

Their current space, which includes the kitchen as well as offices, will become all kitchen by the end of the year, allowing them to expand some of their menu options.

“Business has been great since we moved into this location in January of 2012,” said Terry Johnikin, who owns Cloverleaf with his wife, Donna. “A lot of people have come in requesting vegan and vegetarian items, and in that case we have to do the cooking completely separate to make sure it doesn’t come into contact with any meat items. We’re doing a tremendous amount of business right now, so it seemed like it was a good time to expand.”

He also estimates that 60-70 percent of their business is hot corporate lunches, particularly in the medical district. Cloverleaf is set up to provide full-service catering with waiters, buffet-style lunches or drop-off delivery.

“We also continue to help people plan their weddings, parties and special events, and those people like to come over and talk about what they want, so the added offices will give us space to have those meetings,” he said.

For more information, call 706.860.1601 or visit cloverleafcatering.net.

“Right at Home” owners Celeste Hoffman and Kathy Crist introduce therapy dog Snickers to Mrs. Margaret Lista. Photo by Todd Lista.

Stay at home alternatives from the professionals at Right at Home

For more information and a free in-home assessment, call

803-278-0250 or visit www.rightathome.net/csra.

NOVEMBER 2013

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NOVEMBER 2013

LONG LIVE THE MULLET!

JEFF ASSELIN | Powerserve, Director of Sales and Marketing

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hat do Billy Ray Cyrus, Dog the Bounty Hunter and Randy Johnson all have in common?

Answer: they all rocked the Mullet haircut. You know the one, business up front, party in the back! While having a haircut that is the best of both worlds is not necessarily a good thing, having a website that looks great AND is easy to use is, in fact, a VERY good thing!

Have you ever been to a website and had a difficult time finding what you were looking for? After just a few minutes of navigating that website, you go to another website in search of the same information. Have you seen one of those websites with tons of information all over the place? You’re sure what you need is there, but it is difficult to navigate.

It is important to keep a balance of visual appeal and ease of use for the consumer. Whether you are a rock band promoting your latest songs or a large retailer selling products, your website needs to be visually appealing. As the saying goes, “you never get a second chance to make a first impression”.

Make your website design count!

Some businesses want their website to be trendy, fashionable and something that is cool to look at. Often times they don’t spend as much time considering how their information is laid out making things difficult to find. It is possible to have a great looking website with all of the latest visual bells and whistles AND have the information presented in a way that makes it easy for the user to find what they are looking for.

There are great websites out there that are very wordy and have little imagery. The best of these uberinformative websites work because they are thoughtfully laid out in a concise manner.

When designing a website or giving your existing site a makeover, it is important to talk to your designer about your business goals, target audience, corporate personality and any perceptions people might have (negative or positive) about your goods and services. A good designer will listen and develop a website plan that hits all aspects of your goals, audience and perceptions.

Websites can be visually appealing and highly efficient at the same time.

Beware of the designer who wants to get the website “up and running” with little time spent on design. Also watch

out for the website designer who is more concerned about over-the top artwork and visual appeal versus functionality.

Your website is a significant investment. Be sure to work with a design team that has a proven track record for making websites that are great to look at while still being clientfocused and user friendly. Ask to see their portfolio. Reach out to those businesses and learn about their experience with the designer.

Lastly, there are web designers out there that can effectively accomplish both design and usability in their work!

Make sure you enjoy working with them and that they deliver fabulous customer

service before, during and after the design phase of your website.

Jeff Asselin is Director of Sales & Marketing for Powerserve, a web development company that focuses on Websites, Custom Business Software, Search Engine Optimization, Graphic Design and Social Media Marketing. Let Jeff put his more than 16 years of advertising and marketing experience to work for you helping grow your business. Click (www.powerserve.net), Email (jeff.asselin@powerserve.net), Visit (961 Broad St, Augusta) or Call (c: 706-691-7189, o: 706826-1506, Ext 122). This is a sponsored article.

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NOVEMBER 2013

Call Me Earlier DON MACNEIL |

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Crown Point Communications at Windsor Jewelers

ll creativity is a projection of ego. We should probably get that one out of the way first. The “arts” cloak it in loftier terms like opera and ballet, but it’s all the same thing. In one form or another, we’re putting ourselves out there.

Second, I’m a hearty subscriber to Malcom Gladwell’s idea that being accomplished in something is far more about practicing it 10,000 hours than it is about being “gifted”. That you’ve been called brilliant at what you do from time to time but inwardly protest that no genius lurks between your ears will stay our little secret. You, me and Mr. Gladwell know it’s the 10,000 hours you’ve put into it.

All of this is groundwork for my making the point that too often in my career I’ve been called in too late when the owner of a new business venture has made all the start-up marketing decisions and made a mess of it. Hard language, yes, but a blunt way of pointing out that, against my 35 years and counting at what I do, that owner is in something like Hour 3.

Has he named his business something memorable, or indulged some creative whim only he can fathom? The most common offense on this point is when husbands and wives attempt to blend portions of their names into a new word/business name meaningful only to them.

Has he chosen a text font for his signs and letterhead from his 2003 word processing software, guaranteeing his visuals look home-made for as long as he clings to them? Has he thought to order a phone number whose digits spell out his company name on a traditional keypad? Has he asked himself whether his chosen name sounds too much like something else – important to TV and radio marketing – and has he imagined his name and logo on all forms of media to determine whether they’ll fit, or even make sense?

I was once asked to make a winner out of a medical practice in a far off

state that had chosen to abandon a logical, easily-remembered previous moniker and re-brand itself Peoria Musculoskeletal Institute. Let’s set aside for a moment the jarring realization that even doctors succumb to the temptation of screaming puffery by employing the over-the-top characterization, “institute”. These were no halls of study.

The back-breaker though was the utter impossibility of this new name. No one (outside of the profession) could pronounce it, let alone spell it. But the signs had already been mounted and five years of stationary delivered. One of the doctors suggested marketing the practice as simply “PMI”, but acronyms don’t work unless you already know what the letters stand for. These brilliant doctors had put in their 10,000 hours, just not in the right profession.

My tongue-in-cheek but sincere advice? The closer your business name is to “Blimpie’s”, the better. Added note: I suspect they found this name on the internet. I picture them looking up from a laptop and shouting, “Yeah!”

Which brings me to an instance of my being called just in the nick of time. A local awards/trophy shop was relocating and rebranding themselves, and they handed me a list of suggested new names, most containing three words. Knowing simplicity was key, I looked at the core of their business and offered a single-word alternative.

Today Cudos flourishes in two CSRA locations.

Yes, it’s your business and you have the right to do whatever you want, and yes, after a lifetime of witnessing other people’s “creativity”, the temptation is huge to smack a label on it and call it your very own.

But that’s the precise moment when wisdom needs to prevail. Call me first.

Next time: Papa John’s Gets It DON MACNEIL is a traditional media expert, having spent more than 30 years on-air and behind the scenes in Media and Marketing. If you have any comments or questions, email Don at windsorway@ comcast.net

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13

NOVEMBER 2013

Why Enter the Last 4 Card Numbers at the Register?

Jimmy McCollum |

I

VP of Service Operations for Credit Card Payment Systems

here were several messages from our bank upon returning from vacation.

It seems that our debit card that was in my wallet in Honduras had also purchased $450 worth of merchandise at a Dollar Store in Chicago. We initiated the chargeback, which took the funds from the merchant’s bank account and returned them to ours.

I felt badly for the store owner, the victim of the $450 robbery. There was no 9mm used, and I’m certain the thief is busy at his work somewhere else in Chicago as I type this.

How did it happen? Times have changed and customers’ card information, once stored in office file cabinets, has been cleaned out. That always was a bad practice, but for many, it worked for decades.

Today, a primary means of stealing card data is through merchants’ unsecured wi-fi networks. Now, Bob sits at his laptop while sipping on a latte for hours as data is harvested from each card transaction through a card terminal on the same open network.

That data is used to encrypt other

cards’ magnetic stripes. The cards look perfect - because they are. Empty Gift Cards sporting the Visa or MasterCard logo from the big box stores are altered with the info of Susan, the nice lady who bought a cappuccino at a really unfortunate time. He will also sit in his car, outside the front door, where there is no barista.

The card isn’t reported as lost or stolen because it is still in her purse, so it works long enough for Bob to pick up a few new flat screens. Once the purchases are seen, the card is turned off, Fraud Chargebacks are initiated and the poor merchants are left with empty shelves and bank accounts.

The merchant loses 100% of the time in this scenario.

I say all of this to enlighten merchants to the widespread counterfeiting in every town in the country. If you have a terminal or POS system that prompts for the last 4 card numbers, (Fraud Control), it confirms the numbers on the card front match the numbers in the magnetic strips. If they don’t match, the transaction will be declined. Without Fraud Control, employees need to confirm the last 4 numbers on the card match those of the receipt.

EMV or “Smartcards” with embedded chips will have replaced the magnetic stripe cards by January of 2015. By

that time, all Point of Sale card readers will have been replaced with equipment compatible with the new chip cards.

Until then, everyone must be diligent.

Christmas is coming and the bottomfeeders abound. This year will see more than last. Merchants can be up and running with CCPS and new EMV terminals with Fraud Control in only a couple of days.

Jimmy McCollum is the VP of Service Operations for Credit Card Payment Systems and Mark Hofilena is the President. The company was formed in 2006 after the two longtime friends worked for other credit card companies. For more information, visit ccpaymentsystems.com or call Mark at 706.799.2913

14

NOVEMBER 2013

Navigating Healthcare.gov ...This does not Compute!

by Russell T. Head | EMPLOYEE BENEFIT CONSULTANT

A

t the time of writing this article it has been exactly two weeks since the “soft” opening of the new Federally Facilitated Exchange via Healthcare. gov. This is the new government operated marketplace for purchasing individual health insurance in GA and SC (and 33 other states) for those who do not have access to affordable minimum value coverage.

Individuals applying may qualify for premium tax credits and cost sharing subsidies depending upon their household income.

My anticipation and excitement for logging on at 12:01 a.m. on October 1 was quite intense. It’s difficult to describe when you’ve been waiting for more than three years for this marketplace to go live. At 3:37 a.m. I just gave up and went home.

So, here is what I can tell you about Healthcare.gov. Over the past two weeks I have attempted to log on well over 100 times as a licensed credentialed ACA broker. Several of us in the office completed the curriculum, exams and identity information necessary to take care of our clientele through this new federal exchange.

We have attempted each day at different times to only move to pages with “system maintenance”; ”server error”; “server busy”; “please try again later” but mostly just a blank page of absolutely nothing after I log in with my user id and password.

After speaking with other brokers and insurance carriers, alongside reading multiple blogs and articles, what we can tell you is enrollment for 35 states has been an absolute debacle with no end in sight! Our liberal media has done little to expound upon what has truly been an enrollment nightmare.

As I am writing, HHS and CMS are

continuing to increase capacity and performance to a system that was obviously not properly built to handle more than 20 percent of the current volume of visitors. I read just this past weekend that less than 5,000 people had actually been able to enroll through Healthcare.gov. Millions of hits on the website…many of the people just like me attempting multiple times with no success. We are anticipating relief by the end of October. For now I have little hope that the capacity of new servers will help anytime soon. If things don’t change, we will be subject to paper applications….can you imagine the processing time – seriously, can you imagine?

The online Chat has been more or less useless…27 minutes for a response to my initial inquiry the first night. The response…”the system is currently in maintenance please try again later”…. how can you be in maintenance mode when you’ve only been live for less than a half hour? Unfortunately many people were already anticipating this level of operating ability or the lack thereof. Perhaps worst of all is the inability of a visitor attempting to gain information and knowledge of what insurance carriers, plans, premiums and providers look like on the new federal exchange….anything but user friendly!

This does not compute!

For further explanation of the ACA/ PPACA provisions outlined in this article, please refer to the following resources: www.hhs.gov www.irs.gov www.healthcare.gov www.cms.gov Russell T. Head is a Partner and Chief Visionary Architect with Group & Benefits Consultants, Inc., Augusta’s largest, privately held employee benefits consulting firm. He can be reached at 706-733-3459 or rthead@ gandbc.com. Visit Group & Benefits Consultants at www.groupandbenefits.com.

15

NOVEMBER 2013 Ivy Falls Shopping Center Expands

IIvy Falls Shopping Center, off Columbia Road in Grovetown, is expanding its retail operations with four new businesses opening in the next few weeks.

According to Terry Miller, the founder and president of T&Y Tax and Accounting Solutions LLC, the new businesses include his own plus a Goolsby’s restaurant, A Time to Dance Studio and a new dentist’s office.

“I chose this location after doing some research and taking six months to put

together a business plan, and I found out that this area is growing by six percent every year,” he said. “I’ve attended Chamber of Commerce meetings where they say the same thing, that it is growing and it is also growing in diversity.”

Although studies show area residents will more than likely use their cars to commute to work, the promise of being able to walk to shop, eat out or do errands is a significant selling point for new housing.

“You’ve got military personnel moving in, and a lot of people moving in from different parts of the county to work here,” he said. “Columbia County has a lot to offer in terms of the school system, and also houses that are very cheap compared to what the market is like up north.”

Miller hopes to invite the Chamber of Commerce to a grand opening ribboncutting Nov. 7, and looks forward to serving the area’s diverse community.

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NOVEMBER 2013

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18

NOVEMBER 2013 Marcella’s Moving to New Location in National Hills

The Buzz on Biz is reporting that some businesses on the side of the Washington Crossing Shopping Center will need to move by December 30 to allow for more parking for the Whole Foods store coming to Augusta.

Buzz founder Neil Gordon spoke to Marcella Perez and she is not closing her Augusta store, but instead moving it to the National Hills area. She is looking at a free standing building and hopes to open around the 1st of January. Marcella’s also

has a store in the Shoppes at Whiskey in Aiken and a newer one in the Publix Plaza in Riverwood in Evans. Marcella’s has been in business now more than 15 years, offering premium cigars, clove cigars and pipes in a variety of sizes for the discriminating smoker.

They have lighters by Rocky Patel, Blue Rhino, Zippo, Colibori, and more as well as more than 50 blends of pipe tobacco products. They also boast the largest humidor room in the region.

19

NOVEMBER 2013

Maitre de Rudy Rosado (in purple), owner’s father Nicky Marks (in black) and head chef Kief Thompson (in white) discuss plans to open a fine dining establishment, “Andrew’s Place”, at the former “Malibu Jack’s” location this month. The wrap around bar is one of the improvements.

Andrew’s Place Opens at Old Malibu Jack’s location

T

Christopher Selmek | Freelance Writer/Photographer

hree year old Andrew Marks was a very fussy eater. He was so fussy, in fact, that his desperate father discovered that the only way to get him to eat his food was to serve it too him as though they were at a restaurant, even though he was sitting in his own kitchen.

“At first I thought he would eventually get hungry enough to eat, but he was so fussy that I had to sit his food in front of his and tell him, ‘okay, now this is Andrew’s Place, and it’s time to eat our dinner’,” said Nicky Marks. “Otherwise he wouldn’t eat it!”

When Andrew turns 13 this November his father and older brother, Christopher, will have already opened up Andrew’s Place at the old Malibu Jack’s location at 231 Fury’s Ferry Road.

“I know this location can be a very, very good location for what we’re doing,” said Nicky. “When Malibu Jack’s opened up I was a customer here, and there was a good crowd, but over the years I’ve heard that it kind of went downhill. We felt that Augusta was in need of the kind of establishment we wanted to run, which is a really nice, upscale,

clean and safe place with dancing, good entertainment and good food.

It’s what I consider a place that everybody wants to come to, be at, and work for.” No management or staff remain from the closed Malibu Jack’s.

Nicky is helping his son Christopher, who is the actual owner of the new restaurant along with a successful recycling business in Charlotte, North Carolina. But both father and son have a similar vision for what they would like Andrew’s Place to become, and the first step was to bring in a dream team to manage the front end and kitchen.

That team includes Rudy Rosado, maître de and front house manager, who claims to have worked at almost every restaurant in Augusta that is worth eating at, including the West Lake Country Club, Calvert’s and Carrabbas.

“All upper scale restaurants, especially if they are privately owned, are all about the food,” said Rosado.

“Customer service is always the most important things in any food and beverage business, but that goes without saying. What we want to do here is to excite all five senses

with the presentation of the food, the taste, smell and texture. We want to create a new experience for the guest, not just them paying and leaving.”

“We want this to be the next level of anticipating a guest’s needs,” said Nicky. “The less you have to ask for, the better your experience will be.

We wanted to open up a place where are five senses are excited, while at the same time you feel comfortable and able to enjoy yourself.”

The team also includes head chef Kief Thompson, the former soux chef at the Partridge Inn with 17 years in the business.

“This is my first time as executive chef, but working at the Rooster’s Beak sort of brought me around to understanding the standards and professionalism that are needed in this business,” said Thompson. “It rekindled the fire and brought me around to where I need to be.”

According to Thompson, the bistro-style menu is a take on unique foods with flavor influences.

“The full menu has a flavor for all tastes with different interpretations of classic beef, chicken, and seafood dishes,” he said. “At the same time

we want to be able to offer bar fair, though it’s all going to be very upscale.”

The original Malibu Jack’s was completely gutted when the new owner’s arrived on the scene, so they have spent most of October busily installing new televisions near the bar, setting up a VIP area, and arranging for live music on some nights.

Andrew will turn 13 years old on November 5. His father says that he is a homeschooled, A and B average student who is excited to follow his dad in to work as soon as he gets the opportunity, that way if he wants to get into the business he had that option.

Christopher and Nick hope to have Andrew’s Place open by Andrew’s birthday. They will be open from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. for dinner, and are making plans to add lunch and Sunday brunch. Reservations are recommended and applications are accepted for all positions.

Call 706.426.7904

By Christopher Selmek

NOVEMBER 2013

NOVEMBER JUNE 2012 2013

www.

.

SPECIAL CAREER SECTION

Buzz on Biz Matchmaking

INSIDE THIS SECTION

NEIL GORDON | President, Buzz on Biz LLC

T

wo job-related conversations in October cemented the fact of how needed all of the job fairs and expos are in our area, including ours in February. I had lunch with a CSRA healthcare executive who is looking hard for a Monday-Friday “PR” person to travel within an 11-county area to call on hospitals and medical practices. The pay, benefits and bonuses are great! At the same time, an Augusta advertising colleague of mine shared the story of how his son is burned out in his career in restaurant management and is looking for a career more in marketing\customer service, with “normal” work weeks and a chance for advancement. Yes, I will put the ad mans’ son together with the healthcare company!

Buzz on Biz believes there are hundreds, if not thousands of those same situations going on in this new economy. It is with great pride that yours truly, special projects coordinator Erin Campbell, and sales aficionado Kyle Evans invite you to participate as an employer or prospective employee in the 1st Annual Buzz on Biz Career Expo. We’ll be splitting up the floor of the Legends Club on Washington Road.

Our presenting sponsors Augusta Staffing\Job Shop, Teleperformance and News 12 will be showcased in

the ballroom along with the following VP sponsors who’ve signed up so far: GRU and Meybohm. Those fine organizations join human resources sponsor, Today’s Staffing, and exhibitors such as Troy University, Primerica, Spherion Staffing, Nerium Skin Care, Georgia Military College and Mary Kay Cosmetics.

We’ll divide the other section of the Legends Club for breakout sessions to try and help job candidates increase their chances of an offer. Isaac Kelly of Augusta Staffing\Job Shop will lead three different sessions including: Resume formatting tips, Online Application Tips and Interview FollowUp Tips.

All the exhibitors will be fed through a partnership with Edgar’s Grille, and Ms. Campbell is working on “goody bags” for all participants.

Save the date of February 13 from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. for what is shaping up to be the BEST Career Expo in the CSRA. We’re putting all of our media platforms behind this event, including this newspaper. Please read a number of interesting stories in this section.

We also invite you to check back often for the latest info and job stories at www.facebook.com/ buzzonbizcareerexpo. If you are interested in sponsorship\exhibit information, please call Erin Campbell at 706.589.2033.

Tables and tablecloths are provided by Augusta Linen Service And Rentals.

P. 22 P. 23 P. 24 P. 25 P. 26 P. 28

Tools for Leaders Advice from Staffing Experts A Career in Real Estate Customer Service Opportunities Help from Coach Larry Back To School

25 29 39 27 19 23 27

22

NOVEMBER 2013 Rules and Tools for Leaders: From Developing Your Own Skills to Running Organizations oF any Size, Practical Advice for Leaders at all Levels This book, by Perry and Jeff Foley, was published on 6 August, 2013. Earlier editions were entitled Taking Charge and, later, Rules and Tools for Leaders: A Down-to-Earth Guide to Effective Managing. Translated into five languages, the earlier editions of this book have been quite successful (more than 300,000 in print). It has been used in corporations, non-profits, churches, military professional colleges, and in leadership programs in schools from high school to MBA and executive MBA programs. It was also, used, for a while, in the Marine Corps general officer orientation course and handed out to new U. S. Army battalion and brigade commanders.

However, by 2012, it was clear that it was time to do a major update and rewrite. There were many new ideas on leadership and many new leadership challenges that needed coverage in a new edition.

After much discussion, Perry and Jeff decided to team up and write the new edition.

Jeff, who had retired from the Army in 2010 (his last position in the military was commander of the Signal Center at Fort Gordon, Ga.), and was holding a senior position at George Regents University, was the ideal person to become the co-author of this book.

He had lots of fresh ideas about leadership, he and Perry were close friends and he had recent experience in top leadership positions in the military and the non-profit worlds.

Also, Jeff, who has been conducting leadership workshops throughout the Southeast, is now an independent consultant in leadership development, and is a partner with Ken Blanchard and his Companies. Blanchard is the co- author of One Minute Manager.

Jeff wrote five chapters, Marine Colonel Michael Bohn wrote a chapter on managing the electronic workspace and Perry wrote a new chapter on leading the non-profits. Perry and Jeff worked together to update the chapters, the checklists and the bibliography. Material that was no longer relevant was eliminated. The result is a book which should be useful for today’s busy leaders.

Comments and criticism are most welcome. Please feel free to contact us at genpsmith@aol.com or at jwfoley@icloud.com

23

NOVEMBER 2013

Hiring Help is Expensive Robert Kelly

M

| Augusta Staffing

ost of us have paid the costs of hiring an employee, and were astonished at what it costs to get them through the on-boarding process, training, etc. This is important information to have when considering replacing someone, or even when counter-offers are in play. Have you ever considered the costs incurred when interviewing just one qualified person for an opening in your organization? I’m not talking about a yearly budget for recruiting, which most likely doesn’t include all the costs to which I am referring...simply the cost to meet with a qualified candidate. In a perfect world, all you would need is a nice networking plan, with the media of word-of-mouth to get the word out.

But, as most of us know and have experienced, it doesn’t always bring the skill set we seek. Some organizations actually require that a job be posted internally, then externally, and then reviewed, and by the time you’re ready to look at the filtered results, it’s not a need anymore because you figured out that you can just stretch your current staff to pick up the slack. Talk about a waste... but enough about the government.

Let’s say that you didn’t get what you wanted with the elaborate wordof-mouth channels, and you decide to publicly announce the opening. Today’s hiring requires a presence online, which means paying for an online job board.

Theoretically, it should be cheaper to post online than in a newspaper, right? Wrong. The cost is the same, or sometimes more if you’re not a frequent flier on the job board of your choice.

Then you’ll want to not exclude those traditional job seekers who browse the paper weekly in hopes of a chance to apply for your dream job. So far, we’ve got advertising costs of online and paper ads for the whole world to see.

What’s next? Candidates apply, and you get to see people that you thought were applying for the fun of it, and those that actually have the skills that you need, or close to it. So we need to include and calculate the time required to review all of the candidates to see if they are a match skill-wise on paper.

What do you make per hour? Oh, wow, so multiply that by about 3. That’s the average time to review and qualify the average response of 150 online and

offline applications. Now it’s time to talk and see if you could speak to your hard sought after candidates on the phone -- to both lightly screen their knowledge and expectations, then ultimately get them in front of you. You’ll need to multiply your hourly rate by about 7 more hours for this phase and all the correspondence to keep your business’ reputation clear for those not chosen, and about another 2 or 3 for sit down interviews with your stars.

I know, you’re biting at the bit to find out... What is the damage? Even with the most conservative of numbers for costs and hourly labor, the total is an average $3,200.00 just to get the person in front of you to consider them for the position. Wow. That is bigger than some of us small business’ marketing budgets monthly! As well as it should be. People are what make all the difference whether your company is successful, or not. Google, Coca-Cola, Microsoft or even the “Hamstars” at KIA would not be as successful with just anybody filling the seats. If you’ve ever heard of the saying “Slow to hire, quick to fire”, it makes sense due to all the monetary resources that it took to get you to the point of hire. When hiring your next employee, think of and track the costs that it takes to get to the point of an interview. I’d be interested to hear your results!

Let me give you a “gorilla-hiring” tip regarding the media of word-of-mouth.

This can be hard to achieve, but the first step is simple. Treat your current and future employees the way you would your most important investment.

Respect them, train them to be better and encourage them to stretch outside of the box for new ideas. This type of culture will spread within and outside your circles of influence. When it’s time to hire, this word-of-mouth network will be primed and ready and you will be the company sought after for your local industry.

Robert Kelly has worked a “full desk” for 10+ years at the trio of employment experts, Job Shop, Inc., Augusta Staffing, and Aiken Staffing. He specializes in the Clerical, Professional, and IT staffing services for Augusta Staffing in the Augusta GA office.

Augusta Staffing exists to give its clients the most flexibility in their hiring process, saving time and money to meet the right people. If you’d like to speak to Robert about free interviews for your company, please contact him at 706.860.4820, or robert@ augustastaffing.com.

24

NOVEMBER 2013 Vandermorgan Realty Opens Satellite Office in South Augusta

Heroes Veterans Event – Augusta, GA

SavannahNovember Rapids Pavillion 12th, 9:00am-1:00pm Martinez, Georgia 30907 Savannah Rapids Pavilion

esday, November 12, 2013

NG FAIR: 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM for: Employers are looking

· Veterans · Active Duty nt-, Prudential- and University Guard\Reserve of Phoenix-sponsored hiring · National by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, the · Military Spouses r of Commerce, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs,

LOYMENT WORKSHOP: 9:00 AM

Department of Labor Veterans’ Employment and Training Georgia Committee of the Employer Support of the Guard For registration, please contact us at United States Army Reserve (USAR), the Governor’s Office hiringourheroes@uschamber.com or call 202-463-5807.

NBC News, and other local partners.

S

H.Greatjob.net

JOB SEEKERS

Register for FREE at HOH.Greatjob.net

to guarantee admission. Walk-ins welcome but space not guaranteed.

other military job seekers that focuses on resume writing, tips for airs, military skill translation, and interviewing will start at 9:00 AM. eroes Employment Workshop, visit hohworks.eventbrite.com/

contact us at hiringourheroes@uschamber.com or call 202-463-5807.

online partner for Hiring Our Heroes  Find Hiring Our Heroes online:

Vandermorgan Realty may be a recent addition to the Augusta market, but founder Justin Bolin says that for the last five years business has been so phenomenal that he is now operating a satellite office out of South Augusta, and plans to open a Tobacco Road location in the next week.

“It is a location where agents can come in and utilize the facilities to get back out on the streets a lot faster, as opposed to having to work out of a West Augusta office and do business in South Augusta,” he said. “It only makes sense to have access to a professional office environment and atmosphere to control the point of sale, and then to head over to West Augusta; we also have an office in west Augusta as well which is convenient to Martinez.”

Vandermorgan Realty is also promising realtor’s 100 percent compensation for the next five years, minus an administrative fee that is smaller than most of their competitors.

“I currently have all the licenses in place in order to be able to take Vandermorgan Realty from Augusta, GA across state lines and across the nation and sell to other independent real-estate companies such as Century 21 and Remax,” said Bolin. “I want to be able to compete with those guys starting in the next five year. In order to do that I have to build a platform here in the Augusta marketplace to bring those other companies in to show them exactly what we’re doing and how our systems are working in order for me to go ahead and become that franchisor.”

For more information, visit Vandermorganrealty.com.

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25 NOVEMBER 2013

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NOVEMBER 2013

EMPLOYEES AND EMPLOYERS: CHANGE YOUR “GRATITUDE”!

T

LARRY RUDWICK | The Buzz Business Coach

hanksgiving is coming! As I write this article, we are rolling into the Holiday Season and Thanksgiving will soon be here. To me, it simply serves as a reminder of an important way to become more successful in our businesses, as well as our careers and personal lives!

Dwelling on the negative is a turn-off. The opposite of being thankful and grateful is having a “bad attitude”. Who really wants to be around people that complain and feel sorry for themselves much of the time?

Certainly we all have problems, but thinking of ourselves or others as losers or martyrs, and thinking of the world often in negative terms, makes for an unhappy and usually unsuccessful life, both for us and those close to us.

It’s easy to get upset.

Perhaps we set our goals too high, and get really disappointed when we “fail”. Perhaps people make us upset because we are in the wrong place at the wrong time. Whatever the reason, we CAN improve our attitude if we work on it.

Attitude is “everything”. Who are the people you most want to be around and help? Have you noticed it is people who have good attitudes, and those who are thankful and grateful?

Most of us would benefit significantly by working on this.

Being Thankful and Grateful leads to success!

Most people who are successful – happy, helpful, productive, financially secure through their own ethical efforts, etc. – are people who are attractive to be around. They are more likely to be sought after and given good opportunities, which creates more positive outcomes as time goes on.

It doesn’t matter whether you are a business executive, a lower level employee, a spouse, parent or child, the same principle applies; being thankful and grateful leads to more success.

Get Started Now! Write a Gratitude List! What is a “gratitude list”? It’s a written list of the many things we are thankful and grateful for.

Do you have good health? Are you in a happy relationship with a “significant other”? Do you have a nice circle of friends? What things are you looking forward to?

As we think about it, we likely have many, many things in our lives that are quite positive. Writing them down and reading them often will help us become more thankful and grateful for what we do have. As we make this ingrained,

people notice a positive change, and we become more attractive.

One more suggestion: Many of us wait until the end of the year to make New Year’s Resolutions, which are usually forgotten by February.

Resolutions are goals, and goals should be thought about at least weekly, if not several times a day.

Being thankful and grateful is also something that should be thought about many times a day.

Make a resolution to consciously become more thankful and grateful.

Focus on your gratitude list at least

once a day, especially when negative thoughts start to come.

LARRY RUDWICK This is a sponsored Business-Talk article. A lot more about this can be found on the www.BusinessTuneUps.com website. To do an Executive Assessment requires a Word Document entitled Ten Questions That Can Improve Your Life. I would be happy to email one to you; you may request it from me at Rudwick@cox.net or calling 571-331-6102.

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NOVEMBER 2013

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NOVEMBER 2013

Corporate Gift Giving 2013 Lelia Williams | Geez Louise Special Events

A

s 2013 comes to an end, we are hoping to celebrate the success of our businesses -- not only with our employees, but also with the clients who have allowed us this success. One of the ways to celebrate this success with our clients is by gift giving. Client gift giving has jumped leaps and bounds from the days of fruit cake. With the ever looming economic situation, companies should personalize and differentiate gifts to establish a connection with their clients.

Whether it is to strengthen existing ties, bring old clients back into the mix, or generate referrals, we have a list of corporate gift ideas that will encompass all of your clientele.

Coffee - I am of firm belief that all businesses run on a strong basis of caffeine. A company branded coffee mug and a variety of k-cups wrapped in a silver bag with a red bow would be welcomed at any office. Also, they will reuse your branded mug again and again, reminding them of your generosity.

Local Restaurant Gift Certificate - Lunch is a major expense to any corporate employee.

A lunch gift certificate can not only lighten up their spending but also promote business at a local restaurant. Some of my favorite local restaurants that are wonderful for lunch are Crums on Central and Farmhaus Burgers on Broad Street.

Office Supply Gift Card – Again, with the economy in the shape that it is in, who would not like a little help with the constant demand of copy paper?

Personalized Book - Have you read a book lately that has inspired you? Give it as a gift to inspire others with a personal message inside. My current book recommendation is

Good to Great by Jim Collins.

Cookies or Cake Pops - I recommend these items over gift baskets, due to the fact that they can be shared easily among coworkers.

Calendar - With the digital age in which we live, many people use the calendar on their phone more so than anywhere else. However, many people still use desk calendars. I would recommend these as gifts that can be branded with your company logo and gifted with an array of colored pens for added value.

Digital accessories - As mentioned before, we live in a digital era. Gifts such as stylus pens and cleaning cloths are relatively inexpensive and are used daily. These may also be made into a basket.

Golf Passes - Local courses often offer specials around the holidays. Be sure to include cart fees.

A donation to a Local Charity – Last, and certainly not least, a donation to a local charity is always a gift that continues to give.

There are many local charities that need support. My personal charity of choice is the Garden City Rescue Mission.

While I am aware that it is easy to order 12 fruit baskets online, I encourage each of you to put thought into the gifts that you send your clients. Don’t forget to add a handwritten note. After all, they are the backbone of your company and without them your success could suffer greatly.

Lelia Williams Geez Louise specializes in all events from corporate fundraisers and weddings to the popular Pinterest party! Call us today for a free consultation (912) 3120866 or online at geezlouiseevents.com. Lelia Sakata Williams is co-owner of Geez Louise Special Events. She uses any free time being mom to her busy 8 year old son, Bobby, and watching Wheel of Fortune with her boyfriend, Kevin.

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NOVEMBER 2013

Graced Kennels Provides Personal Service for Any Pet

Graced Kennels, located at 1918 Colony Park Drive, provides personal attention for cats, dogs and pets of any kind whether their owners need to board their pets for a day or a week.

“With us being close to Fort Gordon we get a lot of Soldiers who go out of town, so that is our primary business that we do,” said manager Cherish Danforth, who resides on site. “We have a lot of regulars who bring in their pets for daycare Monday through Friday while they’re at work, and they spend more time here if not the same amount of time here that they do at home. And we have quite a few frequent customers who go out of town once a month that do board their animals here and they become like family because we see them so much.”

All employees are American Red Cross certified in animal first aid and CPR, and packages are priced by length of stay and not by the size of the animal, since all animals receive the same personalize attention.

“All of our runs are climate controlled, they can’t go in or out from their runs so they get contact from kennel technicians constantly throughout the day,” she said. “We try to keep them outside and keep them focused on ball or whatever, and they do enjoy it. Once they’ve come one time a lot of times they don’t want to go home.”

Graced Kennels also has large kitty condos and a deck for cats to play on, and has accommodated ferrets, rabbits and turtles as well as dogs.

Discounts run monthly, and military personnel receive 10 percent off their pet’s stay. For more information, visit gracedkennels.com.

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NOVEMBER 2013

See, We Do Need Algebra!

Missie B. Usry |

O

Enrollment Manager

ften students ask, “Why do I have to learn about algebra? I’ll never use it again”. They think it is unnecessary if it is not directly related to the career field with which they have chosen.

Admittedly, I am not a math person, but it was my algebra teacher, Mr. Art Mark, at Georgia Military College, who showed me that algebra has practical and applicable uses. He defended learning algebra because we use it in many ways throughout our day, but commonly just don’t recognize it.

For example, formulas are a part of our lives. When we take a road trip, we may have to calculate time and distance to determine stopping for gas or what time to get to the airport without missing a flight. When we are in the kitchen cooking, even simple tasks like reading a recipe card means we exercise order of operation. Algebra teaches us problem solving and critical thinking too. One has to be able to look at family income to determine a budget, choose the best deal for mortgage rates, measure the floors to order enough carpet for our house, or review the best cell phone contract for the money. Then there’s the thing we don’t want to admit out loud -- our kids need our help with math homework. YIKES! Dare we spend our hard-earned money on a tutor? These every day decisions and tasks require a strong skill in algebra.

Even when we don’t think algebra is applicable to our work, it often is. You see, one doesn’t have to be a scientist or engineer to use more complex math than addition and subtraction.

In the workplace, we are sometimes required to figure out cost, price, or profit for a business. Presentations require graphs, charts, and statistical data to demonstrate growth or a need for change. Perhaps our job is in the marketing field where we have to determine demand for a product. All of this is calculated through algebraic models and processes.

See, we do need algebra! It saves us time, money, and unnecessary problems when we have a practical understanding of its use. The next time you hear someone gripe about an algebra class, you can now defend it. It’s there every day, right in our face, even when we may not know it.

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NOVEMBER 2013

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NOVEMBER 2013

The Southern Living Hotel Collection Welcomes The Willcox Inn to its Curated Group of Independent Hotels & Inns Geoff and Shannon Ellis were at the Southern Living headquarters and test kitchen in Birmingham in early October learning what it means to be a member of the Southern Living Hotel Collection and finding out about the ongoing series of events the magazine will conduct at The Willcox.

The Southern Living Hotel Collection, a small, curated group of independent, four-and five-star level hotels, resorts and inns that span 18 Southern states and offers the best in authentic Southern hospitality is pleased to welcome its newest member: The Willcox Inn in Aiken, SC. Since its launch this past July, the Collection has grown from its 15 premier hotels, resorts and inns to 19 carefully selected properties chosen by the editors at Southern Living.

Members of the Southern Living Hotel Collection are vetted according to the same criteria Southern Living editors use to determine editorial coverage. The collection is by invitation only. Each hotel in the collection provides a memorable experience through impeccable service, outstanding cuisine, high-quality facilities and the finest amenities. The Collection will continue to select additional properties over the coming years until the offering reaches up to 100 of the very best hospitality experiences across the South. For more information about the Southern Living Hotel Collection or to make a reservation at a Collection member visit: SouthernLivingHotelCollection.com, or like the Southern Living Hotel collection on Facebook at facebook.com/southernlivinghotelcollection.

“We’re delighted to welcome the beautiful and historic Willcox Inn to our collection of the South’s finest hotels, resorts and inns,” said Lindsay Bierman, Editor in Chief of Southern Living. “Each of these hotels exceeds excellent service and accommodations to create a distinct and memorable Southern experience.”

www.

NOVEMBER 2013 JAN. 10 –FEB. 6, 2013

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SOUTH CAROLINA BUSINESS

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SECTION D

Just a few of the nearly 3,000 Aiken citizens and visitors who attended the 2012 Thanksgiving One Table event in downtown Aiken. The tables are set up along Bee Lane and The Alley in the trendy alley restaurant and boutique section of Aiken but you don’t need directions. Once you park your car in downtown Aiken, just follow the throngs of smiling people. Photo by Steven Hale

Aiken, S.C. -- The Most Thankful Town in America!

N

StePHen Delaney Hale

o town in the country features a happier combination of traditional and communal Thanksgiving celebrations than Aiken, South Carolina.

It all starts at 9:00 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day, with a “Bloodies and Bagels” party on the lawn of the Aiken County Historical Museum, housed in a grand old “Winter Colony” mansion on the edge of the fabled 2,100-acre ‘urban forest’ Hitchcock Woods. The “Bloodies” are sold for a modest price in support of the Aiken Land Conservancy, and memberships can be purchased at the same time -- but there is no price for admission in any of these events all day long!

At 11:00 a.m., comes every longtime-Aikenite’s favorite tradition, The Blessing of the Hounds of The Aiken Hounds. This year will be the one-hundredth meeting, founded on this spot in 1914 by Louise Hitchcock and her family on what was then their hunting preserve. The huge park with its many and varied habitats is larger than the town itself. For all but one weekend in March, reserved for the charity Horse Show in the Woods, no motor vehicles or bicycles are allowed in The Woods; it’s reserved for horses, horse-drawn

| Freelance Writer

vehicles and people on foot.

“The Blessing” is held behind the Hitchcock Memorial Gate in The Woods -- a simple, low, brick structure about a half-mile trot from the museum, reached by the pack passing through brilliant fall foliage and hundreds of eager Aikenites.

Once at the gate, about a hundred foxhunters from half-a-dozen hunts in the region sit atop their mounts in brilliant formal colors. They sip champagne or cognac as a priest in his vestments (usually Anglican, Episcopalian or Catholic) intones a centuries-old ritual, blessing all the foxes, horses, people and animals of the forest who are about to take part in the first hunt of the season. (The Aiken Hounds does not hunt live animals, but “chases” after the scent of a fox dragged through the woods earlier that morning. This “drag hunt” was invented in these very woods by Mrs. Thomas Louise Hitchcock.)

The horses and hounds look a bit nervous but are trained and are normally well behaved during the halfhour service, although not accustomed to crowds or so many other animals.

Surrounding them are several hundred people -- two thousand is often the

newspaper’s estimate -- each of whom is in the best of moods to be back at the event they love so much.

Thanksgiving being such a family affair, scores of family groups beam with happiness as they see friends of their youth on this same sparkling fall morning every year. Describing feelings for the beauty, tradition and a shared Aiken love would be a waste of the reader’s time. It is rather to be joined and appreciated.

At the blare of trumpets and shouts of “Talley Ho!” the horses, riders and hounds tear off into the woods and out of sight, yet the day is not half done.

About half a mile north, up a fairly long and steep hill (there is ample parking for all but latecomers), is the center of this most quaint of Southern towns, with its dozens of shops and restaurants. In the middle of town in The Alley -- you can tell where by following the beamingly happy walking celebrants -- is the grass-roots phenomenon known as One Table, a meal for all, shared for no charge and with no regard to rank, or class or background.

In its eighth year in 2013, One Table is a community Thanksgiving dinner attended by well over 2,000 citizens

between 11:00 a.m., and 1:00 p.m., including those who have been well fed all year and many who are in need of a meal.

Hundreds of volunteers -- some out of religious conviction, some out of love for their town and their fellow man, and many for the camaraderie -- labor to cook turkeys, hams and all the fixin’s all night so that the whole town can sit down together and give thanks for their beautiful community.

It is an extraordinary experience, and the food -- begun eight years ago by a few of the town’s firefighters -- is just plain great. A just-plain-perfect American Thanksgiving dinner.

Every year so far has blessed One Table with perfect weather, and the falling of an autumn leaf on your turkey dinner is a little extra accent to a great day.

For more, please see: www.hitchcockwoods.org/enjoy/ calendar_of_events www.onetable.org www.downtownaiken.com, www.aikencountysc.gov/prt/tourism. htm

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NOVEMBER 2013

Local Chef Cracking Open New Markets with Specialty Spices StePHen Delaney Hale

C

hef Belinda (Belinda Smith-Sullivan) of Aiken County is opening up new markets for her gourmet spice combinations among the finest possible company -- the kind of folks you’d like to move in next door to.

After a year-long apprenticeship, manning a table outside the store, Chef Belinda made it to the shelves of the very high-end Whole Foods store in Columbia on Oct. 23, and she couldn’t be more thrilled.

That is, until her next major accomplishment.

“This is a huge jump for my business,” said Chef Belinda after her first day of meeting customers with her products inside the Columbia Whole Foods market. “They are such a wellrespected and reputable company nationwide and to be associated with a store like that is exactly where I’m trying to take my business.”

Already renowned in the Aiken/ Augusta area over more than a decade for her personal chef services and her incomparable event planning and hosting, she opened her own “online line” of mixed spices about two years ago to rave reviews -- and sales -- at chefbelinda.com.

Chef Belinda imports her “raw” spices from around the world and then mixes them up in her “top secret”

| Freelance Writer formulas, she says in describing her passion for flavor.

“I market my blends as an ‘artisan’ product, meaning I mix them in small batches so the freshness is not compromised,” she explains. The mixing and packaging are an art, combining exotic and very fresh spices from many sources she has developed across the globe. Chef Belinda is a graduate of Johnson & Wales University with highest honors in Culinary Arts.

She is certified in Wine Studies from the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley, Calif., and served as a corporate chef in France, Kenya and South Africa.

She is getting so successful at her marketing, no doubt due to the quality of her product, that those “small batches” might require some help soon as Chef Belinda’s spices catch on with good cooks around the area, the country and the world.

Since opening her on-line store of seven spice mixes, she now has 11 and was recently invited to display and sell them on OpenSky network, opensky. com, an online mall of high-end stores and products, giving her much wider exposure to stylish cooks everywhere.

“If you go through my site, you will see hundreds of stores. A lot of extra traffic is directed to my store being affiliated with OpenSky,” she said.

Courtesy of Jim Stafford, Bella Magazine. Chef Belinda Spices demo at Whole Foods in Columbia, SC.

That has been a big accomplishment, but making it to the shelves of the Columbia Whole Foods market was a yearlong commitment.

“I’m a member of the South Carolina Specialty Foods Association and met representatives of Whole Foods at our annual meeting, where we talked about how I could get my products into their stores, which is an extensive process,” Belinda recalled last month on her day of triumph.

“Many people recognized me from my banner. They would walk up and look twice and then say, ‘Oh are you Chef Belinda!’ They are just happy to meet you because you developed the product. I have recipe cards that go with all the spices; it gives customers the confidence that they can take this home and do it themselves.

All her products are certified through the South Carolina Department of

Agriculture, which allows her to display their logo as a symbol of safety and authenticity. “That is something for which you have to be recommended and earn. It is highly sought after. It shows the product is produced under the highest standards and is something consumers can rely upon.”

It may not surprise that Chef Belinda has further plans. She is currently in only the Columbia store, but managers at the other two South Carolina Whole Foods stores, in Charleston and Greenville, are about to hear from her.

As for the location announced for fall 2014 in Augusta, “You can bet I’ll be talking with them,” she said.

Contact Chef Belinda at 803.552.6450 or belinda@chefbelinda. com. Read her Flying Foodie articles at flyingfoodie.blogspot.com. See all of her services, including Chef Belinda Spices, at chefbelinda.com.

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NOVEMBER 2013

Healthier employees, healthier company

Improving the health and well-being

YOUR PARTNER IN EMPLOYEE HEALTH

of your employees isn’t just a great

Wellness Program Services – health screenings, cardiac screenings, educational seminars, nutrition guidance

thing to do—it’s a smart thing to do.

Healthier employees reduce healthcare costs, increase productivity, and improve employee retention rates. Partner with the Business and Industry Health team at Aiken Regional Medical Centers to start enjoying a healthier company.

Workers’ Compensation Services – safety programs, ergonomic job site evaluations, physical therapy, transitional modified work programs, education/training programs Physicals/Drug Screening – annual physicals, post-offer physicals, return-to-work physicals, DOT drug screens, breath alcohol testing First Aid and CPR Training Contract Nursing Support

Learn how you can improve employee wellbeing while saving healthcare dollars.

For more information, call Business and Industry Health at 803.642.2885.

BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY HEALTH

Physicians are on the medical staff of Aiken Regional Medical Centers but, with limited exceptions, are independent practitioners who are not employees or agents of Aiken Regional Medical Centers. The hospital shall not be liable for actions or treatments provided by physicians.

36

NOVEMBER 2013

Aiken and the CSRA Host National Nuclear Sciences Week StePHen Delaney Hale

W

hen the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History in Albuquerque, N.M., sought a host for their 4th Annual National Nuclear Sciences Week, they put their microscope on one of their favorite places, Aiken, S.C. Speakers at Our Community’s Nuclear Industry forum, sponsored by the local Citizens for Nuclear Technology Awareness on Oct. 24 at the USC Aiken Etherredge Center, praised Aiken for its importance to the country’s and the world’s nuclear expertise, they made it clear they meant the whole region, Augusta, North Augusta, Barnwell, Columbia, Waynesboro, Allendale and all of the communities in the area who host important nuclear facilities, schools and universities who prepare professionals for work in them and which are home to the highly trained and motivated people who operate these facilities.

Using Aiken County numbers, Rear Admiral USN (Ret.) and former plant manager of SRS for Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, Hugh Munns, showed a staggering parade of evidence of the site’s importance to the area.

“SRS has a big footprint,” Munns told the audience.

He said that in 2010 the economic output from SRS was $2.386 billion, the largest in the region and second largest in the state. Munns explained that 50 percent of SRS employees live in Aiken County and that SRS related employment was 23,262 jobs when considering that every SRS job means 2.5 jobs in the community. Roughly one in every four homes in Aiken County is SRS related and a quarter of the County’s revenue comes from the site or from influences of the site.

Munns said that SRS executives serve on 40 CSRA community agency boards and that more than half of United Way output is SRS related.

Executives and other employees have been encouraged to be a part of their communities since the first workers showed up in the early 1950s, and they have sung in church choirs, headed Scout troops and taken part in fundraising drives for six decades in the region.

Tangible benefits from the site include the URS Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Aiken, the Ruth Patrick Science Center at USC Aiken, which welcomed 92,000 school children last year, Aiken Technical College’s national award winning Manufacturing and Technical Training Center is supported by SRS, as are several of the innovative college’s other career oriented lines of education and that there are innumerable education benefits to

| Freelance Writer

K-12 and college students supported by the site and its workers.

Even though the Cold War is over and won, Munns also touted the significant role that SRS plays in the national security of the United States through its strategic deterrent, its nonproliferation policies and programs and the invention of sensors, detection devices and nuclear forensics for homeland security. For one example, while 50 percent of the energy used in South Carolina comes from nuclear power, half of that is generated from nuclear materials that were salvaged from nuclear warheads, and no longer threaten this country or the people of the world.

Much of the day’s presentations focused on recent successful efforts to take world-leading technologies developed at SRS and the adjacent Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) and transfer them to American industries and, in peaceful applications, to the rest of the world.

SRNL Director Terry Michalske, said he and his fellow scientists and engineers began in an atmosphere of the utmost secrecy in their work, “and we continue to be proud of our roll in national security.” But, some of the most exciting work at SRNL is research being done with applications that will better the lives of Americans through their partnerships with such leading companies as Ford, Boeing, BASF and Hadron Technologies.

Among other major lines of research are hydrogen energy storage and microwave technologies that have tremendous possibilities to further science and benefit American families.

All Week and All Over the CSRA Besides Thursday’s public forum on the impact of the nuclear industry on the community, the rest of the week was packed with events around Aiken, Augusta and the region and the National Nuclear Sciences Week celebration spread to events all over the country.

Suzy Hobbs Baker, executive director of PopAtomic Studios, a nonprofit organization that conducts educational outreach through the Nuclear Literacy Project, has been a member of the National Nuclear Science Week steering committee for the past two years and had a hand in planning the weeklong series of events.

“As you probably already know,” Baker wrote in her blog the week before coming to the celebration, “South Carolina is a very nuclearfriendly state – we (the state) get half of our electricity from nuclear energy.

We also have a very strong nuclear nonprofit presence in the state, with

the Savannah River Site Community Reuse Organization leading efforts on the ground for activities throughout the region.”

Each day of the week offered something new to explore.

Monday was “Get to Know Nuclear” Day – with activities scheduled for local students at the Ruth Patrick Education Center at the University of South Carolina Aiken. Monday also saw the kickoff of the week with Citizens for Nuclear Technology’s annual, and highly prestigious, Edward Teller Lecture, with Keynot Speaker Marv Fertel from the Nuclear Energy Institute at the USC Aiken Convocation Center.

CNTA introduced itself to the world in the early 1990s with its first Teller Lecture, which featured nuclear pioneer Edward Teller himself speaking to an overflow audience at the Augusta Marriott. About two dozen veterans of the Manhattan Project, most of whom had migrated to the Savannah River Plant, were honored by Dr. Teller and the CNTA members.

Tuesday, October 22, was Careers in the Nuclear Field Day – with a webinar called Journey to the Center of the Atom” and Workforce Development Day at the Kroc Center in Augusta. IndyCar racer Simona De Silvestro entertained the students with the importance of diversity in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) careers and showed her super-cool race car!

Wednesday was Nuclear Generation Day – with tours of Southern Company’s Plant Vogtle complex south of Augusta. Other tours of the Savannah River Site and the VC Summer nuclear power site near Columbia, S.C. On a busy Thursday, Georgia

Regents University hosted presentations on Nuclear Safety Day, featuring a Journey to the Center of the Atom and Fundamentals of Nuclear Fuel and Career Opportunities.

On Friday, the University of South Carolina Salkehatchie in Allendale hosted Nuclear Medicine Day. SRS and the Community Support Each Other Clint Wolfe, executive director of CNTA, was pleased with the quality of the presentations in the four sessions at the community impact forum. Among others, the audience heard from speakers from the Department of Energy, Westinghouse Electric, South Carolina Electric and Gas, The Southern Company and Plant Vogtle, Hadron Technologies, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, USC Aiken, Aiken Technical College, The University of South Carolina in Columbia, Georgia Regents University and USC Salkehatchie.

As an aside to friends in the audience during a break, Wolfe said it is gratifying to see the size of the nuclear footprint in the region and that bringing all these parts together shows a picture that is not seen as people go about their lives.

“We were hoping to impress upon the community that the nuclear industry is vital to our well being,” said Wolfe, “not only because of providing good jobs, but for the contributions to our quality of life. These contributions include education, culture, health, and community giving. It therefore becomes incumbent upon us, as a community, to help promote the positive aspects of the nuclear industry in order to sustain these positive influences.”

37

NOVEMBER 2013

Hearing Conservation Made Easy H

Jennifer Marfitt

| The South Company

earing conservation programs are designed to prevent hearing loss through education, hearing screenings and the reduction of occupational hazards that threaten a worker’s ability to hear. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations require that companies of any size with employees exposed to a timeweighted average (TWA) sound level of 85 decibels or greater must have a hearing conservation program in place to meet OSHA/MSHA compliance standards.

In addition to requiring the hearing test as part of OSHA’s mandated Hearing Conservation Program for hazardous-noise exposed workers, the administration also requires noise management and annual employee training. Hearing Associates of South Carolina can provide these services for companies of any size. Trey Welsh, the CAOHC Certified Technician for Hearing Associates, explained, “We offer the flexibility and capability to meet each company’s specific needs in order to design a comprehensive Hearing Conservation Program for the company. Our customers determine in which phases of the hearing conservation program they would like

assistance.”

Hearing Associates of South Carolina makes hearing conservation easy by providing onsite hearing testing that can be scheduled at a convenient time and date for the company. The Hearing Associates of South Carolina’s hearing conservation program provides professionalism, flexibility, local availability, cost effectiveness and quality assurance.

Hearing Associates of South Carolina has a simple process for helping a company comply with hearing conservation standards. After setting up an appointment, Hearing Associates of South Carolina goes to a business’s location with their state-of-the-art soundproof mobile office. The mobile office is able to accommodate 4 employees at a time, and each group only takes about 15 minutes to complete testing. The testing, done in the mobile location, consists of a questionnaire and an otoscopic screening. The audiometric tests are conducted at OSHA required test frequencies of 500, 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000 and 6000 Hz. After testing is completed, the certified audiometric technician completes the processing and reviews the results for each employee tested.

Hearing Associates put together a report of the results and have it back to the company within three weeks.

Hearing Associates of South Carolina is available for make-up testing and consultations on their return with the results.

After testing is completed and the company receives its results, Hearing Associates of South Carolina keeps all results on file in their office. Each year, employee records are matched to ensure that the employee is not

suffering from hearing loss. Hearing Associates of South Carolina can also help a company put a hearing conservation plan in place and provide required employee training.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, contact Trey Welsh of Hearing Associates of South Carolina at 706-832-4481 or by e-mailing hasc.trey@atlanticbbn.net.

Hearing Associates can be found online at www.hearingassociatesofsc. com and also on Facebook.

NOVEMBER 2013

Open s 24 Hour

4361 Washington Road Evans, GA 706-364-2095

3125 Peach Orchard Road Augusta, GA 706-364-6147

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LEISURE AND HOSPITALITY

25 29 39 27 19 23 27

SECTION C

Drew Belt on the 18th hole at Westlake Country Club.

Understanding Your Ball Position Drew Belt | Assistant Golf Professional at West Lake County Club

Y

ou might have been told that your ball position should change depending on the club you’re using.

For shorter irons, many people contend that the ball should be played in the middle of the stance, but hitting longer clubs requires the ball position to be more forward.

The problem with changing your ball position for every club is that your weight will have to move differently, and because of this you will not make the same swing twice. If you are lucky to be talented enough to make 13 different swings, it now becomes guesswork

as to where the ball should be played to hit the ball a consistent distance.

I recommend playing the ball in a consistent position so you only have to learn one golf swing. Remember though, every lie and every shot is different, unlike the driving range.

Because of this, we have to know our ball position and the impact of moving the ball forward and backwards in our stance.

So where should my ball position be?

The first step is figuring out the low point in your golf swing. Normally, if you drew an imaginary line from your left shoulder joint, at address, to the ground, this would represent the low point of your swing. Because you want to hit the ball before you hit the ground, you should place your ball just before

the low point. The longer the club gets, the wider your stance will become. This will give the ball the appearance that is further forward in your stance. Believe me, it is not!

The second step is to figure out what type of shot you are hitting, and what type of shot you like to hit. If you like to hit a draw, then you will have the ball a little bit back of others. If you would like to favor a fade then you will need to have the ball more forward in your stance. Remember, the path and plane is responsible for the curvature of your ball. If you look at the diagram with the red arrows indicating the club path, you will notice that if you play the ball back further in your stance the club will be swinging from the inside, and if you play the ball forward in your stance the club

will be swinging from the outside.

This is where you can help yourself on the range. If you find yourself fading the ball when you do not want the ball to fade, look at your ball position, and I bet it will be too forward. The opposite would be said if you are hitting too much of a draw. Check your ball position and chances are it might be a little too far back in your stance.

Next time you are on the range, experiment with your ball position, try to find the low point, and you might be surprised with your newly found control of your ball flight.

Drew Belt This is a sponsored Golf article.

Drew is an Assistant Golf Professional at West Lake County Club. A PGA of America Class A Member, Drew has been teaching golf to all levels of players for over 10 years. For comments or story ideas email drewbelt@ westlakecountryclub.com

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NOVEMBER 2013

Keep the Winter Weight Off ED REID | Owner, Team Fit

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ou’ve worked out hard and eaten well.

As the days get shorter and the cooler weather sets it, don’t sabotage your efforts by gaining unwanted pounds. Instead of settling for the baggy clothes you pull out this time of year, donate them. Make the commitment today to keep that summertime body.

Get outside and grab some sunshine! You can drink your coffee and read your e-device. Take a walk on your lunch break. Wear the appropriate clothing and enjoy the rays. Keep your serotonin levels up, which help elevate your mood.

It can be difficult to stay on track with your typical eating habits.

Holiday events and festivities that can easily get you sidetracked, or in some cases, completely derailed.

Make sure you are consistently eating small, well balanced meals throughout the day. Drink plenty of water. Don’t allow a one day “festive event” to turn into an excuse for overindulging the whole week.

Your menu should include spinach,

broccoli, sweet potatoes, oranges, apples, squash and other seasonal delights.

Become more active indoors.

Now is the time to use that gym membership you have hanging from your key ring. If the big-box gym is not your favorite place, find a more intimate facility that specializes in one-on-one training, spinning, Yoga / Pilates or whatever peaks your interest. Maybe you would enjoy playing one of the motion activated video games at home with your family? It doesn’t matter what you choose, just keep moving.

It’s that simple! Have fun during these cooler months. Enjoy spending time doing festive activities. Stay focused on fitness and you will keep the pounds off.

ED REID This is a sponsored Fitness article. Ed is a Certified Personal Trainer and leading fitness expert in the CSRA. He is Retired US Navy with over 15 years experience in the health and wellness industry. Ed owns Team Fit Personal Training located at 4460 Columbia Road, Suite 10. For more information, call Ed at 706.877.0556 or e-mail him: getfit@ teamfitaugusta.com.

Healthcare 4

WHAT DOES THE REST OF THE WORLD KNOW THAT YOU DON’T?

gru.edu/spine Job # 1271GRM13 • Job Title: Spine_BuzzOnBiz Publication: Buzz On Bizz • Colors (include spots if used): CMYK Trim: 9.5 x 2.9 Date due to Pub: • Run Date:

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NOVEMBER 2013

The Snug Steak and Grill Nola Bon Viveur | Fun-Loving Foodie

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kept seeing this sign in front of The Snug Steak and Grill on Davis Road in West Augusta, advertising a great, inexpensive lunch menu. While the sign itself is bright yellow and a bit “loud” and does not at all match the classy, upscale ambience of the restaurant, I know the food is consistently good; so I decided to give it a shot for my Powerhour lunch.

The Snug is one of my favorite specialoccasion, date-night spots with the hubby. We love to go and enjoy a good steak and fresh salad. Rarely have we ordered anything that we didn’t love.

The lunch offerings at The Snug proved no different. I was thrilled to see that my favorite dinnertime appetizer, the jumbo lump crab dip, was also offered at lunch.

It would not be right to dine at The Snug at any time of day and not have the crab dip. Delicious! In addition, they offered the same fresh garden salad that they offer in the evenings. I love that they house make their salad dressings, and I always have a hard time deciding which to order; usually I ask for a sampling of all of them and just “dip” each bite. And if the crab dip and salad were not enough, I also ordered the tenderloin burger, a

burger freshly ground in-house. There was absolutely no way I could possibly eat everything I ordered, but it was all very tasty. Some of the other items on the lunch menu are various entrée salads with grilled chicken, hot and cold sandwich selections and burgers. On the Powerhour rating scale for food quality…

The Snug gets all thumbs up!

The atmosphere at The Snug is perfect for a business lunch meeting. It’s quiet and classy, yet casual and comfortable.

The dining room is newly renovated with fresh paint, décor and floors. It’s simple and beautiful.

My lunch meeting was with a client to brainstorm marketing ideas. It was not a quick lunch meeting, as we had several things on our agenda. We hung out for a while, and we never felt rushed. Often times, when restaurants are super busy at lunch, they act as if it’s an inconvenience if you stick around too long. This was not the case at The Snug. The staff was very friendly and inviting. Our server took great care of us, making sure we had everything we needed. She said to us, “Make yourselves at home and stay as long as you’d like”.

The location, on the corner of Davis and Pleasant Home Roads, is perfect.

It’s surrounded by office buildings,

The Snug’s Jumbo Lump Crab Meat appetizer.

banks, law offices and medical practices.

There was not a huge crowd on the day I dined, but there seemed to be several “regulars”. I could certainly see that there is the potential for professional networking, as the types of businesses in the area are so diverse.

The Snug is open for lunch Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. until 2:00 p.m., and it is a great Powerhour lunch spot. Give them a try!

hotspots for business power lunches. Nola is a regular contributor for Buzz on Biz. She is a native of Augusta, and is well acquainted with the local food scene.

LOCATION SERVICE NETWORKING

Nola Bon Viveur the “Fun-Loving Foodie,” is on the quest to find the best local

Noise LEVEL

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NOVEMBER 2013

First General Disaster Services Wins “Golden Hammer” Award

First General Disaster Services, a local Restoration Contractor, recently received the “Golden Hammer” Top Performer award with Contractor Connection on their excellence in service achievement.

This special award recognizes the top performing network members based on criteria that include Performance Objective Monitoring System score, time in process and overall quality of service, cooperation and professionalism.

“Within the Southeast region, I think it’s the top 100 contractors who are eligible for this award,” said Susan Jernigan, President and coowner of the company with her husband, Lee. “Crawford Contractor Connection, which is the company who put us on their ‘preferred Provider list’, is the third party claims administrator for major insurance companies like USAA, American Family and many others.”

Established in 1962, First General Services has evolved into the premier restoration, fire repair and disaster services company of the CSRA. For almost fifty years, The Jernigan Family has continuously and consistently been involved with the Augusta community providing insurance-related restoration for homes within a 50-mile radius of the CSRA, and frequently handle mold, fire and weather related renovations, as well as crime-scene cleanup and hording situations when it causes damage to the property.

Jernigan attributes some of their success to First General’s “silverlining” program, where they try to perform some upgrades to a property that has been damaged to the point that they need to restore it.

“I have lots of before and after pictures of one property we worked on that was a full-house flood that sat for three weeks in the summertime,” she said. “Basically we had to strip the whole house down to the studs and rebuild it. The owner was about to retire, and so we helped him out by adding some energy saving features like foam in the attic, a handicapped accessible bathroom; so we can upgrade a property at the same time we’re repairing it.”

First general has a 24-hour Emergency Response Team that is available 365 days a year to handle any size loss from the largest commercial property to the smallest residential home, whether you need a door secured, debris removed, a tarp on your roof or a state-of-the-art vortex drying system. For more information, call 706.650.3074 or visit firstgencsra.com.

Susan S. Jernigan, President First General Disaster Services. Photo Courtesy: Sofia Colton Photography

Home Improvements to Increase Your Home Value Lelia SAKATA Williams | Meybohm Realtors

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oming into the last months of the year, the real estate market can become the last thing on people’s minds. Many people will choose to think of Thanksgiving dinners and Christmas trees over finding a new home. During this time of the year, we would encourage you to focus on improving your home and getting the most for your home improvement dollar.

While cosmetic updates are important and we will cover them, it is the fundamental upgrades that will sell your home. Major systems such as roofing, plumbing, wiring, and heating and air conditioning units should be at the top of your list of home improvements. Buyers want assurance that the home they are purchasing is in top working order as well as visually pleasing. Have your HVAC system serviced, your roof inspected or fix that leak in your downstairs bathroom; these are the things home buyers are going to count on.

The number one cosmetic improvement, as well as the improvement that receives the most financial return, is painting. Painting your home can show the home as updated and clean.

If you are on a budget and cannot remodel an entire room, there are still many things you can upgrade on a budget. Change that outdated gold sink fixture and door handles to newer oil-rubbed bronze or brushed nickel finishes. If you cannot afford to replace your appliances, consider painting the current ones with appliance paint for a new look.

Often we will replace the things between the ceiling and the floor but we must remember that these are important home features as well. Not many features outdate a home more than popcorn ceilings. Scrape off the popcorn texture and paint ceilings with a flat

surface to modernize a home instantly.

Vinyl floors are also an indicator of a home’s age, and can be replaced with an easy-to-install wood flooring or tile sold at your local home improvement store.

HGTV would not have five shows at any given time devoted to curb appeal if it were not a sound investment. Some of the easier curb appeal projects are painting your mailbox, adding solarpowered lighting to light the path to the front door, or just adding color to flower beds with flowers that are in season.

Also, adding a fresh coat of paint to your front door can do wonders for your entry way.

Lastly, with any additional time or budget, spruce up the kitchen and bathroom. The kitchen is the heart of the home and can be easily updated by painting or replacing appliances or fixtures. However, in 2011 the bathroom passed the kitchen as the room in the home that is the most important to buyers and accounts for nearly twenty percent of the home value. Easy fixes in the bathroom include painting, framing the mirror above the sink, or something as easy as replacing a discolored shower curtain. These rooms should be clean and inviting.

Remember, buyers may not necessarily see value where you as the home seller would. Be sure to invest in upgrades that will appeal to all buyers. Your REALTOR® will be able to advise you as to what buyers in the CSRA are looking for in way of upgrades. Good Luck!

Lelia Williams This is a sponsored article. Lelia is the Marketing Director for Meybohm REALTORS®. She also serves as the co-chair for the Greater Augusta Association of Realtors- Young Professionals Network and is co-owner of Geez Louise Special Events. She uses any free time being mom to her busy 8 year old son, Bobby and watching wheel of fortune with her boyfriend, Kevin.

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NOVEMBER 2013

Moose Season

Miss Bossy Pants | Humorous thoughts on the workplace

Nora Blithe | Freelance Writer

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ast Tuesday afternoon I met my friend Jennifer for coffee and cupcakes at a local dessert shop called The Chocolate Moose. She was laid off earlier this year and her hunt for a new job was as productive as putting shoes on a cat. It wasn’t happening.

“How’s the search,” I asked her over lattes.

She groaned. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

She did want to talk about it. I could see her gearing up for what I called the “Six Year Speech.”

“Nora, for six years I ran a company and I can’t find a job. I can’t even get an interview! This economy is abysmal!”

She was talented, had experience and an amazing resume. I knew, I’d written it for her. She was the unfortunate victim of an economy that had less movement than a politician’s haircut.

She leaned in close. The little worry lines around her eyes told me that she didn’t want to say what she was about to tell me.

“It’s gotten so bad I took a job at that new coffee shop across town,” she confided. “The first job I ever had was at a coffee shop. I dumbed down my resume, added my coffee shop experience and had an interview within 24 hours. After I answered two questions I was offered a job on the spot.”

I knew she had dreaded the day when her savings ran out and she was forced to take a job, any job, to make ends meet. She was as driven as

she was proud. She wouldn’t see anything wrong with working in a coffee shop but it wasn’t for her.

She belonged at the head of a company. I didn’t know what to say so I didn’t say anything. I knew the choice was a hard one for my friend.

She gave a wry laugh, “I wouldn’t mind having my 17 year old job if I could have my 17 year old body.” We both paused and considered this while staring at the chocolate cupcakes in front of us. I thought back to the numbers on the scale the last time I dared to step on it. It might be a fair trade.

“But it’s either work at the coffee shop or go bankrupt.” She mused. “I go back and forth.”

Suddenly she burst into riotous laughter. I stared at her concerned. I expected a breakdown.

I just thought it would happen after she started working at the coffee shop not while consuming cupcakes.

I followed her gaze over my shoulder to the giant sign inviting customers to the shop. “Welcome!

Please drool over our desserts and a Moose Helper will be with you shortly,” it read.

Jennifer gasped for breath. “My career may be in crisis, I may be working a job that I’m overqualified for and I may be getting paid minimum wage,” she explained “but at least I’m not a moose!”

I laughed. With an outlook like hers I knew she wouldn’t be at the coffee shop for long. It would be a short season in her life, one that was mercifully antler-free. nora blithe is an Augusta native, an entrepreneur and a syndicated humor columnist. She lives in Greenville, SC with her husband Brian and their pets. Read her syndicated humor column Life Face First in Verge or find her online at doorinface.com or email her directly at norablithe@gmail.com.

NOVEMBER 2013