November 2013 Features

  • AAA: 43.4M Americans to Travel for Thanksgiving, a Slight Decline from Last Year

    November 22, 2013

    AAA projects 43.4 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more from home during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, a decrease of 1.5 percent from the 44 million people who traveled last year. This decrease falls just shy of last Thanksgiving's four-year peak since the recession-driven declines in 2008-2009 when Thanksgiving travel fell by 25 percent. The Thanksgiving holiday travel period is defined as Wednesday, Nov. 27 to Sunday, Dec. 1.

  • Dr. Art Dunning Named Albany State University Interim President

    November 21, 2013

    University System of Georgia (USG) Chancellor Hank Huckaby has named Dr. Arthur N. Dunning as interim president at Albany State University. He will begin his new assignment on December 2, taking over from Kimberly Ballard-Washington, who served temporarily as interim president since November 1, following the departure of former president Everette J. Freeman.

  • Government Shutdown Causes Small Business Loan Approval Rates to Fall in October

    November 20, 2013

    The U.S. government shutdown in October had a significant negative impact on small business lending, according to the Biz2Credit Small Business Lending Index. Meanwhile, alternative lenders seized the opportunity and picked up the slack in small business lending.

  • Do Men and Women Have Different Small Business Outlooks?

    November 18, 2013

    How are men and women entrepreneurs feeling about their businesses’ prospects for the coming year? The 5th in a series of studies by Hiscox Small Business, the DNA of an Entrepreneur (PDF), found that while both men and women small business owners are optimistic about their futures, there are some important differences in how they run their businesses.

  • Second Georgia Gives Day Yields Big Wins for State's Nonprofits

    November 15, 2013

    As the clock struck midnight, the tally stood at $1,448,233. Today, nonprofits across Georgia celebrate the virtual outpouring of support from 11,257 Georgians who came together for the second annual Georgia Gives Day to show their support for 1,720 participating organizations across the state.

  • Doug Robinson Asks: “What Do You Do?”

    November 14, 2013

    As you make the daily rounds in your profession I’m sure you are used to hearing this question regularly. You really ought to think about how you should respond, knowing that you will only have a very narrow time window to highlight your business to others.

  • United Way of SWGA Delivers Strong ROI For Donors

    November 13, 2013

    The United Way of Southwest Georgia is about halfway through its 2013 campaign and making good progress. According to LaKisha Bryant Bruce, chief executive officer of United Way of SWGA, interest in the campaign is high.

  • Keep Your Best Employees With Better Benefits

    November 12, 2013

    To maintain the best employees for your business, it’s imperative for business owners to take necessary steps to keep current top-tier employees satisfied in today’s economy. So what can small businesses do to make sure their key players stick around instead of window shopping for new opportunities? One way to retain current personnel and attract superior applicants is by offering strong benefits packages.

  • Sheriff Kevin Sproul Offers Up Some Thanksgiving Thoughts

    November 08, 2013

    Last month, the Dougherty County Sheriff’s Office held our annual Unity in the Community Barbeque. Speaking of thanks and food, this month brings one of my favorite holidays – Thanksgiving.

  • Scott Hunter on Navigating Today’s Economy

    November 07, 2013

    While changes in the economy occur regularly, what we have experienced recently is anything but a “normal” change. The challenges of the current economy haven’t been seen or experienced in our country in decades. Like most investors, you may wish you could figure out some way to know when economic conditions were about to change, or what adjustments you should make in your portfolio based on current conditions.

  • Phoebe Putney Health System Announces Partnership Aimed at Improving Service, Lowering Healthcare Costs

    November 06, 2013

    The rapidly changing health care landscape is bringing with it profound changes in reimbursement methods, shifting significant financial risk from payers to care providers. These changes are requiring hospitals to reorganize and reengineer the way they deliver care and to adjust rapidly to new payment reform. With that in mind, Phoebe Putney Health System announced a partnership with xG Health Solutions.

  • Georgia Named #1 State in U.S. for Business

    November 05, 2013

    Gov. Nathan Deal announced that Georgia’s business climate has been named No. 1 in the nation by Site Selection magazine, one of the nation’s top economic development trade publications.

  • Mobile Payments are Exploding: What You Need to Know

    November 04, 2013

    Accepting payments via mobile device is becoming more and more mainstream. Right now, we are in the midst of a growth spurt that will see mobile payments in the U.S. hit $90 billion by 2017, according to a Forrester Research report released earlier this year. That’s up from $12.8 billion spent in 2012, the report states. It’s also easier than ever to join the party, and retailers have an almost overwhelming number of options.

  • UGA, DOJ to Study How Much Consumers Will Pay for Internet

    November 01, 2013

    Researchers from the University of Georgia and the U.S. Department of Justice were awarded $530,000 over three years by the National Science Foundation and CableLabs to study demand for residential Internet service.