Features
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Interim Darton State College President Named
October 21, 2013
Dr. Paul Jones, currently the senior vice president for Finance and Administration and a professor of Educational Administration at Georgia College & State University in Milledgeville, was appointed interim president for Darton State College by the University System of Georgia.
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How to Handle a Public Relations Crisis
October 18, 2013
Admit it: None of us are as graceful as we think we are. We’ve all “stepped in it” so-to-speak and sometimes, the results aren’t pretty. Whether we’re out for a run or walking within the confines of our home, we’ve all had a clumsy moment with unintended consequences. Likewise, no matter how appropriately you run your business, if you’ve been in business long enough, then you’re bound to receive publicity you don’t like.
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Scott Hunter Shares Five Investing Mistakes You Don’t Have to Make
October 17, 2013
It’s easy to have confidence in investments made during bull markets: share prices climb and any losses from poor decisions are usually recovered fast. But times of increasing market volatility tend to magnify mistakes, and many investors may lose confidence in their decision making. Let’s take a quick look at some of these common — but generally avoidable — mistakes.
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C-Suite Leaders Look to Customers to Steer Business Strategy
October 16, 2013
Despite expressing an unprecedented commitment to direct customer influence on their business decisions and operations, one-third of CEOs worry that the rest of the C-suite is out of touch with customers, according to a new IBM study.
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The Clay Spot Acquires a New Owner; Expands Its Reach
October 15, 2013
The Clay Spot, a paint-your-own pottery studio that has been a fixture in Albany for 15 years, acquired a new owner at the end of June – Stacie Porter Brown. Brown is the studio's fifth owner, a former marketing professional and a fine arts graduate.
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Ag Exports Highlight Inaugural International Agribusiness Conference
October 11, 2013
Two Georgia leaders are encouraging the exportation of agricultural products to foreign countries. At an International Agribusiness Conference and Expo in Savannah the last week of September, hosted by the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and Georgia Southern’s Division of Continuing Education, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal and Agricultural Commissioner Gary Black encouraged approximately 200 attendees to explore global markets for their commodities.
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Doug Robinson on Transforming Customer Complaints into New Sales
October 10, 2013
Having been married for over 35 years, I live by the mantra that “I don’t want to be right, I want to be happy.” And I know that when my honey isn’t happy, nobody is happy! In sales, being right and wrong gets trumped by something else; it’s the perception of the customer that matters most. Keeping the customer satisfied and happy is paramount.
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14 Ways to Boost Employee Morale
October 09, 2013
We’ve all been there: A project or task doesn’t go the way you thought it would. This can affect not only the business result, but also employee morale. So how do you pick up the pieces? We asked members of the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an organization comprised of the country’s most promising young entrepreneurs, the following question to find out how they recover from a company mistake: “How do you boost employee morale when a project or task isn’t going according to plan?” Here’s what YEC community members had to say.
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Georgia Manufacturing Activity Registers its First Increase in Six Months
October 07, 2013
Georgia’s manufacturing experienced a slight increase – the first increase in six months – due to strong gains in employment, production and supplier delivery time, according to the Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) released by Kennesaw State University’s Econometric Center in the Michael J. Coles College of Business.
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How Common are Small Business Administration (SBA) Loans?
October 04, 2013
Small Business Administration (SBA) guaranteed loans get a lot of attention in Washington. President Obama, for instance, believes that “the SBA should be provided additional resources to assist small businesses in acquiring capital necessary to start, continue, or expand operations”, the Congressional Research Service reports.
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Small Business Employment in Recessions and Expansions
October 02, 2013
Small business employment has grown more slowly than big business employment since the end of the Great Recession. That wasn’t supposed to happen. Conventional wisdom is that small business employment declines more in economic downturns, but rises more in economic expansions. Small companies, the argument goes, are more nimble, making their employment decisions more responsive to economic conditions.
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3 Questions for You to Ask Yourself About Employee Health Care
September 30, 2013
Small businesses face important decisions about employee benefits, and as deadlines for Affordable Care Act (ACA) requirements draw near, timing is of the essence. You should consider the following three questions to make more informed decisions for your workforce.
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Sheriff Kevin Sproul on “Building Unity In The Community” BBQ
September 27, 2013
As Autumn sets in, the weather cools, and we begin looking forward to the holiday season, the Dougherty County Sheriff’s Office wants to thank you for your support by hosting our 4th annual “Building Unity in the Community” cookout. The cookout will be held on Saturday, October 26th, at C.W. Heath Park from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.
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If You Want Entrepreneurial Success, Learn to Embrace Failure
September 24, 2013
First off, let me tell you this: I fail – a lot… and I’m ready for more failures. Before you say, “Are you out of your mind,” let me explain a bit. I hate the feeling of failure. Nobody likes to fail. But I learned during my entrepreneurial career that if you want to achieve entrepreneurial success, you need failures. You need to fail and the more you fail, the closer you are to your goal.
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Couples in Business: You and Your Partner, Inc.
September 23, 2013
After firing my husband, Joe, at least three times from our family-owned communications and production company because we absolutely could not work together, I was anxious to read a new, self-published book by therapists, Miriam Hawley and Jeffrey McIntyre. The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based couple interviewed about 45 couples in business together to collect anecdotes and strategies for You & Your Partner, Inc.: Entrepreneurial Couples Succeeding in Business, Life and Love.
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70% of Small Business B2B Websites Lack A Call to Action
September 20, 2013
Does your home page on your website have a call to action? In other words, does your website home page attempt to get the visitor to do something — besides simply read and leave?
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Scott Hunter: Plan Carefully When It’s Time to Make a Career Move
September 19, 2013
The days when an employee would spend his or her entire career with the same company appear to be all but gone. Nowadays, beyond simply changing jobs over the course of a career, many workers even take on an entirely new career before they finally reach retirement. When you make a job change, one of the biggest challenges you may face could be deciding what to do with the assets you’ve built up in your former employer’s retirement plan.
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Are Americans Becoming Interested in Entrepreneurship Again?
September 17, 2013
The recently released Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), a nationally representative survey of American adults, reveals that the fraction of Americans who intend to start a business rose to 12.5 percent in 2012 — a substantial increase from the 8.3 percent recorded in 2008.
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State of Georgia Ports: GPA Adds Cargo, Customers in FY2013
September 16, 2013
In his State of the Port address, Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Curtis Foltz reported record cargo volumes, an influx of new business, and more than 1 million square feet of distribution center space leased or developed.
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GDECD Commissioner Chris Cummiskey Leaving Post to Join Southern Power
September 13, 2013
Gov. Nathan Deal today announced that he has nominated U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson’s chief of staff, Chris Carr, to succeed Chris Cummiskey as the commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development. Cummiskey will join Southern Co. as chief commercial officer of Southern Power.
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Doug Robinson: Great Salespeople Aren’t Born…They’re Good Storytellers
September 11, 2013
When your employees sell your products and services, do they jump into a presentation of nuts and bolts to explain how it works, or do they tell success stories?
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Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany Provides Fiscally Responsive Support
September 10, 2013
One of the largest employers in the Albany area, the Marine Corps Logistics Base (MCLB) faces a number of issues related to cuts in defense spending from the sequester and the end of U.S. engagement in Afghanistan.
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Why, When, What and How to Outsource Tasks
September 09, 2013
Is it a good idea for a small business to outsource some tasks? Contrary to what many small business entrepreneurs think, it is often a great idea to outsource certain tasks to others. But, before you make any decisions to outsource, here are a few things you need to think about.
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Commentary: Georgia's Senate Race: Who'll Win?
September 06, 2013
Who’s going to win? It doesn’t matter the race really. The question is almost the political equivalent of commenting on the weather. It is an entry into picking the brains of other politicos to compare notes and strategies for an upcoming campaign season. And yet, for this election cycle in Georgia, it is the wrong question at this time.
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Sheriff Kevin Sproul Talks About The Castle Doctrine
September 05, 2013
In my last article, I spoke about Georgia’s “Stand Your Ground” law which allows the victim of an unlawful use of force to fight back rather than retreat. In that article, I stated that deadly force may not be used to protect property. The Castle Doctrine is an exception to that.