March 2015 Features

  • EITS Hosts Computer Health and Security Fair

    March 31, 2015

    University of Georgia students, faculty and staff are invited to bring their personal laptops for free security checks at Enterprise Information Technology Services' Spring Computer Health and Security Fair.

  • Athens Chamber Celebrates Business Community at Annual Dinner

    March 30, 2015

    Athens business and civic leaders, teachers, government officials and young entrepreneurs alike crowded the ballroom at The Classic Center last month to celebrate a year of success and service at the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting and awards banquet.

  • 10 Biggest Sales Mistakes and How to Avoid Them Like the Plague

    March 27, 2015

    Owning a small business means you’re in the business of selling, whether that’s your product or your services. Luckily, sales skills can be learned much like a sport or a hobby and the more practice you get, the better you’ll be. Qualities in outstanding salesmen include being proactive, friendly and disciplined. Selling is an art and by fine-tuning your skills, you’ll see an immediate increase in sales when it comes to your small business. Here, we’re looking at 10 of the biggest sales mistakes and what you can do to avoid them.

  • Casino Gambling Legalization Introduced; Projections Suggest $250M For HOPE

    March 26, 2015

    Georgia legislators have toyed around with the idea of allowing horse racing at a new small scale race track. Yesterday, a bi-partisan group of lawmakers has dropped bills that would pave the way for Georgia to aim higher and assert itself into the major leagues of casino gambling. Charlie Harper of Peach Pundit writes that supporters of HR 807 and HB 677 tout a potential payoff of 10,000 construction jobs, 10,000 permanent jobs, and – perhaps most importantly – $250 Million dollars added to HOPE’s dwindling coffers every year.

  • Harvard Economist to Speak at UGA About Income Inequality

    March 24, 2015

    Gregory Mankiw, department chair of economics at Harvard University, will speak on “Income Inequality: Facts, Hypothesis, and Policy Prescriptions” March 26 at 11 a.m. in the University of Georgia Chapel.

  • St. Mary’s Announces First Medical Residents of GRU/UGA Partnership

    March 23, 2015

    The Internal Medicine Residency Program, a joint effort of the GRU/UGA Medical Partnership and St. Mary’s Health Care System, is pleased to announce its first class of residents, who will begin their residency education on July 1, 2015.

  • Ed Farley: What Do Your Customers Think?

    March 20, 2015

    How many times do you hear companies brag that they are…world-class ….have top-rated products! How often do we hear the claims of an incredible sales force! The best customer service! Are these claims true? How do they know? How do you know?

  • Yik Yak Founders to Headline Thinc. Entrepreneurial Week at UGA

    March 18, 2015

    Thinc. Entrepreneurial Week, which will be March 23-27, will once again bring an array of innovators to the University of Georgia to stimulate entrepreneurial thinking. This is the third year that Thinc. has sponsored a weeklong celebration of entrepreneurship with events organized by the university’s colleges and programs as well as community organizations.

  • Athens SBDC to Present the StartSmart Series

    March 17, 2015

    The Athens SBDC will present the StartSmart series for new entrepreneurs who want to start or have recently started a business. The series will begin on March 27th and consists of eight modules over five Fridays, ending on April 24th.

  • Athens-Clarke County Designated as a Tier 2 Community

    March 13, 2015

    Each year, the Georgia Department of Community Affairs ranks all of Georgia’s 159 counties based on the following economic factors: unemployment rate for the most recent 36 month period, per capita income for the most recent 36 month period, and percentage of residents whose incomes are below the poverty level. Athens-Clarke County has traditionally been a Tier 1 community, but has been designated a Tier 2 community for 2015.

  • Jim Blanchard on Changing the Leadership Culture

    March 12, 2015

    When former Chairman & CEO of Synovus Jim Blanchard retired, his agenda didn’t fill with days dedicated to front-porch sitting. He desired to perpetuate and expand the influence of what he calls “servant leadership.” He proposed the concept of a leadership forum to his successor, who, understanding the value, eagerly agreed to sponsor the program. That was 10 years ago. The 10th annual Jim Blanchard Leadership Forum will roll out later this year in August.

  • Italian Founded SaaS Software Company Docebo Invests in Athens

    March 11, 2015

    Docebo has raised $3M in growth equity from Klass Capital to accelerate the growth of its SaaS enterprise E-Learning platform. This is Docebo’s second venture backed financing round, originally funded by a leading Italian Venture Capital firm Principia SGR.

  • Athens Visitors Guide Wins Best Ideas Award

    March 10, 2015

    The Athens Convention and Visitors Bureau's Athens Visitors Guide has won a Best Ideas Award from the Georgia Association of CVBs. The Best Ideas competition recognizes creative excellence and effectiveness in marketing, advertising, and promotional campaigns.

  • Digital Marketing Boot Camp in Athens Scheduled for March 25th

    March 09, 2015

    The University of Georgia Small Business Development Center, Athens Office, is sponsoring a one day “Digital Marketing Boot Camp” in Athens on Wednesday, March 25th.

  • How to Get Your Management Team to Buy Into Marketing Strategy

    March 06, 2015

    Have you ever had your management team agree on something unanimously? If I were a betting man, I’d say probably not. That’s why facing a challenge like implementing a new marketing strategy can be so tiring. Not only do you have to develop the strategy – which will definitely take up a fair amount of time and resources – you also have to get your management team to support the plan.

  • From The Floor Up – Georgia's Shaw Industries Invests In People

    March 05, 2015

    Vance Bell, CEO of Shaw Industries, headquartered in Dalton, maintains that there are few businesses for which people aren’t the company’s greatest asset. That is why Shaw’s mission —“Great People. Great Products. Great Service. Always.”—begins with people.

  • Peterson Spring Celebrates Company's Centennial Anniversary

    March 04, 2015

    Peterson Spring, a division of Peterson American Corporation, has been in business in Athens, GA since 1963. On November 18, 2014, Peterson Spring was host to a celebration to commemorate the corporation’s 100 years of business.

  • Profile of Wayne Hale of McCann Machining Company

    March 03, 2015

    Wayne Hale began his career at McCann Machining Company on July 23, 1971, soon after returning from his service in Vietnam as part of the 11th Calvary Regiment. Hale started out nearly forty-four years ago at McCann as a machine operator while attending night classes at Athens Tech using the G.I. Bill to earn his degree in Machine Tool Technology and eventually worked his way up to Senior Quality Engineer.

  • 3 Important Reasons Great Entrepreneurs Must be Great Salespeople

    March 02, 2015

    If you were asked to close your eyes and think of the top five traits that a successful entrepreneur should have, what would be on that list? Think about it. Does salesmanship make it onto the list? It should.