Thank you for your continued support and participation, and please help us welcome our new members:

Berry’s Catering & Floral
Mr. Cal Berry
520 Reynolds Street
Augusta, GA 30901
(706) 724-2121 0r
berryscatering@att.net
www.berryscatering.com

West Avenue Barber Shop
Ms. Debra Paradis
512 West Avenue
(803) 278-0099 or
jparadis11@aol.com

Forrest McKie & Company
Ms. JoAnn McKie
919 Georgia Avenue
(803) 278-1523 or
formckie919@hotmail.com
www.forrestmckie.com

50th anniversary video from Brian Tucker on Vimeo.

There is a lot going on in North Augusta and the word is getting out. Please make a note of our newest members.  Supporting and patronizing fellow Chamber members is critical to the local economy. If we support one another and buy local, we create our own sustainable economic stimulus.

Thank you for your continued support and participation, and please help us welcome our new members:

Kendrick Paint and Body Shop
Mr. David Clark
3720 Richland Avenue W
Aiken, SC 29801
O: (877)724-4071
F: (706)724-5553
www.kendrickbodyshop.com
david@kendrickbodyshop.com

Trophies Unlimited
Mr. Mike Johnson
4020 Trolley Line Road
Aiken, SC 29801
O: (803)648-8444
F: (803)648-8444
www.trophiesunlimited.com
trophiesunlimited@hotmail.com

Eubank Farm
Mr. Charles Eubank
500 Waterworks Road
Johnston, SC 29832
O: (803)480-1734
ceubank500@bellsouth.net

Travis Smith Design Company
Mr. Travis Smith
142 Orchard Way
North Augusta, SC 29860
O: (803)634-0465
F: (803)279-3194
www.travissmithdesigncompany.com
tts2103@gmail.com

Aiken Regional Medical Centers
Mr. Trey Nuckols
302 University Parkway
Aiken, SC 29801
O: (803)641-5363
F: (803)641-5979
www.aikenregional.com
trey.nuckols@uhsinc.com

Antonio’s Italian Eatery
Mr. Tom Langley
336 Georgia Avenue
North Augusta, SC 29841
O: (803)341-9720

Belton Weeks Attorney at Law
Mr. Belton E. Weeks III
505 West Avenue
North Augusta, SC 29841
O: (803)279-0821
beltonweeks@comcast.net

Cheatham, Fletcher, Scott Architects
Mr. Richard M. Fletcher, AIA, NCARB
420 1/2 Eighth Street
Augusta, GA 30901
O: (706)724-2668
F: (706)849-9919
www.cfsarchitects.com
richard@nolittleplans.com

Possibilities Amplified, Inc.
Ms. Kim Marcille Romaner
336 Georgia Avenue
North Augusta, SC 29841
O: (803)426-1726
F: (803)426-1728
www.possibilitiesamplified.com
kim@possibilitiesamplified.com

BriTen Janitorial & Floor Care LLC
Mr. Brian Williams
815 Shawnee Drive
North Augusta, SC 29841
O: (803)474-2143
www.britenjanitorialandfloor.com
brianw@britenjanitorialandfloor.com

Bridging the Gap
Ms. Emmerstine Mackie
1212 Hallman Drive
Hephzibah, GA 30815
O: (706)955-5894
emmerstine@yahoo.com

Phillip Hawkins Motor Company
Mr. Phillip Hawkins
2000 Aiken-Augusta Highway
Graniteville, SC 29829
O: (803)593-5990
F: (803)593-5998
www.philliphawkinsmotorcompany.com
pwhhawk56@gmail.com

Vein Care Pavilion
Dr. Steven M. Roth
447 N Belair Road
Evans, GA 30809
O: (706)854-3333
F: (706)854-2059
www.veinguys.com

Pendarvis Chevrolet Co. Inc.
Mr. Richard M. Pendarvis
650 Augusta Road
Edgefield, SC 29824
O: (803)637-3137
F: (803)637-2269
www.pendarvischevy.com
penchev@bellsouth.net

North Augusta Golf and Country Club
Ms. Joanna Smith
2001 Gregory Lake Road
North Augusta, SC 29860
O: (803)278-1198
F: (803)278-5964
joanna@northaugustagolf.com

Fountain Law Firm LLC
Mr. P. Wesley Fountain
419 W Martintown Road
North Augusta, SC 29841
O: (803)341-9081
F: (803)341-9095
www.thefountainlawfirm.com
wesleyfountain@comcast.net

Looking at these numbers, it’s easy to see that customer service does matter.

- 96 percent of dissatisfied customers do not complain directly

- 90 percent will not return

- One unhappy customer will tell nine others

- 13 percent will tell at least 20 other people

- 10 percent tell 20 to 30 people about poor service

- 54 to 70 percent return if complaints are resolved

- 95 percent return if the problem is resolved quickly

In many respects customer service can be the most important aspect of your business. A business can have a great product and bad customer service, and that business will eventually fail. It can have an average product with great customer service and be very successful. In many cases, if not most, customer service will make or break a business.

While researching customer service, I found a great Web site providing examples of the best and worst. As I read through several stories, I noticed a common theme; the employees in the examples were all working in entry-level positions and had the most direct contact with customers. Here are two examples:

Worst: Circuit City

“I chose a laptop because the salesman gave it high marks, and there was $150 in rebates, which brought the cost in line with an HP I was looking at. … I did a presentation that afternoon, but the computer kept freezing up, and I was having to reboot during the presentation. I went back to Circuit City and asked to replace it with another computer. They wanted $200 to restock the item even though it had only been three days. … They pointed out that I had only 15 days to return it, and I showed them the receipt only being three days old. They would not do anything about it.”

Best: Circuit City

“I purchased a laptop that included a rebate for the laptop, security software and a printer. Although the paperwork is a little confusing I submitted the receipts and bar codes to the address listed and dutifully waited six weeks. They were great at providing updates on the status of my rebate and when one rebate was rejected because of the wrong rebate code listed on the receipt, they rectified the situation at my word and sent me the rebate check. It’s a shame this company is having financial difficulties — I will miss them.”

Like Circuit City, many of the companies mentioned on the Web site are large concerns that spend a ton of money defining and refining their image, and marketing that image to their targeted base of customers. But, also like Circuit City, employees who have direct contact with the customers will ultimately decide the fate of a company.

I’m sure Circuit City has — scratch that, had — a policy of providing first-class customer service, and I bet that employees were given some level of instruction and training on how to provide quality service. But at some level Circuit City failed to get the message — that customers matter — across to enough of its employees.

All of the resources invested on market research, advertising, product placement, etc. are wasted if the front-line folks are not concerned with providing good customer service. Every person in a company has to be committed to serving customers. This attitude has to be ingrained in every employee at every level.

In 2009, Circuit City filed bankruptcy, liquidated its assets and closed its doors. So, yes, customer service does matter.

Even though President Obama’s program can be debated, there is another type of stimulus that has been proven time and time again. That program is very simple — shop local and support your local businesses. As North Augustans, we pride ourselves on our quality of life, and the quality of our community. North Augusta has grown by leaps and bounds over the last 10 years, and much of that has been due to small businesses.

As simple as the concept is, it works. When possible, patronize small, locally owned businesses. Money spent with locally owned small businesses is reinvested in the community to a much greater degree because businesses employ local folks who take their paychecks and recirculate that same dollar at local restaurants, retail shops, grocery stores and wherever else money is spent.

Generally speaking, 45 to 65 cents of every dollar spent in a locally owned business is recirculated. For every $1 spent, the value to the overall community ranges from $5 to $14. That return on investment provides a tremendous shot in the arm to a community.

I am sure that at this point, someone reading this has already said, “I would gladly buy from local businesses, but it is more expensive.”

Never assume anything, and do your homework.

There are a number of reasons to shop local. I found an article awhile back written in 2005 by John Amundsen that does a tremendous job summarizing the issue. The article was titled Buying Local and the Circulating Dollar . He concluded the article with a list of 10 reasons to shop local, and I’ve included the five best. As you can see from this list, shopping local has a far-reaching effect on our community. Shopping locally supports the entire community.

1. ENCOURAGES LOCAL INVESTMENT: A growing body of economic research shows that in an increasingly homogenized world, entrepreneurs and skilled workers are more likely to invest and settle in communities that preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and distinctive character.

2. NONPROFITS RECEIVE GREATER SUPPORT: Nonprofit organizations receive an average three times greater support from smaller, locally owned businesses than they do from large businesses

3. OUR ONE-OF-A-KIND BUSINESSES ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF OUR DISTINCTIVE CHARACTER: The unique character of our community is what brought us here and will keep us here.

4. TRUE JOB CREATION: Most new jobs are provided by local businesses. Small local businesses are the largest employers nationally and in our community, providing the most new jobs to residents.

5. CUSTOMER SERVICE IS BETTER: Local businesses often hire people with more specific product expertise for better customer service.

Please support your local businesses. North Augustans supporting North Augustans — it makes sense to me.

Mezzo-soprano Sandra Walker will join soprano Krista Wilhelmsen and pianist Don Macey as the Augusta Opera hosts an intimate evening of wine and song at North Augusta’s historic and beautifully restored Rosemary Inn bed and breakfast (at Rosemary Hall) on Thursday, Feb. 25. Tickets for the event are available at (706) 496-7600 for $50 each, through Feb. 20.

Walker will perform her favorite piano bar songs, while Wilhelmsen will perform a sampling of arias. Both will be accompanied by Macey.

Walker has appeared in major roles, including nine seasons at the Metropolitan Opera. She holds a bachelor of music degree in vocal performance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She did post graduate studies in opera performance at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City. She has appeared frequently in telecasts on “Live from Lincoln Center.”

Wilhelmsen, is from Oak Forest, Ill. Professionally, she has sung with Augusta Opera, Opera Carolina, Opera New Jersey, Natchez Festival, the Savannah Orchestra, New England Light Opera, Palmetto Opera, and Long Leaf Opera.

For more information or to become a sponsor/supporter of the Augusta Opera, visit www.augustaopera.com or call (706) 496-7600.

http://www.aikenstandard.com/star/News-0218-ROSEMARY-INN-event

Associated Press

COLUMBIA — South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford accused the president of playing politics with nuclear waste, urging the Obama administration to follow through on plans to send thousands of tons of radioactive material to Nevada and urging legal action if it does not.

Sanford, surrounded by state, local and federal officials on Tuesday, accused the Obama administration of allowing “old-style Chicago politics” to dictate the fate of a long-planned nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. The governor said the president was trying to protect Nevada Democratic Sen. Harry Reid’s seat while ripping off companies in South Carolina that have paid $1.2 billion to create the dump.

A Reid spokesman denied the charge, but the Republican governor called Obama’s plan “a detour from basically a 25-year compact based on simple old-style Chicago politics that are the antithesis of the change that he himself had promised” during his campaign.

The proposed site 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas has been targeted for 20 years to house the nation’s high level nuclear waste. As a candidate, Obama promised to close the facility, and his latest budget calls for eliminating funding for the site. Energy Secretary Steven Chu has said Yucca Mountain is not an option, and his department will withdraw its license application by the end of this month, essentially nixing the project as a commission studies where the waste should go.

“As we move to expand nuclear power, the president is fully committed to ensuring that the nation meets our long-term storage obligations for nuclear waste,” Moira Mack, a White House spokeswoman, said in an e-mailed statement.

For now, high-level nuclear waste is stored at 80 sites around the nation, typically at nuclear power plants or places such as the federal Savannah River Site in Aiken County, where more than 3,600 tons of nuclear waste is stored.

State Attorney General Henry McMaster said he is working on the legal questions. He said that includes talking with attorneys general in other states as well as the utility industry and nuclear industry legal experts.

The issue has been swirling for years here and in Nevada, where political careers can be lost based support of Yucca Mountain.

Sanford said the plans for Yucca Mountain span decades and numerous administrations and that $10 billion has been spent on the underground site. “I mean, I think we all get it that Harry Reid is in a tough race out in Nevada and giving him this would give him a win in a tough race in Nevada but it would come at great expense to the rest of us as Americans,” he said.

Jon Summers, communications director for Reid, said the senator consistently has opposed Yucca and the only reason that location was chosen was because Nevada lacked clout in Washington 25 years ago. “We now have an administration that is listening to Senator Reid and the people of Nevada,” Summers said.

“It’s interesting that the only people that are complaining about this are Republicans,” he said, noting they’re “the only people that want to bring nuclear waste to Nevada.”

In December the federal Government Accountability Office said it is cheaper to store nuclear waste in the short term in concrete casks at the nation’s nuclear power plants but that that method would be more costly over time.

The report said that approach would cost up to $34 billion during the next 100 years while the Yucca Mountain facility would cost at least $41 billion. It noted costs would rise when that waste has to be repackaged in the next century or a permanent repository is opened.

http://www.aikenstandard.com/State/m1036-BC-SC-SC-NuclearWaste-2ndLd-Writethru-02-16-0759

http://spotted.augusta.com/display.html?event=88775724

As a homeowner, I’ll be the first to say  it was nice to see my taxes drop.  But unfortunately, a homeowners savings has been made up by struggling businesses, and even then, our school system faces shortfall after shortfall.  While this new legislation would provide small businesses with some relief, I have strongly encouraged our local delegation in Columbia to pursue a complete and fair overhall of our State’s tax code.  The only solution is a broad equitable tax code which fairly pays for the services dellievered by our State and local governments.

“The legislation was needed to address tax changes passed under 2006’s Act 388, which increasingly has become the poster child for a growing number of revenue problems in the state.”

http://www.thestate.com/breaking/story/1149675.html