UGA's Georgia Center Has Big Impact on Downtown Athens, Ga.

Records show UGA sends thousands of visitors and dollars to downtown.

  What's the top dining and entertainment destination in downtown Athens for guests staying at the Georgia Center? According to records compiled for FY 2012, it's the Square One Fish Company, followed by the Last Resort Grill, Blue Sky, Porterhouse Grill and La Dolce Vita, which is open only for dinner. Square One Fish Company owner Erica Cascio said she was happy about her designation. The campus facility offers free shuttle service to those staying there. In 2012, it made 5,385 trips to restaurants and bars, where the average ticket was $25. There were also 171 shuttle trips to retail shops, where people spent an average of $19. In addition, UGA officials spent $452,308 at four downtown hotels. The most money, close to $200,000, went to …

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Rebecca McCarthy

11:54 am on Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Noted! Will make the correction....I should have called them....closed at lunch means just closed for lunch!   more ›

What Needs to Be Done to Get the U.S. Economy Moving Again?

Figures released last week showed the U.S. economy is slowing down again. What do you think needs to be done in order to avoid the country slipping back into recession?

Figures released Friday on the U.S. economy, and reported in the Wall Street Journal, didn’t bring any good news. The economy is reported to have slowed down in the second quarter of 2012, only growing at a sluggish 1.5 percent. According to the WSJ, these results came as consumers cut back on spending and businesses grew even more cautious about hiring and investing. On top of that, the national unemployment rate remained unchanged at 8.2 percent and in Georgia the unemployment rate rose to 9 percent. As people in the government on each side of the political aisle debate what to do to reverse this slow sink into another possible recession, what do you think is needed to get the economy back on the right track? What needs to be done to …

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Karsten Torch

3:22 pm on Tuesday, July 31, 2012

And I've said this before in other blogs and threads - the corporate income tax serves no purpose. Other than to provide a way for some to attempt to punish corporations. The same people that push for higher income taxes for these companies are the same that say corporate personhood doesn't exist. If you think about it, what is the effect of corporate income taxes? Simple answer - reduces profits…   more ›

Business to Expand in Five Points

Suska to take over part of the space housing the laudromat.

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Full Bloom to Close

The Athens resource center for parents and mothers closes June 16.

  Full Bloom, the resource center for soon-to-be mothers, mothers and women and parents in general, will close Saturday, June 16, after being in business four years. In a message, Full Bloom Founder Pat Nielsen said her plans include “working full time at Athens Regional, rediscovering my garden, traveling a little and spending time with my family - without whom I couldn't have made this journey,”   Located on North Milledge Avenue, the business was a welcoming place where expectant mothers could take pre-natal yoga classes and learn firsthand from other women and experts about birthing options. It was a place where new mothers could have questions and concerns addressed and could find new friends and resources. Full Bloom was founded, …

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Rebecca McCarthy

2:41 pm on Thursday, May 31, 2012

Kristi, I know so many friends who took prenatal yoga there. We bought trainer pants there for our girls, and people were so pleasant and positive. It's such a loss to the community.   more ›

Zaxby's Names Blake Bailey CFO

Longtime commitment helped lead to promotion.

Zaxby’s has appointed Blake Bailey as chief financial officer (CFO) for Zaxby’s Franchising, Inc. (ZFI). Bailey succeeds Tony Townley, founding partner with Zach McLeroy chief executive officer (CEO) of ZFI. Townley is becoming Zaxby's executive vice president. This move will help to streamline the financial responsibilities of the business and the day-to-day decision-making process, as well as increase the collaboration and innovation of the management team. “Blake’s contributions to this organization and our tremendous growth over the years are significant,” said Townley. “This promotion is well-deserved. We are extremely excited to have Blake join the executive team at Zaxby’s and believe his future contributions will only continue to …

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