Grass-Fed Beef Producer Revives Old Business Model and Creates New Jobs
Will Harris’s day starts much like his father’s and his grandfather’s and his great-grandfather’s did: with his boots planted firmly in the same fresh-smelling, fertile soil of his ancestral farm in Early County, Georgia. Like a cherished family tradition, the natural cattle-raising method Harris follows at White Oak Pastures resembles that practiced a hundred years […]
From Model to Medical Practice
Solid financial planning turns unique vision into thriving middle Georgia practice. After several years of working in other practices, Dr. Jeff Langford, a specialist in allergy and immunology, wanted to drive quality control himself. He also knew much of Middle Georgia’s population lacked easy access to his specialty. So he developed a new practices model […]
An Elf’s Success
The UGA SBDC helped catapult “The Elf on the Shelf” to stardom. Here’s how: Since helping Carol Aebersold and her twins, Christa Pitts and Chanda Bell launch the best-selling holiday book in 2004, the UGA Small Business Development Center has continued to provide support and guidance to the Kennesaw-based company. “The Elf on the […]
Guidance Through Loan Process Helps Metro Atlanta Restaurateur Triple His Locations
Diego Velasquez had worked in Georgia’s restaurant industry more than 14 years – moving up to district manager for a major chain – when he opened his first Tacos and Tequilas Mexican Grill in Buckhead with his savings and the support of family and friends in 2010. “I had decided that if I can open […]
Campaign Approach to Marketing Feeds Sales at Atlanta Pizzeria
Slice Pizzeria, tucked away on Poplar Street in downtown Atlanta, celebrated its tenth anniversary in November 2016. Its business partners Brian Agee and Karen Smiley moved from their first pizzeria in the West End to Georgia State University’s western boundary in 2006, hoping to serve more students, tourists and conventioneers. “It was a very slow […]
Strategically Grown: Operational Assessment First Step to Optimizing Expansion of Atlanta Gelato Business
Wes Jones and Jackson Smith grew up as best friends in their north Atlanta neighborhood. At some point, says Jones, “we thought it would be fun to start a business together when we got older.” Maintaining their friendship through college, they went on to jobs in education, for Jones, and gelato production, for Smith, who […]
SBDC Training Shows Columbus Businessman Several Best Practices for Growth
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Terry Wiggins had worked his way up to district manager of a major insurance firm when it was purchased in 1996, and the new company wanted him to move. Rather than leave his beloved Columbus community, he purchased a small local agency with one agent and two part-time employees, renamed it Wiggins Insurance and quickly […]
Financial Modeling Offers Clear Path to Expanded Production for Alma Blueberry Grower
Blueberries have become Georgia’s leading fruit crop. Their production, at 96 million pounds this year, outpaces peaches and has a $1 billion impact on the economy. But what to do with all those berries? Alma farmer Shawn Davis, vice president of Southern Press and Packing, is doing his part to increase sales and develop new […]