A new Starbucks location is proposed for Walton Way. The proposed site is a nearly three-quarters of an acre plot of land at 1531 Walton Way, next to Firehouse Subs at 1529 Walton Way.
Jordan Trotter Commercial Real Estate, the entity that owns the land, offered no comment, but several city departments have offered feedback on the project.
Engineering-General and Utilities-have both disapproved the project at this point in time. Fire and Trees & Landscape approved, and the Health Department and Engineering-Traffic departments have offered conditional approval. The proposal was submitted on June 8 and has 32 days left in the evaluation period.
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The Georgia Department of Labor announced on Friday, June 18, that Georgia’s May unemployment rate dropped another 0.2 percentage points to reach 4.1% in May. The labor force declined 12,478, reaching a total of 5,160,501.
“Although the unemployment rate has continued to trend downward for the past thirteen months, the focus should not be on the rate,” said Commissioner Mark Butler. “We have a serious workforce issue reflected in the monthly drop in the labor force. We are looking to reemploy Georgians as a critical component for our economic recovery.”
The jobs listed online at Employ Georgia exceed 233,000 job listings — more than triple the amount of the 70,000 listings in April of 2020. Almost three fourths of these jobs show salaries above $30,000 — these figures, according to Augusta CEO newsletter.
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The Columbia County Chamber of Commerce announced last week that Sabrina Griffin has been promoted to vice president, effective June 21. Griffin will oversee all office operations and managers will report directly to her.
“Since she started in 2017, Sabrina has become an integral part of the team and has done a great job of developing quality programs for the Chamber,” said Russell Lahodny, president and CEO of the Columbia County Chamber. “That experience and knowledge is irreplaceable and will be the key to the Chamber’s ongoing success.”
Griffin started with the organization as programs manager before moving on to director of programs and events. Griffin has organized over 100 events and programs each year since then.
The global waste solutions provider Brightmark is constructing the world’s largest plastics recycling and renewal facility in Macon-Bibb County, Ga.
Investment in the plant will total over $680 million, utilizing a 5.3 million square-foot plot to sustainably recycle all plastic waste such as Styrofoam, plastic cups, toys and others that have reached the end of its life form, according to a press release.
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“Georgia’s pro-business environment and support for private-sector innovation continues to pave the way toward a more sustainable future, not only in Georgia but across the world,” said Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. “It’s exciting to consider the potential for this project, and I’m thankful to Brightmark for investing in Georgia and the hardworking Georgians of Macon.”
Brightmark’s process will recycle the waste into products like renewable fuels and wax and also the building blocks for new plastic products.
Tyler Strong is the Business Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach him at tyler@theaugustapress.com.
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