1736 Magazine - Vision for the Future

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The coronavirus pandemic was one of the worst things to happen to Richard Green’s business. It also was one of the best things to happen to it. Green’s economic roller-coaster ride could help explain why downtown Augusta seemed to bend but not break under the stress of COVID-19’s deadly spread. Margaret Woodard, the executive director of the Augusta Downtown Development Authority, sees a strong business community downtown that will “only get stronger.” “Once people got over the initial shock of ‘What the heck has happened to us?’ they were able to shift,” she said. Green’s shift began in December 2019 while China wrestled with COVID-19. His business, initially, was electronic recycling. “The pandemic started impacting us a little bit sooner than it did everybody else because of electronics — it all comes from China. There’s just no way around it,” Green said. “All the actual electronic waste ends up going back there, too.” In March, he moved his business, Tech 4 Success, from a 15,000-square-foot warehouse on New Savannah Road to a storefront in the 900 block of Broad Street, intending to reduce his climbing electric bill. That same month, COVID-19’s effects started shutting down Georgia businesses. For months afterward, the only commerce Green could conduct was through his eBay store online. Behind his closed storefront, he packaged and shipped orders. Bills started piling up, even after his landlord granted rent forgiveness. “So we had to make a choice,” he said. Opportunity knocked. With many people homebound, Green said, there was a huge increase in the need for computers. “That also meant there was a huge increase in the amount of people who needed computer repair,” he said. “The vast majority of the people who bought from us online were computer repair shops. We had a hard time keeping in stock.” Business got so good, Green ran out of inventory in October and November. Seeing the surge in computer-repair demand, he branched into computer repair, too. He also performs security camera installations and is looking into providing wireless internet services. “So I’m being run ragged basically, going back and forth place to place, doing estimates, trying to figure out how to set their stuff up,” Green said. Initial forecasts from agencies such as Main Street America and the U.S. Small Business Administration predicted that 30% or more of small businesses wouldn’t survive the pandemic. “And you start thinking what your downtown would look like,” Woodard said. “For example, from 13th Street to Seventh Street there are 258 small businesses. So do the math if 30% of those close down.” But between regular checks throughout the pandemic with business owners and developers, and a mid-December “windshield tour” of local businesses, Woodard said downtown actually saw a net gain of businesses. “If these trends continue, we feel the small businesses that make up the majority of our district pivoted quickly and came up with creative solutions to keep their doors open,” she said. The retail consulting firm NextSite conducted a “customer journey analysis” of downtown Augusta throughout 2019 and 2020. Richard Green experienced some lean months at his downtown computer business during the COVID-19 pandemic, but now customers are coming back. [JOE HOTCHKISS/THE AUGUSTA CHRONICLE] 34 | 1736magazine.com
We have a partnership agreement for electronics recycling. If anyone brings computers to us, it’ll go through The Clubhou.se as a donation, and if it’s a good working computer, we’re trying to do it where we refurbish them and then they go to a child in need who needs it for school. RICHARD GREEN | OWNER, TECH 4 SUCCESS 1736magazine.com | 35
Page 1 and 2: WINTER 2021 WATERWAYS EDITION FINAL
Page 3 and 4: 62 A PRODUCT OF PRESIDENT TONY BERN
Page 5 and 6: The view of downtown Augusta, Ga.,
Page 7 and 8: The Broad Street Bullies Grill is o
Page 9: Jeff Gorelick and Bonnie Ruben are
Page 12 and 13: Dr. Benjamin Casella, left, and his
Page 14: Sean Wight, chef and owner of downt
Page 17 and 18: Jared Williams, left, and John Dunn
Page 19 and 20: Iconic local business By JOE HOTCHK
Page 21 and 22: Though Hildebrandt’s started maki
Page 23 and 24: The Hildebrandt family photographed
Page 25 and 26: Bob and Flo Morris check out the me
Page 27 and 28: All-Star Candidate Richmond Count
Page 29 and 30: Antoine Williamson opened Broad Str
Page 31 and 32: he noticed a lot of people would go
Page 33: Downtown Augusta expected to grow a
Page 37 and 38: The Georgia Cyber Center in downtow
Page 39 and 40: An artist’s rendering shows the p
Page 41 and 42: WHILE NOT EVERY PROPOSED PROJECT MA
Page 43 and 44: next six or seven years. Three muse
Page 45 and 46: the McDuffie Museum in Thomson. Thr
Page 47 and 48: High-efficiency chiller. Improvedco
Page 49 and 50: Augusta’s plans to replace James
Page 51 and 52: Money to build a replacement for th
Page 53 and 54: Augusta riverfront, Lock and Dam fu
Page 55 and 56: The locks give manmade control over
Page 57 and 58: Guests and dignitaries stand on the
Page 59 and 60: The snagboat Macon docks at the New
Page 61 and 62: Jumpstart your business with energy
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Page 65 and 66: ABOVE: “Invasive,” by Jen Garre
Page 67 and 68: “What a Wonderful World,” by Le
Page 69 and 70: “Popsicles,” by Craig Gray of K
Page 71: FINAL WORDS Time to experience the

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