Amazon earnings preview: Analysts are watching margins, cloud business

Amazon earnings preview: Analysts are watching margins, cloud business

Amazon ( AMZN ) is set to report its Q4 2022 earnings on Feb. 2, as the company looks to deliver after a difficult year that rattled its stock. Here’s what Wall Street’s expecting to see from Amazon’s key numbers, as compiled by Bloomberg. Net Sales – $145.8 billion expected Online Stores Net Sales: $65.03 billion Physical Stores Net Sales: $4.93 billion Earnings Per Share (EPS): 17 cents expected Amazon Web Services (AWS) Net Sales: $21.76 billion expected Operating Income: $2.51 billion expected Amazon’s shares declined about 47% over the course of 2022, as the company found itself in the throes of a digital advertising slowdown, high inflation, and rising interest rates. After the company grew rapidly to keep up with pandemic demand, the far-reaching economic uncertainty of the last year left Amazon in a bind. To that end, Amazon announced some of Big Tech’s most notable layoffs, looking to shed 18,000 of its employees. It’s the largest layoff in the company’s history to date. This round of earnings will also tie up the year in which a unionization push at Amazon fully materialized. In April, the Amazon Labor Union (ALU) won a union election at a warehouse in […]

SouthState Adds Bankers Dedicated to Helping Customers Grow Business, Wealth

SouthState Adds Bankers Dedicated to Helping Customers Grow Business, Wealth

WINTER HAVEN, Fla., Feb. 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — SouthState Bank has hired five bankers who bring years of financial expertise and relationship building to the Commercial and Wealth teams in Georgia, Virginia and Alabama. Continue Reading SouthState has hired five bankers to support business and wealth customers in Georgia, Virginia and Alabama "Across our footprint, these talented bankers will immediately make a significant contribution as they enhance SouthState’s reputation for exceptional service and client-focused relationships," said Richard Murray, SouthState president. "We look forward to leveraging their talents to help our commercial and business customers grow, as well as helping our wealth management customers optimize and expand their portfolios." Bankers joining the SouthState team include: Ryan Berry – financial consultant , Richmond, Virginia – joins SouthState having spent over a decade in Wealth Management and five years as a commercial banker, all with BB&T. He held several roles, including that of director of the Wealth Lending Group where he served on the senior leadership team of the Wealth Division and managed the team responsible for originating and servicing more than $6 billion in credit commitments. In the community, Berry has been an active leader in outreach and volunteer projects in […]

Press Releases

Press Releases

Mayor Andre Dickens Announces ATLinBusiness Marketplace During Small Business Event Mayor’s Office of Communications 55 Trinity Avenue, Suite 2500 • Atlanta, Georgia 30303 Mayor Andre Dickens Announces ATLinBusiness Marketplace During Small Business Event ATLANTA —Mayor Andre Dickens and Invest Atlanta announced the launch of ATLinBusiness Marketplace— a new, dedicated digital marketplace for Atlanta-based businesses to sell and market to other Atlanta-based businesses and corporations. “ATLinBusiness Marketplace will create a more equitable business-to-business environment by connecting buyers and sellers in metro Atlanta—including minority-owned, women-owned and legacy businesses, said Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens . “With this program, we aim to provide resources to support our local economy, create more good-paying jobs and ensure Atlanta is a city of opportunity for all.” With ATLinBusiness Marketplace, smaller, diverse suppliers will have a first destination for greater access to a wide range of buyers to help suppliers accelerate growth and generate new revenue streams. The platform will showcase participating business’s capabilities, diversity classification, certifications and more. “ATLinBusiness Marketplace will allow us another avenue to increase equity in business and access to opportunity for Atlanta’s entrepreneurs and small business owners, and to do that we must stay innovative,” said Dr. Eloisa Klementich, president and CEO […]

How Small- To Mid-Sized Businesses Can Achieve Their Sustainability Goals

How Small- To Mid-Sized Businesses Can Achieve Their Sustainability Goals

getty It’s incredible to think that a decade ago, issues like environmental impact and socially conscious investing were considered sidebars on any given business agenda. Now, in the last two years alone, the number of companies committed to sustainability targets has tripled due to efforts like new governmental policies and international efforts. Lack of awareness is no longer a barrier to adoption of sustainability practices; however, new challenges are faced by organizations looking to make a positive impact in their environmental, social and governance (ESG) activities. In my experience, the most pressing challenge is practical implementation . Sustainability experts seem to agree that the solution to this challenge rests on a business’ overall approach to core strategy . Despite the fact that there are many benefits for organizations to adopt sustainability, such as long-term cost savings, customer loyalty, risk management and innovation, actual implementation is frequently difficult owing to antiquated business practices. As a sustainability consultant, I have observed that the common reactive approach taken by many companies to maintain industry certifications, compete in the market and comply with regulations is what makes sustainability so challenging for them. Since sustainability as a business topic is still relatively new to […]

The Atlanta BeltLine's Business Façade Partnership Grant Program Increases the Visibility of Three Local Businesses

The Atlanta BeltLine’s Business Façade Partnership Grant Program Increases the Visibility of Three Local Businesses

Program stimulates business growth through capital improvements, uniting business owners and artists ATLANTA, Feb. 2, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. has completed two murals and a parklet as part of the Business Façade pARTnership Grant which aims to revitalize business districts along BeltLine. The work was completed this fall with projects that promote the renewal of these commercial areas by giving artists work opportunities, creating visual interest in the businesses and highlighting the accessibility of these businesses from the BeltLine. The BeltLine has invested more than $220,000 on façade improvements for local businesses as part of the Business Façade pARTnership Grant program since 2019. "These façade improvements are a signal to the community that these spaces are open for business and nurturing their communities. We hope everyone will go visit the locations to support these local businesses on the BeltLine," said Kelvin Collins, Atlanta BeltLine’s vice president of economic development. The pARTnership grant invests in capital improvements to businesses façades by pairing local artists and makers with local businesses. The program is designed to catalyze economic growth within the BeltLine Tax Allocation District (TAD) that spans the 22-mile BeltLine corridor. Throughout the program, the selected businesses had access […]

Rogers beats revenue estimates on wireless, media business strength

Rogers beats revenue estimates on wireless, media business strength

Ethernet cables are seen in front of Rogers Communications logo in this illustration taken, July 8, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustrations Feb 2 (Reuters) – Canada’s Rogers Communications Inc (RCIb.TO) , beat estimates for quarterly revenue and phone subscriber growth on Thursday, benefiting from higher roaming charges and promotional offers during the holiday quarter. Rogers’ push to expand its 5G network and bundle subscriber plans has helped it win customers from rivals in a competitive market where wireless charges are among the highest in the world. The telecom operator added 193,000 monthly bill paying wireless phone subscribers in the fourth quarter, comfortably beating FactSet estimate of 146,800. It added 164,000 users in the preceding quarter. Rogers’ media business, which includes TV and radio properties, benefited from a jump in advertising during the holiday quarter, with revenue increasing 17% to C$606 million ($456 million). Revenue at its core wireless business grew 7% to C$2.58 billion, in line with estimates, as it drew more users thanks to promotional offers on latest mobile phones such as Apple iPhone 14 and Samsung Galaxy Z. Latest Updates Total revenue increased 6% to C$4.17 billion in the quarter ended Dec. 31, inching past analysts’ average estimate of […]

How TEDCO’s Urban Business Innovation Initiative is supporting entrepreneurs in Prince George’s County

How TEDCO’s Urban Business Innovation Initiative is supporting entrepreneurs in Prince George’s County

TEDCO, Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies, has a program focused on supporting entrepreneurs and startup businesses by connecting them with resources throughout the state. The Urban Business Innovation Initiative (UBII) is designed to support underserved early-stage companies in key urban areas in Maryland. The program’s mentors come from all backgrounds, allowing businesses access to experts from different backgrounds and expertise. Malcolm Tyson was building an innovation hub for the College of Southern Maryland while simultaneously operating his own consulting practice to provide mentorship for small and medium-sized businesses. But it still wasn’t enough; that’s when he found out about mentor opportunities at TEDCO . He signed on as an adviser in Prince George’s County for TEDCO’s UBII program last July. “It’s really rewarding to know that I’m in this space, to know that I can help them not get discouraged when their peers or colleagues that they work with and have known are getting funding for their programs and they’re not Black,” Tyson said. Getting started TEDCO CEO Troy LeMaile-Stovall launched the program when he officially took his position in September 2020. As part of his work with the initiative, UBII mentors work with a variety of businesses […]

New Forests picks managing director for North America business

New Forests picks managing director for North America business

Jeff Briggs New Forests hired Jeff Briggs as managing director for North America to lead on the overall strategy for the region, the firm announced in a statement on Thursday. Mr. Briggs joined the firm on Wednesday, replacing Brian Shillinglaw who left in November to pursue other opportunities, a spokeswoman said. Mr. Briggs will focus on delivering consistent and stable investment returns for clients, while contributing to communities and livelihoods, and the circular bioeconomy, the statement said. New Forests is a Sydney-based $7 billion investment manager that specializes in nature-based real asset and natural capital strategies. Mr. Briggs will report to Mark Rogers , currently senior managing director for the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand, who will become CEO in April . The statement also said that changes in the shareholdings of New Forests were finalized on Tuesday. On May 20, the firm announced that Mitsui & Co. would increase its shareholding to 49% from 23%, and that Nomura Holdings would purchase a 41% share in the company. The remaining 10% is retained by New Forests staff. Mr. Briggs has over 30 years’ experience in the investment, renewable energy, and agriculture sectors. He was chief operating officer of WasteFuel, […]

6 Ways to Continually Grow Your Business Without Going Insane

6 Ways to Continually Grow Your Business Without Going Insane

This guide will help you create a successful, sustainable business that will provide long-term growth and profitability. Discover how you can take your business to the next level by reading on. Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Growing your business can be an incredibly rewarding experience, but it can also be a difficult and time-consuming endeavor. With the right strategies in place, you can grow your business without going insane. In this blog post, we’ll discuss six proven ways to continually grow your business without taking on too much stress. By following these steps, you can create a sustainable , successful business that runs smoothly and provides long-term growth. Read on to learn more about how you can take your business to the next level. 1. Delegate, delegate, delegate If you want to continually grow your business without going insane, the most important thing to do is delegate . Delegating tasks is essential for any business, as it allows you to focus on more important areas of your business and free up your time. It’s also beneficial to have different people with different skill sets working on different parts of the business. This way, you can take […]

Rivian shares rise on news of layoffs

Rivian shares rise on news of layoffs

Rivian Automotive Inc.’s shares surged in morning trading on Thursday following news that the electric truck maker will lay off 6% of its workforce, or more than 800 employees. The Irvine, California-based company, which has a manufacturing facility in Normal, Illinois, and is building another in Georgia, employs around 14,000 people and will cut about 840 jobs. In a memo to employees explaining the reasoning for the cuts, CEO RJ Scaringe wrote, "We must focus our resources on ramp and our path to profitability," according to a copy obtained by Reuters . The layoffs come six months after the company cut 351 jobs in California, including 143 in Orange County where the company’s Irvine headquarters are. Rivian (Nasdaq: RIVN) shares jumped more than 12% Thursday morning to as high as $22.09 at the time of this writing. The company raised nearly $12 billion in a blockbuster IPO in November 2021, and the stock peaked at $172.01 shortly after. Shares have fallen nearly 89% since then. The latest round of cuts won’t affect Rivian’s Illinois plant, nor the company’s plans to build a $5 billion factory in Rutledge, Georgia, about 50 miles east of Atlanta, according to the Atlanta Business […]