Erie County Chamber of Commerce

BUSINESS BRIEFS

February 10, 2017 604 W. Washington Street Sandusky, OH 44870

PHONE: 419/625-6421 FAX: 419/625-7914 Website: www.eriecountychamber.com E-mail: Pamelas@eriecountychamber.com

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Advertising is available to our members at a reasonable fee. Please contact the Chamber office at 419-625-6421 to request a form that outlines the specs and pricing. Business Briefs goes out to over 900 people!

A message from Pamela Smith:

Be sure to click on the link below!

http://www.buckeyeadvertising.com/videospots/MotownDinnerDance_proof.mov

It has certainly been a winter whirlwind mixture of great events light the Chamber’s Taste of the North Coast which was very successful in many ways. It provided a fun casual environment for people from different areas to come and enjoy the wonderful food, beer, and wine samples that our many member vendors offered! It also provided a lot of networking for businesses and provided the perfect backdrop for catching up with good friends! It was a pleasure to see so many of you attending and we want to thank everyone who took part in this year’s event!

The Economic Forecast was presented by Joe Roman, President & CEO of Greater Cleveland Partnership, and he did a really nice job talking about the impact that the economy will have on the region as well as on a local basis. The format was a little different this year and more interactive with the audience which many of our guests really enjoyed!

Last evening, Firelands Winery hosted one of the Chamber’s Business after Hours and it was fabulous! Osteria Gusto is an all new exposition kitchen and event space that has recently been added along with a new patio area. A little bit of history…Firelands Winery has been around since 1880 and during that time they noticed great food makes a fantastic compliment to their award-winning wines. Something new and special! Look forward to Osteria Gusto bringing international chefs to come to their state-of-the-art exposition kitchen to cook!

Moving on to the future! What’s next for the Chamber? The MOTOWN AND SOUL DINNER AND DANCE event on Friday, March 10th, at Sawmill Creek Resort from 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. The dress code is Business Casual or “Motown” wear. A favorite in this area, Ron Howard and his band “Cruisin” will provide an array of music that will include Rock n’ Roll, Motown, and Soul to dance the night away! Tickets are now available for purchase with a credit card at www.eriecountychamber.com. When you purchase your tickets, you will be able to select your dinner choice. No dinner substitutions can be made. ALL TICKETS ARE BEING PRE-SOLD. You may purchase individual tickets for $50 or a table that seats 8 for $400. As always, no refunds can be given. A cash bar will be available. Limited seating. Don’t miss out and get your tickets now! Sawmill Creek Resorts will provide a special room rate for that night so you can plan to spend the night if you choose to. Please call the Chamber for further information!

2017 TASTE OF THE NORTH COAST

2017 ECONOMIC FORECAST

FIRELANDS WINERY – OSTERIA GUSTO EXPOSITION KITCHEN

BUSINESS AFTER HOURS!

UPCOMING

PLEASE ADD THESE EVENTS TO YOUR CALENDAR!

Dewey Furniture/Mattress First February 15th 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Grand Opening Mixer Health & Strength Gym RC/BAH February 22nd 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Parkvue Community BAH March 15th 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Erie County Senior Center March 22nd 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Jimmie Johns BAH – Hayes Ave. March 29th 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.

DON’T FORGET TO RSVP to marjie@eriecountychamber.com!

A GREAT OPPORTUNITY! COSE Day at the Capitol on April 5, 2017

Please take your “seat at the table” and participate in the political process by engaging Ohio’s policymakers and sharing your experiences at COSE Day at the Capitol on April 5, 2017! We advocate on your behalf daily to ensure your voice is heard before government officials on matters that are important to you. There is no substitute, however, for legislators having the opportunity to sit down with you to learn first-hand about the challenges you and your business face. Your direct involvement is a powerful asset that helps us make a difference throughout legislative and regulatory proceedings for the benefit of our business members. We are pleased to offer this opportunity approximately forty small business owners to travel to the Statehouse and participate in a day of briefings and dialogue with elected officials and thought-provoking guest speakers. The timing of this year’s event will allow you to influence Ohio’s biennial budget deliberations. Tax reform, health care, and workforce development issues are among the many initiatives in the limelight. But, to best understand your needs, state leaders must hear directly from you. Transportation to and from Columbus, food and refreshments are provided at no charge to you. Attendees will be provided background materials on the issues and the legislators you will be meeting to make your experience enjoyable and easy. Register today for COSE Day at the Capitol by visiting www.cose.org/coseday or for more information email events@cose.org or call 216.592.2390. Bring a fellow business owner or a colleague and join us for COSE DAY AT THE CAPITOL; we thank you and look forward to your participation on April 5, 2017. Kevin Johnson Sante Ghetti President Glenwood Management Vice President, Government Advocacy Vice Chair, GCP Government Affairs Council Greater Cleveland Partnership Chair, COSE Small Business Caucus Council of Smaller Enterprises

Romance Scams Can Ruin Valentine’s Day

Millions of people visit online dating websites every year hoping to find that special

someone. But a s Valentine’s Day gets closer, BBB always warns you criminals use these

sites, too, looking to turn the lonely and vulnerable into fast money through a variety of

scams.

We talk to victims of these scams frequently. The criminals—who also troll social media

sites and chat rooms in search of romantic victims—usually claim to be Americans

traveling or working abroad. They often live overseas in places like Nigeria. While their

most common targets are women over 40 who are divorced, widowed, and/ or disabled,

virtually every age group and demographic is at risk.

Here’s how the scam usually works: you are on a dating site and contacted by someone who appears to be interested in

you. He or she may have a profile you can read or a picture that is e-mailed to you. For weeks, even months, you may chat

back and forth with each other, forming a connection. You may even be sent flowers of other gifts. But ultimately, it’s

going to happen—your new-found “friend” is going to ask you for money. He/she is making plans to come to your area,

but a sudden expense happens. It’s only a few thousand dollars and they will pay you back when you are finally together.

In, fact you have been targeted by criminals, probably based on personal information you uploaded on dating or social

media sites. The pictures you received were most likely phony lifted from other websites. The profiles were fake as well,

carefully crafted to match your interests.

In addition to losing your money to someone who had no intention of ever visiting you (and don’t exist!), you may also

have unknowingly taken part in a money laundering scheme by cashing phony checks and sending the money overseas

and by shipping stolen merchandise (the forwarded packages).

The FBI recently reported a new dating extortion scam. Victims usually met someone on an online dating site and then

were asked to move the conversation to a social networking site, where the talk often turned intimate. Victims were later

sent a link to a website where those conversations were posted, along with photos, their phone numbers, and claims that

they were “cheaters.” To have that information removed, victims were told they could make a $99 payment—but there is

no indication that the other side of the bargain was upheld.

While the FBI and other federal agencies work hard to stop these scams, especially those with large number of victims or

large dollar losses and/ or those involving organized criminal groups—many are investigated by local and state

authorities. If you think you’ve been victimized by a dating scam or any other online scams, file a complaint with the

Internet Crime Complaint Center (www.ic3.gov).

Here are some tips on how to avoid becoming a victim of an online dating scam. Your online “date” may only be

interested in your money if he or she:

Presses you to leave the dating website you met through and to communicate using personal e-mail or instant

messaging.

Shows instant feelings of love.

Sends you a photograph of himself or herself that looks like something from a glamour magazine.

Claims to be from the United States and is traveling or working overseas.

Makes plans to visit you but then is unable to do so because of a tragic event.

Asks for money for a variety of reasons (travel, medical emergencies, hotel bills, hospital bills for a child or other

relative, visas or other official documents, losses form a financial set back or crime victimization).

DO NOT SEND MONEY THROUGH ANY WIRE TRANSFER SERVICES TO SOMEONE YOU MET

ONLINE!

*The chances of recovering your money are very slim*