We had a great day on Saturday celebrating the Grand Opening of Johnson's Grocery! They have completely rebuilt this Fairfield Township institution with a new drive thru and more. We welcome them to the Chamber and celebrate their improved facilities.

On Thursday, I was honored to participate in the Women Network, Scale, and Bloom with Miami along with other Chamber folks from the region. It was great to share about our Chamber AND to learn from others!

If you know me personally, you know I am a very proud Girl Scout leader. On Friday evening I was shocked to receive a Volunteer of Excellence Award from the Cincinnati region. I share this not to toot my own horn but to remind everyone if they have an award or business anniversary to celebrate, then let me know and I would LOVE to share it here in the Snapshot.

Have a great week!

Peggy

So appreciated being part of this panel of regional Chamber leaders at the Miami Opportunities for Regional Employers event last week.

CALENDAR

May 8 - Leadership Fairfield Graduation - Shared Harvest Foodbank - 11:00 AM

May 9 - Networking at Lunch - 11:30 AM

May 13 - CareerFest Debrief - 12:00 PM

May 15 - Golf Outing - South Trace

May 23 - Business After Hours - Kirsch CPA

May 27 - Memorial Day - Chamber closed

May 30 - BRAVE Young Professionals - Groovin' on the Green

For a full calendar of events and registrations,

please visit www.fairfieldchamber.com

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Want to join the Chamber?

CLICK HERE TO APPLY TODAY!

We are delighted to invite you to the highly anticipated 2024 Women Mean Business Awards Luncheon, to be held at the Fairfield Community Arts Center on June 18, 2024, from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM. Nominees will be announced in the coming weeks.

This prestigious event is dedicated to celebrating the outstanding achievements of women who live and work in Fairfield and Fairfield Township. Join us as we honor their remarkable contributions across various fields, recognizing their exceptional dedication and excellence. Our Speaker will be Jamie Bella, Senior Vice President of Retail Banking for Telhio and Fairfield Chamber Board Chair.

Award categories & distinguished nominees:

• Educate: Recognizing individuals who demonstrate exceptional dedication and excellence in the field of education, encompassing various domains such as higher education, adult vocational training, corporate training, or personal development.
• Angie Jenkins
• Kylie Sweet
• Angela Vanoss
• Sandra Whitley
• Elevate: Commending those who exhibit a strong commitment to enhancing the quality of life for residents of Fairfield/Fairfield Township, focusing on areas such as healthcare, education, social services, cultural enrichment, and other relevant aspects.
• Katie Braswell
• Judge Joyce Campbell
• Ronda Croucher
• Bonnie Nuxhall
• Dr. Rebecca Salyers
• Empower: Celebrating individuals who show significant commitment to empowering women in the Fairfield/Fairfield Township community through various initiatives, including advocacy for women’s rights, creating leadership opportunities, providing training and job opportunities, and promoting active participation in government and community affairs.
• Ryan Anderson
• Angela Lambert
• Apostle Miya Lee
• Bianca Stout

Calling all SWAG ITEMS!

Give us your pens, your notepads, your stress balls, and any other logo goodies.

We are looking for small items with YOUR logo to put in bags for our Chamber golf outing and Women Mean Business awards luncheon. It's a great way to share your business with those folks in attendance and keep your name in front of business people.

GOLF OUTING - MAY 15

We will need approximately 100 pieces for the golf outing and the deadline to have those here at the office is Monday, May 13.

We are also looking for items for our raffle that are larger single items. All proceeds from the auction benefit the Chamber's scholarship fund through the Fairfield Community Foundation.

WOMEN MEAN BUSINESS - JUNE 18

We will need approximately 125 pieces for the Women Mean Business Luncheon and the deadline to have those here at the office is Monday, June 9.

If you have something you would like to donate but need us to pick up, please just let us know!

STILL WANT TO GOLF BUT HAVEN'T REGISTERED YOUR TEAM?

You still have time! Go to www.fairfieldchamber.com

to sign up or call us at 513-881-5500.

On May Thursday May 9th, the Chamber of Commerce will be turning turquoise for #LungCancerAwarenessWeek to raise awareness about #lungcancer—the leading cancer killer. Get involved at LUNGFORCE.org and join us in the efforts to defeat this disease. #TurquoiseTakeover. Please wear the color turquoise for our meeting, we will be sharing our support nationwide! 

Our next Business After Hours event will be hosted at the Kirsch CPA Group, located at 2 South Third Street in Hamilton. Join us on the fourth Thursday of the month for an evening of networking and community building. This month's gathering will take place on Thursday, May 23, from 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM.



At Business After Hours, you'll have the opportunity to mingle with fellow local professionals in a relaxed atmosphere while enjoying light refreshments and beverages. Explore the impressive facilities of the Fairfield Police Station through guided tours and gain insights into their essential role within our community. Whether you're looking to expand your professional network, forge new partnerships, or simply unwind after a day's work, Business After Hours offers the perfect setting. We kindly request RSVPs to ensure we accommodate everyone comfortably. We look forward to seeing you there!

The Chamber is hiring! We are looking for someone who is excited about growing the membership of the chamber and serving our members. If this sounds like you or someone you know, then please have them apply!

Protecting your business: Fraudulent authorization testing is on the rise 

Ecommerce attacks are on the rise across the payments industry, regardless of which card not present products merchants use. Our operations team is seeing a spike in authorization testing attacks, in which fraudsters attempt to test stolen payment card numbers with a small online purchase to see if it will be authorized.

Since every transaction has an authorization cost, this fraudulent activity can cost your business money and put it at risk of chargebacks.

Converge users can set up fraud prevention rules to help further reduce risk. You can find a guide for setting these up here.

Helpful prevention measures include: 

1. Set hourly or daily velocity limits within your payment acceptance platform and monitor for large groups of transactions within a small period of time. 
2. If you use an outside vendor to develop your eCommerce website, ensure no HTML source code is left exposed or accessible. 
3. Require more than card information for payment authorization. Include pay fields for email address, phone number and cardholder address. 
4. Scan systems for malware or spyware regularly. 
5. Consider employing some of these common fraud deterrent tools: 

• Firewalls – These are network security systems that monitor and control incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules and transaction parameters. 
• CAPTCHA or reCAPTCHA – A program or system aimed at distinguishing human input from bots with images.
• Honeypots- These are decoy systems that operate alongside production systems that lure in fraudsters. 
• Device fingerprinting – Helps identify bots with technology that detects the originating device. 
• Key stroke recognition – Another biometric tool that uses the unique manner in which an individual types to recognize them as human and not a bot.

Be aware. In the event of suspicious activity an Elavon software security representative will contact you via email with further instructions to contact software support. If you suspect suspicious activity on your website or Converge, contact Elavon Converge support at 1-800-377-3962 (option 2, option 2).

Emails from Elavon representatives will always be sent from Elavon.com. If you receive a communication you are unsure about, you can verify the legitimacy by contacting Customer Care at 1-866-310-3345. Again, when in doubt, reach out and contact Customer Care directly. Together we can help prevent fraud.

Click here for more information

The Ohio Virtual Tax Academy (OVTA) offers free, half-day webinars designed and presented by Ohio Department of Taxation staff to provide the latest Ohio tax-related information to small business owners, tax practitioners, and anyone interested in gaining a better understanding of Ohio’s tax laws and tax system.

Attorneys and accountants who attend an OVTA webinar can earn CLE credits and/or CPE credits. NOTE: Effective January 1, 2014, attorneys may earn up to 12 hours of self-study CLE credit towards their annual limit from online webinars.

Register by Monday, May 20^th at https://form.jotform.com/240503413156142. 

Showcase your business to the Fairfield community as we honor the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Participating in the parade is not only a fantastic marketing opportunity, but it also demonstrates your support for our veterans and their families. Don't miss out on this chance to connect with the community and show your appreciation for our heroes!

Go on the ultimate foodie adventure with Flavors of Fairfield!

From April 10 to May 15, eat your way around the world at 20+ global eateries to earn your spork medal, and be entered for the chance to win a $1,000 Jungle Jim’s International Market gift card and more.

Get your dining pass at www.flavorsoffairfield.com!

Check out the latest Fairfield Flyer for all that is happening around the area!