Oak Harbor Chamber Newsletter

June 2023

Every two years the Chambers in Ottawa County get together on a project to publish a county-wide community guide. The current edition is 60 full color pages packed with information about Ottawa County, places to go, places to eat, where to buy whatever you might need. It is distributed to vacationers, new residents, as well as folks at large fairs, festivals, events. S&IO and CMP also help with distribution. All Chamber Members are listed in the directory, and it is also provided free to all our members for their use.

A full County map is also combined with the directory. We will publish both a map and the community guide at the same time, both in glorious full color, and both online as well. This approach will help our members’ advertising dollars go even further.

In the coming weeks, you will be contacted by Jeff Krabill, about advertising in the community guide and map. Jeff has been the sales manager for this project for the last several projects, most of you may already know him.

This project ONLY occurs once every two years. In addition to the value it represents for advertisers, these publications are also critical to each chamber’s budget. This project is a fundraiser for the Chambers and the money invested goes right back into programs to support your business. Projects like seminars, breakfasts, booths at shows, and community events would not be possible without advertisers’ support on this project. The bonus is that all of us now have great tools to help promote our businesses and Ottawa County!

The Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce is accepting donations for the 2023 Oak Harbor Independence Day Celebration. You can donate directly to the fireworks online at: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=KWRR6QENVLMQG&source=qr.

You can also support the fireworks by purchasing a star at Community Markets or Friendship from now through June 30th.

Turns out Snapchat has a chatbot. It not only has natural conversation capabilities (any parent wishing to have a conversation with their child could certainly rename this chatbot with their kid’s name and have a lovely conversation.), but will answer any question you have for it. Additionally, TikTok is testing Tako, an in-app chatbot, and the company is looking at it to deliver more relevant content to its users. This is just the next step. After all, when kids want to know something, they search YouTube first. This hasn’t been a huge disruptor to search so far because YouTube is owned by Google. If chatbots start fielding more questions, which they will, this could will change everything.

So, what can we expect in the next year with AI searches increasing?

Click Here for Full Article

Friends of Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge is teaming up with the American Red Cross to host a blood drive at the Visitor Center on Saturday, July 8, 2023. The blood drive is being held in memory of Refuge Friend, Meridith R. Beck who passed away in February at the age of 82.

Read the full press release here.

Have outdated electronics or clothing items that are still usable or in rough shape? Take them to Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge on Saturday, July 8, 2023 (10 am – 2pm) for the Refuge Recycle Round Up.

Read the full press release here.

You can always check out our online Community Calendar for events.

You can submit your own events there as well!

Help us to PLAN Oak Harbor!

Oak Harbor officials, together with the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee, have started the process of developing a Comprehensive Community Plan. Oak Harbor’s last comprehensive plan is several decades old and it was deemed necessary by community officials to develop a comprehensive plan to help plan and coordinate the many great things currently happening in the community. Reveille, a firm that specializes in comprehensive community development solutions, will assist a steering committee comprised of community representatives in developing the Plan.

What is the purpose of a Comprehensive Community Plan & why is it important?

The purpose of the comprehensive plan is to create a shared vision for the community to preserve and build on its heritage while giving direction for desirable growth and redevelopment and the implementation of important priorities. The entire process will take roughly one year and be ready for adoption near March 2024. 

The Comprehensive Community Plan will provide the community officials, residents and decision makers with guidance in the following areas:

~Community Services and Facilities (schools, library, etc.)

~Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization

~Economic Development and Downtown / Riverfront Revitalization

~Future Land Use and Zoning

~Infrastructure (water/sewer capacity, and other utilities)

~Parks, Recreation and Portage River / Riverfront Connectivity

~Transportation and Pedestrian Connectivity (streets, parking, bicycle and pedestrian mobility)

~Plan Implementation (getting stuff done and holding people accountable!)

There’s many ways to participate:

An interactive public process has been developed to help the community frame goals and strategies of our Comprehensive Community Plan. Over the next year, community residents, students and stakeholders will be able to participate in many ways, such as round-table discussions, mapping and visioning exercises, surveys, and poll-based data collection. 

Residents are now able to participate in the first of many surveys. A link to this survey can found here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PlanOakHarbor. The survey ask residents, high school students, business owners and other stakeholders questions relative to their community priorities, growth, revitalization, and livelihood of the community. 

Deepfakes use artificial intelligence technology to create a seemingly real video or audio clip that mimics a person’s face, voice, or both. This kind of synthetic content is often used to spread misinformation by impersonating politicians and celebrities on social media. However, that’s not the only use. Scammers are currently using deepfakes of corporate executives to steal from large companies. As the technology improves and becomes easier to use, we’ll likely see scammers using deepfakes to target individuals and small businesses too.

How can you spot a deepfake and avoid getting scammed? BBB recommends the following tips:

Protect Yourself from Deepfake Scams

• Take a closer look at that video. Poor quality deepfakes are easy to identify. Look for isolated blurry spots in the video, double edges to the face, changes in video quality during the video, unnatural blinking or no blinking, and changes in the background or lighting. If you notice any of these telltale signs, you’re probably looking at a deepfake video.
• Listen closely to the audio. Fake audio might include choppy sentences, unnatural or out-of-place inflection, odd phrasing, or background sounds that don’t match the speaker’s location. These are all signs of fake audio.
• Don’t believe everything you see online. Scammers count on you to take them at their word without verifying their identity. Always use a healthy dose of skepticism when contacted by a person or company if you can’t validate who they really are. Be wary of videos featuring celebrities or politicians that are especially divisive or scandalous.
• Make sure you know who you are talking to. As deepfake technology progresses, you’ll need to confirm the identity of who you are speaking with – even if you think you know and trust them. You might not send money to a stranger who calls you out of the blue, but if scammers start using deepfakes to impersonate your loved ones, falling victim could be easier. Pay attention if a friend or family member makes an out-of-character request and confirms their identity before sending money or giving up sensitive personal information.
• Don’t make financial decisions based on viral videos. If a celebrity insists you invest in bitcoin or donate funds to a specific charity in a viral video, do some research before you send money. Scammers would love to get their hands on your money by impersonating someone you trust.
• Don’t assume an online persona is the real deal. Whether you are hiring a new employee or contacting an outside vendor, don’t assume someone exists just because they have video, photos, or audio on their online profiles.
• Protect your business accounts. Use multi-factor authentication on all systems to prevent scammers from using a deepfake to hack your account and impersonate you.
• Train your employees to recognize deepfakes. Ensure your employees know what to look for, especially if they are in charge of your business’s finances or assets.
• Be cautious when sharing information digitally. Don’t give in to urgent requests. Even if someone is threatening immediate action against you or your business. Take the time to verify their identity.

Your SMALL business deserves BIG business benefits. Employee health coverage that works as hard as you do.

We know you work hard for your small business. You deserve a health coverage solution that works just as hard for you. That’s why we’ve teamed up with Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield to offer small employers The SOCA Benefit Plan. By joining with other small businesses to share claims risk across a much bigger pool, you receive more competitive rates and predictable payments.

Available to groups with 2 to 50 employees and sole proprietors, The SOCA Benefit Plan offers these advantages to you and your employees:

• Competitive rates

• Choice of PPO, high-deductible HSA Compatible PPO, Link HMO, and high-deductible HSA

Compatible Link HMO

• Predictable, fixed monthly payments

• A one-time credit to your medical premium equivalent when you add new dental, vision, and/or life

coverage.

To learn more, contact The SOCA Benefit Plan for a referral to a participating broker. Be sure to ask about dental, vision, life, and disability coverage available through The SOCA Benefit Plan.