Chamber’s Lunch and Learn Event Features Small Business Grants and Fraud Detection
The Fairfield Chamber of Commerce held a Lunch & Learn meeting on Friday, March 31, 2017 where community business owners and citizens came to learn how to get the tools they need to protect their business and to create new possibilities for the future in diverse areas such as wireless telecommunications and more.
Guest Speakers were Michelle Bobo with the Texas Department of Agriculture and Ken Givens of U.S. Merchant Payment Solutions.
Michelle Bobo – TX Dept of Ag
Michelle Bobo kicked things off by explaining that Agriculture is vital to the State of Texas, as it is a $100 Billion industry.
“But we aren’t just about sows and plows,” she says with a grin. “We can help with consumer protection, production agriculture, healthy living, and economic development.”
Ms. Bobo works in the Trade and Business Development Department, Region 11, and serves as Field Representative for the following 19 counties: Freestone, Navarro, Limestone, Leon, Madison, Walker, Grimes, Washington, Burleson, Milam, Brazos, Robertson, Bell, Falls, McLennan, Coryell, Hamilton, Bosque, and Hill.
Some of the programs offered include:
–GO TEXAN – With its signature mark in the shape of Texas inside of a circle, its primary goal is to promote and support the business savvy and plainspoken grit Texas agriculture is known for throughout the world. Whether it’s grown, sewn, or served up on a plate, the GO TEXAN mark helps Texan’s know they are supporting their own. There are great business communications solutions offered in the industry.
This program supports Texas agri-business on state, national, and international levels by building recognition with the GO TEXAN mark.
Businesses can become a member for a little as $100 per year, but there are several different options available. Members get to use the GO TEXAN brand on their product, get a listing on the GO TEXAN website and mobile app used to find local products, have the opportunity to be featured on the GO TEXAN Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ pages, have an exclusive opportunity to network with other GO TEXAN members, and receive discounted rates for advertising and trade shows.
For more information on this program, visit http://www.gotexan.org/.
–State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) – This program is possible with a grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration; and its objective is to increase the number of small businesses that are exporting, and to increase the value of exports for those small businesses that are already exporting as well as the ones importing doing business to business deals with companies that can benefit from one another, for example the shipping and packaging company located in Texas can benefit a great deal from the mutually beneficial relationship with the Flexi Pack Manufacturer because they specialize in packaging at an industrial scale.
The program takes the necessary steps to create or expand the business’s export capacity and provides financial assistance along the way; as well as offering legal recruiter in Jacksonville, training and planning, and execution of export trade activities.
For more information on this program, contact Research Specialist Nathan Matt at 512-463-2496 or Grants@TexasAgriculture.gov
–Capital for Texas Small Business Loan Program – Designed to increase access for small businesses (in rural communities) to capital and enable private entrepreneurs to make market-driven decisions to grow jobs, and assist growth potential and employment capabilities by partnering with the community development financial institutions.
This program supports the empowering of rural communities by providing financing options to small businesses and manufacturers that are creditworthy, but are not getting the loans they need to expand and create jobs. Loans range from $5,000 to $350,000.
Contact one of following Community Development Financial Institutions to see which lender might best fit your needs: BLC of Texas at www.bcloftexas.org, LiftFund, Inc. at www.liftfund.com, or PeopleFund at www.peoplefund.org.
–Small and Microenterprise Revolving Loan Fund (SMRF) – Provides capital for rural communities to invest in new and/or existing small businesses and microenterprises to support job creation/retention activity for predominately low and moderate income persons.
With this program, a small county or city would apply for grant monies and decide how to disperse the funds amongst qualifying small businesses.
For more information, contact Chad Hinds at 512-936-0232 or at Chad.Hinds@TexasAgriculture.gov.
Michelle Bobo can be reached by calling 936-223-1721 or at Michelle.Bobo@TexasAgriculture.gov.
Ken Givens – US Merchant Payment Solutions
This fraud finder UV light can be purchased for around $100 and is a great way to detect fraudulent credit/debit cards, IDs, cash, checks and money orders.
Mr. Ken Givens spoke on how to recognize fake credit & debit cards, checks, and cash from customers; how to avoid fraudulent transactions; how to confirm the numbers and details on credit/debit cards; and what to look for when accepting checks and cash.
He also touched on how to handle phone orders, he noted that having one of the business phone systems in oxford ms is a great tool, he also touched on how to handle mail orders, and internet sales; and the importance of accepting EMV Chip Embedded Cards.
Avoiding Fraudulent Credit/Debit Cards
–Check the signature on the back of every card and compare it to the customer’s signature. If it is not signed, insist that they sign it. If it does not match, or they refuse to sign, do not accept the card.
–Address the customer by the name on the card and note their reaction. If they do not respond to that name immediately it’s most likely not their card.
–If it’s a very large transaction, ask for a second form of ID.
–Review the card for authenticity. Verify financial institution, expiration date, logos, holograms, network logos, etc.
–Check the magnetic strip. If the card’s strip is peeling off or doesn’t swipe correctly, ask for another form of payment.
–Make sure that the first four numbers of the card are embossed AND printed next to or below and that they match.
–Always get signed receipts from the customer and give them a copy to avoid the “I forgot that purchase!” charge backs.
Phone Orders, Mail Orders, and Internet Sales
–After collecting the customer’s information, call them back to confirm the order details.
–Enter all of their data into the system such as address, zip code, card security codes, phone numbers. Don’t skip any of the prompts from your card reader.
–Take extra precaution with international addresses.
–Never accept a letter of authorization claiming to give permission to someone to use the card.
–Be wary of shipping to office lobbies, hotels, and P.O. Boxes.
EMV (Europay, MasterCard, Visa) Chip Embedded Cards is a globally accepted technology that embeds micro processors into credit/debit cards to avoid fraud and theft in retail environments while using a touch screen cash register for small business.
Givens says that all businesses using a face-to-face sales method should upgrade to the EMV Chip card readers as the chips cannot be duplicated, making these cards less likely to be fraudulent.
“All businesses should accept EMV Chip cards, or risk counterfeit transactions and charge backs,” he explains.
Givens also went into detail on what different features to look for when dealing with checks and cash; and the importance of having a Fraud Safe UV Light.
Here is a video with more information about the Ultra light fraud detector:
For more information on any of these topics, visit KenGivens@USmsTexas.com, www.CardProcessingInfo.com, www.PCICreditCardSecurity.com, or call him at 254-863-2567 or 512-848-1069.
Pictured above: Fairfield Chamber of Commerce hosts Lunch and Learn on Friday, March 31, 2017 at the LaQuinta in Fairfield. Chamber Executive Director, Brenda Pate (far left); President, Josh Bayless (Second from left); and Administrative Assistant, Lisa Schick (far right) welcome speakers Michelle Bobo of the Texas Department of Agriculture (middle) and Ken Givens with US Merchant Payment Solutions.
(Photos by Nicole Schaefer)
