Better Business Bureau Serving Greater Cleveland's June 2023 Market Monitor includes stories about our recent Celebration of Integrity, how to implement AI as a small business, and BBB benefits.

1. N E W S F O R B E T T E R B U S I N E S S B U R E A U A C C R E D I T E D B U S I N E S S E S
MARKET
MONITOR
THE
B E T T E R B U S I N E S S B U R E A U S E R V I N G
G R E A T E R C L E V E L A N D
JUNE
2023
B2B DISCOUNTS FOR
BBB ACCREDITED
BUSINESSES
Dell Computers can save businesses
5-10% off Dell-Branded technology
solutions and 17% off on select
Logitech products. Business also
have access to a Small Business
Tech Advisor and flexible payment
solutions. Call (855) 900-5548 or
email allison.connors@dell.com.
Office Depot discount on office
supplies and printing. Contact Jessica
Samp at (248) 842-7514 or jessica.
samp@officedepot.com. Use SPC
Account #8012 380 6671.
PartnerShip®
offers discounts on
select FedEx®
services including
express packages, ground packages,
and residential delivery, on both new
and existing FedEx®
accounts. Save
on standard and guaranteed LTL
freight shipments with UPS Freight,
YRC Freight, Con-way Freight, and
other reputable carriers, including
competitive pricing on truckload,
expedited, and tradeshow shipments.
Call (800) 599-2902.
Company 119 launched an app to
help you easily get customer reviews
that are sent to your BBB Business
Profile. This is offered free only to
BBB Accredited Businesses. To sign
up, go to maxfeedback.com/bbb.
Some member discount programs
generate revenue which BBB
reinvests into the organization’s
operations.
INSIDE: • OnOurRadar • NewBoardDirectorSpotlight! • BBBJobBoard •
•DangersofPublicUSBCharging • ExclusiveGoogleBenefitsforBBBAccreditedBusinesses •
We Had A “WILD TIME” at
BBB’s 2023 Celebration of Integrity
BBB Serving Greater Cleveland was pleased to
recognize our Students of Integrity scholarship
winners: our top winner, Yikun Zhou from
Westlake High School; Taylor Evans of Heights
High School; Aubriana Hills of Notre Dame
Cathedral Latin School; and Mohammad Zoriaz
of Mayfield High School. To learn more about
each student’s accomplishments, head to BBB
Serving Greater Cleveland’s YouTube page to
watch these impressive student videos. A big
thank you to New Image Media for producing
these videos.
At the event, BBB recognized, in memory, Cary Root,
founder of Root-InfoTech, as our 2023 Champion of
Integrity. Root was recognized with this award for his years
of support of Better Business Bureau and the community.
Root was a trusted advisor to his clients with over 40
years of experience in IT and training as the Founder and
President of Root-InfoTech. He served on the Board of
Directors of Better Business Bureau, Ohio Commerce Bank,
Jewish Family Service Association, the BBB Educational
Foundation, and the Solon Chamber of Commerce. In
addition, he volunteered his IT experience with Ronald
McDonald House Charities, the Council of Better Business Bureaus in Arlington,
Virginia, the Children’s Tumor Foundation, and Breakthrough Charter Schools.
Thank you to everyone who attended and made
our Celebration of Integrity a success! Your
support of our Celebration of Integrity also
supports our Educational Foundation, which
allows us to continue our scholarship program,
educational outreach, and more.
We would like to thank our sponsors for making
this event a success!
If you are interested in getting involved with our Educational Foundation contact
Pam Anson at pam@cleveland.bbb.org or 216.413.5232 to learn more.

2. ®
Followusat:
SERVICE TO THE
COMMUNITY
Greater Cleveland BBB Activity
Report: January thru April
NEW! BBB
Job Board!
Reports issued on companies: 460,092
Customer complaints closed: 3,919
Customer reviews submitted: 2,278
BBB.org/cleveland visits: 333,559
Advertising review cases initiated: 22
Investigations Opened: 13
On Our Radar: Phishing Schemes
BBB has been getting reports on a variety of phishing scams from not only
consumers but our Accredited Businesses.
Purchase Order Scam: An Accredited Business contacted
BBB stating they received an email from a business about a
purchase order. Purchase order fraud occurs when a scammer
contacts a vendor and impersonates a legitimate organization.
The scammer requests a quote and orders large quantities of
a product. Our Accredited Business “called the business and
confirmed that they did not send this and they believed they
were hacked. They received calls from other clients stating the
same thing.”
Phony Camp Lejeune Text: A BBB Staff member
alerted BBB to a text message (image to the right)
involving the Camp Lejeune lawsuit. She stated
that “years ago, hackers obtained the personal
information of military personnel and their families
which affected me as a former dependent.” As you
can see from the message, Camp Lejeune is spelled
incorrectly and the location states it is 500 miles
away from the actual Camp Lejeune.
Shipment Scams: Another BBB Accredited Business reported receiving a text message
claiming to be from the United States Postal Service (USPS). The text stated that
the package they ordered failed to be delivered and they needed to click a link to
reschedule. Similar messages have also been reported using other delivery methods
including Amazon.
Avoid phishing scams with these tips:
• If something sounds suspicious, call the company directly or check the company
website directly. Don’t click on links in an unexpected message – type the URL for
the company into the browser or do a web search to find the right website.
• Don’t click, download, or open anything that comes from an anonymous sender.
This is likely an attempt to gain access to your personal information or install
malware on your device.
• Question generic messages. Scammers cast a wide net by including little or no
specific information in their fake messages. Always be wary of unsolicited messages
that don’t contain your name, the last digits of your account number, or other
personalizing information.
Looking to hire a new
employee? Send us the
following:
Job Title, Job Description,
Requirements,
Compensation, Location
(Remote or in-office),
and the application
deadline. Include an email
or phone number where
you want the resumes and
applications to be sent.
We post on our Job Board
and share the job listing
within our Facebook BBB
Job Board group. Email
KatieH@cleveland.bbb.org
New Board Director Spotlight!
Eric Pound is a Sr. Relationship Manager at KeyBank which
provides holistic wealth management solutions to high-net-
worth clients and their families, as well as business advisory
services for those business owners looking to transition/
transact their closely held business. Prior to working at
KeyBank, Pound graduated from Walsh University where he
double majored in Finance and Business Management and
minored in Economics. After graduating he started his career
at JP Morgan. In his spare time, Pound enjoys fishing with his
son and playing a round of golf with his friends and clients.

3. MARKET
MONITOR
THE
JUNE
2023
How to Implement AI in
Your Small Business
Artificial intelligence (AI), ChatGBT, and
other tech invitations and been inundating the
news over the past months. Gone are the days when tech
tools were only a commodity big businesses could afford. Now,
small business owners can harness the power of tools like AI to improve their
bottom line by helping their business understand its customers, keep accurate books, and spot
cyber threats. If you’re exploring how AI can help automate tasks and streamline operations in your
small business, here are a few things to consider.
• Identify where you need AI. There are many ways AI can add value to your business. Most commonly, AI is
employed to improve marketing, customer service, accounting, data collection and insights, and cybersecurity.
• Next, run a cost/benefit analysis. Take a hard look at how AI can generate money for your business or free up
your employees’ time to focus on more profitable tasks. If the gains aren’t there, or if they are too minimal to
matter, you may want to hold off on investing in AI.
• Start small. Start with low-risk, low-cost projects and use a small dataset for your first project. If you need to,
adjust along the way. Look into low-cost or even free software solutions. Then, expand to bigger initiatives after
you get some measurable results that prove AI’s value to your business.
• Prepare your data. Ensure your relevant data is as accurate and organized as possible before you get started.
Also, ensure you have a reliable, ongoing way to collect data related to your business goals. The more high-quality
data you have, the better your AI will work.
• Stay up to date. This field constantly evolves, and staying on top of trends and changes is essential. Read up on
new AI products targeted at smaller businesses and “test” them out.
• Look at your existing software. Many existing software solutions are rolling out new AI features. Before
purchasing new software, review your existing programs and speak to their customer support.
• Do your research. No matter what route to AI you choose, doing thorough research is vital. Look to businesses
with a good reputation. Search for business ratings and customer reviews on BBB.org and other third-party
websites. Don’t skip this step. Your business and sensitive data are on the line.
While AI and tools like ChatGBT can be great for businesses, it also provides the opportunity for more sophisticated
scams that make it easier to dupe businesses and consumers. Scammers may try and trick their victims by using
AI to impersonate another person’s voice and writing style to try to obtain an emotional knee-jerk response from a
victim or to avoid detection by email spam filters. Scammers can use AI to create personalized messages that target
the interests and preferences of their victims. Businesses should be aware that AI can be a doubled-edged sword.
Company management should weigh the benefits while also staying aware of the pitfalls.
Benefits Exclusively For BBB Accredited Businesses
YouTube ads allow you to showcase your services through video content that plays before or during a user’s YouTube
video. These ads can help you reach a wider audience and promote your business in a more engaging and dynamic
way. BBB has an exciting new opportunity to create and place YouTube ads for you.
• Your company’s video ad will be seen thousands of times
monthly by YouTube users in your market area while
co-branding with BBB.
• 84% of people say they’ve been convinced to buy a
product or service by watching a brand’s video.
• Video ads are more engaging than traditional ads and can
capture viewers’ attention more effectively.
• The YouTube ads are created for YOU at NO charge
beyond the monthly fee.
• Flat rate – we do not charge per click (PPC).
• We’ll target keywords like your brand, type of service, and
location to narrow down target audiences.
Want to learn more about any of our Digital Marketing opportunities? Contact us at 216-623-8963.

4. The Market Monitor
Better Business Bureau
200 Treeworth Boulevard
Broadview Heights, OH 44147
Periodicals Postage Paid
The Market Monitor (ISSN 1085-5122). June 2023. Volume 19 No. 2. Published quarterly in March, June, September, and December by Better Business Bureau, Inc. 200 Treeworth Blvd, Broadview Heights, OH 44147,
Periodicals postage paid at Cleveland, OH. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Market Monitor, 200 Treeworth Boulevard, Broadview Heights, OH 44147.
JUNE2023
ANOTHER SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR
CELEBRATION OF INTEGRITY SPONSORS!
THOMAS
ACCOUNTING SERVICE
KOOL GUYZ
FLOORS&MORE LLC.
Hal
Becker
Patrice
Blakemore
Ella
Fong