The Chamber of Commerce of the Mid-Ohio Valley received telephone calls from local business owners who were targeted by promotional companies, an official said.
President of the Chamber of Commerce Bonnie Grady said two companies have been trying to sell advertising for promotional items, claiming to be partnered with the Chamber of Commerce of the Mid-Ohio Valley and Wood County Emergency Services.
"Businesses have the right to sell their products, but what I take issue with is that these companies are misrepresenting themselves as chamber partners," said Grady. "They very well may be legitimate businesses, but it's not agreeable to me that they are claiming to be partnered with us. It may be that these companies are trying to make themselves sound appealing by saying they are associated with us."
The two companies called Mid-Ohio Valley businesses Tuesday and Wednesday trying to sell advertising space on 5 inch by 8 inch glossy magnets printed with emergency phone numbers, Grady said.
Grady said she spoke with a representative from one of the companies, Team Spirit Promotions based in Illinois. The representative said the company was partnered with the Chamber of Commerce of the Mid-Ohio Valley.
When Grady explained that she was the president of the chamber and no such partnership existed, the representative denied ever saying there was a partnership.
"She became very defensive," said Grady. "And then she claimed they were partnered with Wood County Emergency Services, and not the Chamber of Commerce."
Read full story [News and Sentinel]
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