Over the next few months, we will be celebrating and showcasing our Bronze level members. Please enjoy this brief video from iFinance Mortgage, John Rodriguez, Sr. Loan Specialist.

For all your real estate and mortgage related questions, please contact John Rodriguez at 949-456-7056.
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​Arpad Petrass is the owner of OC Real Estate Visuals. He specializes in real estate photography and was selected as the #1 real estate photographer in Orange County by Peer Space. We are happy to welcome Arpad to the Mission Viejo Chamber of Commerce and please enjoy this brief intro business video.

Please enjoy Arpad's brief video below and subscribe to the Mission Viejo Chamber of Commerce YouTube channel for more member videos.

Hackers are out of control, and we're all paying the price. Cyber Def's mission is to educate the general public how to keep their children, families, and businesses safe against the onslaught of internet predators, scammers, identity thieves, and hackers.

Please join us in welcoming new Chamber member, John Young, Founder of Cyber Def and enjoy this brief intro video submitted by Chamber ambassador, Peter Frankudakis, founder of Easy Fleet GPS.

The following helpful article was submitted by Jeff Zaret, owner and operator of PayProTec West Coast. PayProTec West Coast is also a Silver Tier Chamber Member.

Many business owners assume that if they have an e-commerce site, they must use either PayPal or Stripe to process their credit card payments. After all, that seems to be what everyone else does. So these two options must be the only viable choices, right? Wrong!
In fact, when you compare what you get with PayPal or Stripe to what PayProTec West Coast offers, it’s clear that PayPal and Stripe are not the best choices at all.

Here are four reasons why:
 
1. PayPal and Stripe are more expensive. Both of these companies advertise really low credit card processing rates, without mentioning that their rates for “card not present” transactions can be much higher. Of course, all transactions run through an e-commerce site are “card not present” transactions, since your customers are not physically inserting their credit cards into a card reader at your facility. Which means that those low advertised rates will never apply.

In contrast, PayProTec West Coast offers lower rates altogether…and the same low flat rate whether someone is keying in their credit card information or physically inserting their card into your card reader.

2. PayPal and Stripe offer one-size-fits-all solutions. With PayPal and Stripe you are just a commodity. They certainly are not customizing anything for you!

The problem with one-size-fits-all, though, is that different businesses have different needs. A sandwich shop, for example, has different credit card processing needs than a company that sells high-end home theater equipment online. PayProTec West Coast can customize your service and rate structure to fit your business. The other guys expect you to go to their website, enter your information and say “yes” to whatever service they offer.

3. PayPal and Stripe are not known for their excellent customer service. The thing about accepting credit card payments is that sometimes there is an issue with a transaction. When this happens with PayPal or Stripe, good luck getting ahold of someone who can get the issue resolved! 

When you work with PayProTec West Coast you have someone you can call 24/7 to get issues addressed, usually within minutes. In fact, if a problem arises during normal business hours, I’ll usually handle it for you myself.

The bottom line is, if you want to accept credit card payments through your e-commerce site, you’ve got choices. You can go with PayPal or Stripe. Or you can save money, get a customized solution and enjoy amazing customer service by choosing PayProTec West Coast instead. 
 
To learn more, simply give us a call at 949-427-5108 or visit our website at https://payprotecwestcoast.com. We’re here for you!

​The Mission Viejo Chamber of Commerce is excited to inform you of a new initiative to help attract more young professionals from our community to join us as we grow our businesses and enjoy networking together.

To coordinate this new initiative, the Board of Directors has approved the formation of the Young Professionals Committee (YPC). The YPC will be committed to promoting the success and competence of young professionals through education and connection. The YPC will consist of no less than three members, starting as follows:

Chair: Haley Thayer (Residential First Mortgage)
Membership/Board Liaison: Ian White (Edward Jones)
Events Coordinator: Brynmor Parmenter (Parmenter Insurance)
Photography/Social Media: Moustafa El shaabini (Paradise Photography)

Monthly networking and community socials will be scheduled beginning with the kick-off event on Thursday, July 28th, from 5:30pm - 7:30pm, hosted at High Park Tap House. This first event will help gauge community interest and provide helpful suggestions how to enhance this new initiative.

Registration details can be found both on the MVCC website here and also by clicking on Meetup here.

If you would like more information on how to get involved with the YPC, perhaps as an event speaker or sponsor, please send an email to youngprofessionals@missionviejochamber.com.

Thank you for your support and for sharing our enthusiasm as we launch this exciting initiative for the continued growth of our young professionals and business community!

Some of the most noteworthy takeaways about Mission Viejo pulled from this year's report:

• Mission Viejo has improved by 8 rankings since the last time we released this report. In 2020, it ranked #15.
• Its violent crime rate (0.75 per 1,000 people) was the tenth lowest among all cities we analyzed this year.
• Mission Viejo ranks as the Safest City to Raise a Family in California in 2022. The only other CA city that made the national Top 10 list this year was San Ramon at #10.

You can find more stats and info in the full report linked above, including:

• The fully ranked lists of the safest and most dangerous cities to raise a family
• States, cities, and regions that stand out
• Year-over-year changes
• National stats
• Our methodology

Click here to read the full report. Congrats Mission Viejo!

​Learn new skills at your own pace. Did you know that SDG&E provides webinars for business owners and trade professionals, and most are at no cost? You or your employees can learn about the latest in green building practices, technology and energy-saving solutions from industry experts. Some of March’s topics include:

• Energy audit skills: tools, data collection techniques and calculations
• HVAC: cooling tower efficiency
• Full scale induction for commercial kitchens: cooktops and woks
• Title 24: residential modeling
• Heat pump water heater retrofit: energy cost estimator

Certifications and continuing education units are available for many of the classes. Check out the class listing at sdge.com/EIC.