The Portage County Business Council (PCBC) gift certificate program is CHANGING this Fall.

We are moving to a third-party vendor who can better accommodate the needs of the gift certificate buyers.

Purchased gift certificates are used locally to:
1. recognize and reward employees as a talent retention tool, and
2. celebrate holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries of people in our community.

We recently surveyed PCBC member businesses and the community and found a strong desire for the ability for businesses and individuals to buy the gift certificates ONLINE. Our new program will allow buyers to do this! We will also continue to sell them at our office.

The survey highlighted the fact that over 70% of those surveyed purchased a gift certificate and over 60% received one as a gift. People use them and the fact that over $175,000 in gift certificate sales were recorded just before the Holidays in 2020 is prime evidence.

One important change is that a business must OPT-IN to be part of the program. We will send information to businesses on how to do that. Businesses will be able to manage the program online as well and will not need to purchase additional equipment.

Our current plan is to NOT charge PCBC members to be a part of the new gift certificate program. Additionally, a business may choose to sponsor the gift certificate program and get their logo printed on each one. That’s great exposure.

Stay tuned for more information regarding these details and others about the gift certificate program!