CABI to celebrate golden anniversary at Dec. 1 event

Guests check in at last year’s CABI annual meeting.

In December of 1972, a group of around 20 local businessmen came together to create an organization in Canton with the goal of promoting strong communication and collaboration among local industry, residents, and town government. The Canton Association of Industry (CAI), as it was originally named, held its first meeting at the Red Boot Steak House on Route 138 — the present site of the 99 Restaurant — on February 13, 1973.

During the past half century, the membership has grown roughly fivefold, and the organization has since rebranded as the Canton Association of Business and Industry (CABI) to be more inclusive of its service business members. What has remained steady throughout is the dedication of its members to support one another and to give back to Canton residents through their fundraising efforts.

On Thursday, December 1, CABI will celebrate this 50-year legacy of strength and service with an anniversary dinner event from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Blue Hill Country Club.

The founding officers of the CAI board of directors included President Lawrence Cedrone of Instron Corp., Vice President Henry Mann of Morse Shoe, Secretary Carl Whitman, and Treasurer Paul Murphy of the Neponset Valley Bank and Trust. Among the first businesses to join were Draper Brothers (now Draper Knitting), Emerson and Cuming, Morse Shoe, Plymouth Rubber, Boston Envelope, Instron, and Boston Mutual Life Insurance. By the end of the association’s first year, they had been joined by Canton Co-operative Bank, Beckham Travel Service, and A.G.M. Industries.

During its early years, CAI put together regular news profiles of local businesses called “Know Your Canton Industries.” The stories featured a different Canton business each month and included the location and history of each one, along with the number of employees who worked there.

In a 1977 article that appeared in the Patriot Ledger, a reporter wrote that CAI was the only industrial association at the town level in Massachusetts. Robert Noonan, the CAI executive consultant, called the organization unique.

Josh Cohen, the current president of the CABI board of directors and a partner with Legacy Financial Group, also used the word unique to describe the association in 2022. Cohen joined five years ago because he saw it as an opportunity to give back to Canton and to become more involved in the town. After joining CABI, he began to work with the membership committee to recruit and retain members. He later joined the executive board and was subsequently elected as board president.

“It’s a very unique organization,” Cohen said, noting that there are few business-driven organizations in surrounding towns. “I’m really proud of what we give back to the community and what we can offer our members.”

CABI offers a regular series of Lunch and Learn sessions, along with some early evening programs, to keep members informed and supported about new local businesses, transportation updates, hiring challenges, and the impact of COVID-19 in the workplace.

CABI consists of the organization and the nonprofit CABI Charitable Foundation. “Our donations committee gives a large amount of money back to the community,” Cohen said. “We’re pretty involved in giving to different organizations in Canton.”

CABI hosts the Tom Clark Golf Event in the late spring and the Canton Road Race in the fall, with monies raised going to support local groups such as the Police and Fire departments, the Saint Vincent de Paul Society, the Canton Food Pantry, the Clarke School for Hearing and Speech, Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children, Canton High School programming, and scholarships for graduating seniors at CHS and Blue Hills Regional Technical School.

Town Administrator Charles Doody served as the president of the Canton Helpline for several years while he was the fire chief. The Helpline provides support for individuals and families in need. “CABI’s donations have gone to support addressing food insecurity through the Canton Food Pantry and helping to offset the costs of heating fuel, electricity and medical costs for many others,” Doody said. “CABI and various town departments are an excellent example of a public/private partnership that works together to not only support our business community but also to support residents, public safety, community groups and our schools. Although I am not an official member, I am proud of the partnership we have forged to support the business community and the residents of Canton. It has been my privilege to work with so many great companies who want to be great community partners and give back to Canton. This is why Canton is considered a desirable place to live and to do business.”

Dr. Meredith Chamberland, counseling director at Canton High School, said that CABI’s consistent generosity has helped to make a college education a reality for CHS graduates.

“Year after year, the financial support the entire Canton community provides our graduating seniors is incredible,” Chamberland said. “With the extremely high costs of postsecondary education, the generosity of our community opens doors to a college education for students who would not enroll without their assistance. The Canton Association of Business and Industry has consistently supported the educational dreams of our students by offering scholarships to graduating seniors. We are so appreciative of their continued dedication.”

Kristin Draper, president of Draper Knitting and a member of the CABI board of directors, is a third generation family member of CABI. She said that Draper Brothers likely joined for the same reasons that other industries did. “It was really about putting all of the voices of industry, getting them together, and sharing issues,” she said. “And petitioning the town, when needed, for things that had to do with manufacturing or industry.”

Draper joined the family business in 1988 and became involved with CABI in the mid-1990s. After joining the executive board, she learned that the Donations Committee needed a member and volunteered, serving as co-chair with Paul Clark.

In addition to CABI’s philanthropic work, Draper appreciates what the organization offers to its members. “I think the networking is so great,” she said. “That’s always been a great part of it — meeting other townspeople, but also other business owners.” She added that she is very proud of the work CABI does, the support that members show each other, and the money that CABI has given back to the community.

Draper said that people who are members of CABI or who work closely with the organization represent a number of groups across Canton who come together to ask questions, share their concerns, and support one another as a group. “That’s really awesome,” she said. “I think that’s exactly why I’m involved. It’s a voice for the industries that might have gotten pushed out over time.”

The CABI 50th anniversary event will include a cocktail hour, food stations with foods representing the past five decades of CABI’s existence, dancing, and a collection of unwrapped toys for Toys for Tots. The event is open to the public. The members of the 50th Event Committee are Kristin Draper, Joe Emerson, Azeddine Fadli, Rep. Bill Galvin, Elaine Gilmore, Paul Hannigan, and Eileen Scafidi. To purchase tickets or to inquire about table sponsorships, email cabi@cantonbusiness.org. For more information, go to cantonbusiness.org.

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Posted by Mary Ann Price on Nov 12 2022. Filed under Business. Both comments and pings are currently closed.