CABI celebrates 40th anniversary

Just before Christmas in 1972, Lawrence Cedrone, a resident of Canton and an employee of the Instron Corporation, appeared before the Board of Selectmen with some exciting news for the town and its businesses.

CABI board member Paul Clark (left) and CABI President Gene Manning present a donation to Kathleen Kalell of the Mass. Hospital School at the 6th annual Tom Clark Golf Event

A new industrial organization, called the Canton Association of Business and Industry (CABI), had just been formed, and according to Cedrone, it would seek to become a willing partner with the town and its residents while strengthening the business base and promoting “service to the community through industry.”

It was an ambitious set of priorities for a fledgling organization, but CABI, with Cedrone as its first president, had the immediate backing of town officials and the collective support of some of Canton’s largest industries at the time — from Draper Bros. and Plymouth Rubber to Instron and Boston Envelope Co.

Over the years, many of those charter members have either evolved or relocated out of Canton, yet the association itself continued to grow and thrive, attracting a diverse set of new businesses and organizations ranging from Reebok to the Canton Co-operative Bank to the Canton Public Schools.

Now celebrating its 40^th year in existence, CABI remains a Canton institution and is in many ways stronger than it’s ever been, according to current Executive Director Paul Hannigan.

“We are representing the business community with the town, especially the selectmen,” he said, “We also work to develop a proactive business approach for our members, and we help the community with charitable monies, which is a big part of our purpose.”

Over the past four years, in fact, CABI has donated over $100,000 to town departments, including the police and fire departments, and thousands more to groups such as the Mass. Hospital School and the Canton Food Pantry. The association has also distributed over $200,000 in scholarships to students at Canton High School and Blue Hills Regional since its inception.

Much of the funding for CABI’s charitable efforts has come from its annual road race, which celebrated its eighth year this past September. Organized by Howard Goldman, president of Humboldt Storage and Moving, the popular road race, which is co-sponsored by Reebok, attracts hundreds of runners each year and has raised more than $450,000 for local organizations since 2005.

CABI has also been host to other popular events, including an annual golf outing held each year in honor of former CABI president Tom Clark that has raised tens of thousands for local charities, as well as an annual holiday party that serves as both a networking event and an opportunity to recognize new members and important contributors.

While the charity and social functions represent the more visible side of CABI, current President Gene Manning was also quick to point out the association’s many contributions to the local economy. For instance, Manning noted how CABI members paid over $22 million in commercial taxes to the town in fiscal year 2012, which represented 28 percent of the total operating budget.

And according to its website, the association is currently addressing such issues as “reasonable taxation, ground water protection problems, MWRA water concerns and traffic problems.”

Furthermore, CABI has been a driving force in attracting new businesses to Canton over the past 40 years, working in conjunction with town boards and the Economic Development Committee, which Manning also oversees.

Arguably its greatest contribution in this regard came early in its history, when the fledgling organization worked alongside town officials to bring a sewer line to Route 138 in the early 1970s.

Current CABI member representative Ed Sullivan recalled how many businesses wanted to develop land along the now busy corridor, yet the absence of sewer service made it nearly impossible to do so.

Sullivan recalled how the industry leaders, including many of the founding members of CABI, looked at Route 138 as the “engine that would drive Canton business and industry” well into the future.

To achieve their vision, people like Cedrone and Sullivan, along with assessor Jack Galvin, Planning Board member Dick Driscoll and others, created an informal group to develop a plan for the sewer line, which they subsequently pitched to voters at annual town meeting.

Sullivan said some of the early CABI member businesses “pledged some money to help foot the bill,” and the proposal was subsequently approved, leading to an eventual influx of businesses along 138.

Sullivan, who has worn numerous hats over his lengthy career as a public servant, could not say enough about the work that CABI has done over the past four decades, including the work of the association’s many board members and past presidents.

Those individuals include Manning, John Ferrari, Goldman, Roger Pritzker, Clark, Sheldon Leppo, John Naughton, Peggy Hansen, Michael Loughran, Anthony Will, and Vincent Banks, as well as numerous others who have served the organization since its founding.

“[CABI] is an organization of business people in the community that are here to bridge the gap between the citizens and industry, and the citizens and the state and local government,” Sullivan said. “I think they’ve outdone themselves to be honest with you.”

Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=18053

Posted by Jay Turner on Dec 27 2012. Filed under Business. Both comments and pings are currently closed.