12.16.09
NABA celebrates 10th anniversary
By: Kevin Parks - www.ThisWeekNews.com
Dave Cooper was involved with the Northland Area Business Association even before there was a Northland Area Business Association.

At last week's annual holiday gathering and 10th anniversary celebration for NABA, the outgoing president spoke of being involved in the organization for 11 years, back to the very formative stages and dating to when he and his wife bought the Ink Well in the Beechcroft Center on East Dublin Granville Road.

After two terms as president, Cooper decided not to run again.

He will be succeeded by Roseann Hicks of Yogi's Hoagies.

Cooper will continue to serve on NABA's board of trustees for 2010.

And, in spite of jokes from fellow trustee Paul Weber of the YMCA North that it was high time for Cooper to scale back his efforts on behalf of NABA, Cooper vowed to continue to "strive to help the business community in Northland."

On the occasion of NABA turning a decade old, during a luncheon meeting at Monaco's Palace on Cleveland Avenue, various state and local officials provided some recognition of the auspicious occasion.

"It is a big deal, this year," Cooper said.

"It is a birthday, an anniversary," Weber said. "Ten years is a long time."

Sean McCullough, legislative aide to state Rep. Kevin Bacon was on hand for what he described as the "big event." He appeared on behalf of Bacon and state Sen. Jim Hughes, neither of whom could attend the function. McCullough provided commendations from both the House and Senate recognizing the business organization's 10th anniversary.

City attorney Richard C. Pfeiffer Jr. was on hand, as were city council members Hearcel F. Craig and Andrew J. Ginther. Craig offered a council resolution of recognition for the anniversary and thanked the organization's members for their efforts.

"When businesses, especially small businesses, are successful, all our children are successful," Craig said.

Ginther also thanked NABA members for their work to help boost business in the city.

Dick Graham, the community liaison for Northland from the city, provided a certificate to NABA on behalf of Mayor Michael B. Coleman.

The luncheon celebration began with a greeting from Weber, the master of ceremonies.

The Rev. Paul Gabriel of Columbus Baptist Temple on Cleveland Avenue provided the invocation.

Weber then said that holiday gatherings for groups and organizations usually feature a musical performance, and NABA's meeting was to be no exception. Weber then predicted that many of the 60 or so on hand would recognize the occasion's entertainer and would not have been aware he sang professionally.

Membership services director Mark Higdon, in costume as if he had just stepped from some screen version of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," then came in and sang several Christmas carols.

Weber thanked the event's sponsors, Telhio Credit Union and Clayton E. Weber, a certified public accountant.

"NABA reaches out to the entire community," Cooper said during his remarks.

He added that it's been an honor to have served as president the past two years, and a pleasure to watch how practically every business in the organization has reached out to help another member grow.

Cooper acknowledged that 2009 was a challenging year for many in the business sector, and said that some who were members of NABA at the outset of the year didn't make it to the end.

He called upon all of the members to do what they could to help one another in 2010.

"I look forward to the future for NABA as we go for our next 10 years," Cooper said.

No birthday party is complete without a cake to cut, and last week's gathering was no exception. Those wielding the knives were Cooper, fellow past president George Hadler and Mark Bell, standing in for U.S. Rep. Pat Tiberi. Tiberi was NABA's first president when he was a real estate agent.

Hadler said that it was gratifying to see what had become of what was a fledgling organization way back when.

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