BATH BUSINESS ASSOCIATION
The Bath Business Association is a not-for-profit organization of local business owners and community groups and members dedicated to promoting business in Bath while preserving and enhancing the rural, scenic and historical identities of the hamlets of Ghent, Bath Center and Hammond Corners along the Cleveland-Massillon Road corridor.
Established in 2002 as an outgrowth of the Heritage Corridors of Bath, the BBA has created a business network that supports the community and member businesses while being a positive influence in the township.
HISTORY OF BATH BUSINESS ASSOCIATION
The Bath Business Association was formed from a recommendation of the Bath Township Scenic Byway Task Force, which was created in the late 1990s. That task force created a management plan focused on the preservation of the township’s rural and historic roadways along the 35 miles of Bath’s Heritage Corridors. Originally part of the Connecticut Western Reserve, the Heritage Corridors of Bath connects the 19th century hamlets of Ghent, Bath Center and Hammond Corners with Hale Farm & Village, the Bath Nature Preserve, and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park with early Bath homes, barns, cemeteries, and mills lining the byways as they wind through areas of the township’s scenic and natural beauty. Preserving the roadways most likely to be used for businesses, particularly those roads linking the hamlets, was a key consideration in the creation of Bath Business Association.
Established in 2002, the Bath Business Association has created a business network that supports the community and member businesses, helps to encourage small-town business development and works to be a positive influence in the township.
In addition to promoting its members’ businesses, the Bath Business Association has also partnered with the township and other community organizations to sponsor community events and outreach efforts, many of which have become enduring traditions in the Bath community. Some of those events include the Thanksgiving holiday Wye Road Bridge Lighting and Santa Arrival; the annual Bath Road Rally, the Bath Community Garage Sale; the distribution of Welcome Bags to new residents; the Holiday Cookie Tour; and the Barns of Bath Open House events.
Over the years, BBA members also
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compiled and published the most recent Bath Township Directory;
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award an annual scholarship to at least one graduating high school senior from Bath; *
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“adopt” local families in need during the holiday season; and
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support other community activities through volunteer or financial support, including: Bath Community Day; Bath Bicentennial events; the Bath Historical Society; the Bath Horse Show; and the Bath Volunteers for Service Home Tour, among others.
Meeting monthly and with a membership numbering just less than 100 businesses and community members, the Bath Business Association works to encourage the essence of small-town business development, provide a pleasurable destination for residents and visitors alike and partner with township officials on projects of interest to all Bath residents.
