History
Founding: 1867
The first Akron Board of Trade was founded on April 12, 1867, at the urging of Wilse Robinson, owner of Robinson's Bookstore. Twenty-four civic leaders gathered at the Empire House that day to plan for a greater Akron, and Robinson argued that an organized board could draw new industry into town. History would prove him right.
John F. Seiberling, head of the Excelsior Works, was elected the Board's first president, and Charles Brown, an executive of the Buckeye Works, served as secretary. The membership raised a $500 fund to begin operations. Though no contemporary news accounts of the Board's early proceedings survive, the civic improvements that followed in the next several years speak to considerable work behind the scenes.
The Rubber Industry Arrives
In 1870, under the presidency of George W. Crouse, the Board published a summary of its accomplishments. That document, paired with the Board's continued activity, helped persuade Dr. Benjamin Franklin Goodrich to relocate his rubber manufacturing operation to Akron. From that decision grew the industry that would define the city for the next century.
The Interwar and Postwar Years
In the decades following both World Wars, the Boards of Trade played a defining role in shaping Akron. Each neighborhood developed its own Board, and each was served by a local newspaper financed through merchant advertising. In the 1960s, after the death of one such printer, a member of the North Akron Board of Trade, his archive of those newspapers was donated to the Akron Historical Society. That collection now offers a detailed record of Board activity through the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, including the North Hill Viaduct project, which the North Akron Board promoted and sponsored to completion.
Reorganization Under Buchholzer
Political careers were often built on Board of Trade activity. In the early 1950s, the Boards backed the successful mayoral candidacy of Democrat Leo Berg. The driving force behind the movement at that time was J.J. Buchholzer, owner of Hower's Department Store, who hosted the leaders of the various Boards for a free breakfast at his store each month.
Much of the small business community, however, leaned Republican and objected to the Board's political orientation. In 1954, an effort began to replace Buchholzer's leadership. Tempers eventually cooled, and a compromise advanced by the West Akron Board of Trade was adopted: Buchholzer would be named permanent Chairman of the Akron Boards of Trade Council. At the same time, the office of the President would rotate among the various Boards. Charles Pfahl was elected the first to serve as president of the rotating presidency.
Shortly thereafter, the Council relocated its meetings to the Sheraton Hotel. Upon Buchholzer's death, the organization established the Buchholzer Award in his honor, and the Board continues to recognize his role in sustaining the organization through the post-war years.
Local Character, Lasting Influence
The strength of the Boards of Trade has always been their local character. They serve as springboards for candidates to City Council and bring together the diverse interests of their communities. The success of each Board depends on retaining that local flavor and influence.
The Board's political achievements have come largely through partnership with members of the City Council. In the 1960s, that collaboration produced a joint traffic-flow committee with the Chamber of Commerce, opening a direct channel to local planners that had previously been the Chamber's alone. The same era also brought a parking ordinance allowing local merchants to ticket vehicles improperly parked in their private lots.
The Boards have a continuing obligation to stay in close contact with their representatives on City Council, and that proximity remains the source of their greatest influence. Successful politicians who move up the ladder carry the priorities of their local Board with them, a pattern visible in East Akron with Mayor Berg and, in later decades, in Kenmore. Local support is invariably where it begins.
Like any organization built to serve a particular purpose, the Boards of Trade have risen and receded over the years. They have nevertheless remained the means by which Akron's business owners come together to strengthen their communities, and the continued growth of this city stands as a testament to their work.
