meet the da2 members...
each month we will be highlighting a different board member
of the Downtown Augusta Alliance
This month: Meet Ben
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Meet Your d(a)2 Board: Ben Casella
By Christopher Selmek
Name: Ben Casella
Position: d(a)2 Board Member
Day job: Ocular disease specialist with Casella Eye Center
How long have you lived in Augusta: I was born and grew up here. I moved away for college in 1999 but moved back down here upon completion of my residency in 2008, so I was gone for about a decade.
I always knew that health care was for me, though I was never forced into it. It just happens that ocular disease was my specialty, and we have a lot of it downtown so I was able to come work with my dad at the Casella Eye Center. You can’t beat having family to back you up when you need it.
What does the Downtown Augusta Alliance mean to you: The purpose of the d(a)2 board is to steer our organization in the right direction and to continue our grassroots effort to bring improvements to downtown Augusta.
If you look at the Downtown Development Authority and the Chamber of Commerce, I think you’ll see that we are the only organization that goes to individual businesses for their input before making decisions. We see that what’s good for downtown will be good for each of our individual businesses; I don’t think there’s a single member of our board who is on it just to push their own company at the expense of anyone else.
Why did you decide to become a member: Upon moving back here I saw a group of progressive young people and found their vitality and “get up and go” infectious. You can either help your downtown or wait around for change to happen, and I think history has proven activity to be the best choice.
What do you see as your role on the board: We all have a responsibility to incoming business, but my role is still evolving and will continue to evolve as we continue meeting and as d(a)2 and I determine how I can best serve our community.
What do you have planned for January: There’s going to be some exciting happenings with downtown restaurants and such related to romance and Valentines Day. And as always, we’re looking forward to the Master’s playing through Augusta the first week of April.
What is your favorite thing about the downtown area: The biggest thing that surprised me was how much it’s all changed since I was in high school. The Pizza Joint was here, but not much else, and there really wasn’t any reason for me to come down. Since then there has been this cultural renaissance downtown that’s infused the community with life so that it’s a great place to spend five days out of the week, or more.
What are some of your favorite places in downtown Augusta: My wife, Laura, and I love Nacho Mamas, we also love the Stillwater Taproom and Bee’s Knees. You’ll find me at New Moon coffee shop at least five days out of the week.
