Yorozu celebrates 20 Years in Warren County
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The festivities culminated in a company picnic for employees and their families at the fairgrounds, featuring food, games and activities for the kids, as well as speeches from Yorozu officials, some of whom traveled from Japan to attend.
On hand were Yorozu Corporation President and CEO Akihiko Shido, Yorozu North America Chairman and CEO Masataka Ebato, Yorozu North America President Kazumi (George) Sato, and Yorozu Automotive Tennessee (YAT) President and COO Jack Phillips.
Also in attendance was County Executive John Pelham, whose father, former County Executive Zeke Pelham, was instrumental in bringing Yorozu to Warren County. Shido talked about how diligently Pelham worked to facilitate the establishment of the local plant, assisting with the paperwork and even the hiring of employees.
?For this reason, it is not an exaggeration to say that we are here today, because of Mr. Zeke Pelham?s great deed,? Shido said. ?Therefore, I?d like to express my profound gratitude to his son, John, for his father?s great kindness. Even after 20 years, many Japanese members who were here 20 years ago still talk about Mr. Zeke Pelham. He is remembered with great respect and appreciation among us.?
Shido lauded the assembled employees for their teamwork and dedication over the years, during good times and bad.
?In these 20 years, we have been through a lot of difficulties, but each time, we managed to overcome them,? Shido said. ?Without the employee?s great effort and deep understanding from their families, as well as the support from the community, we would have not been able to come this far.?
And the company has indeed come a long way since YAT began operations here 20 years ago with only nine employees.
?We have grown to a company with more than 850 employees,? Shido said. ?The total number of employees in the North America group, including those in Mexico, is more than 1,700 employees with total sales of $555 million. As a total of the Yorozu group, which includes plants in Japan, Thailand, and in China, we have approximately 4,500 employees with total sales of $1 billion. I did not expect this 20 years ago.?
During his speech, Shido expressed appreciation to the community for welcoming the company two decades ago. He described the moment when he first realized he had made a good decision in locating in Warren County. At the time the company had just opened a temporary office downtown.
?I was just standing outside the temporary office,? Shido recalled, ?but there were many people pulling over in their cars and asking me questions, such as where we were from, what business we would be doing, and at the end of every conversation, they all encouraged us and wished us good luck. I felt very secure to have a business in such a community where people are so nice and kind.?
Shido also commended the community on its participation in Sister Cities, a cultural exchange program between McMinnville and Mikawa-machi, Japan, where one of the company?s plants is located. Shido said Yorozu has been pleased to support this endeavor.
?Over the past, many children from McMinnville have visited Japan, and many children from Japan have visited McMinnville,? Shido noted. ?The first group of children who visited Japan or McMinnville and built a firm friendship have now become adults. I believe their cross-cultural experience between Japan and America has become a great asset to each of them. I hope this circle of friendship continues to expand even further in the future.?