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A heartfelt thank you to everyone who contributed to making the JASA 2023 Celebration Dinner an unforgettable evening! 🇯🇵
The night’s program started by honoring the achievements of six Expanding Japanese companies—Cullman Casting, Topre America, North American Lighting, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama, Toray Composite Materials, and Daikin America— who have helped to create jobs and breathe life into communities all around our great state of Alabama. Their investment is worthy of celebration.
Following that was a presentation of the Samuel Ullman Award to Mr. Robert Black and Mrs. Linda T. Roberson. Mr. Black spoke about his efforts in creating the North Alabama Japanese garden and how the involvement of people in his community was integral and meaningful. Mrs. Roberson’s speech focused on her call to teaching and the exploration of the different cultures that make us who we are. She also expanded on the importance of education and how meaningful of an experience it was to expose students to a culture that she was learning so much about herself.
A special appreciation goes to our keynote speaker, Mr. Greg "Boomer" Wells, who entertained us with his experiences from his time playing in the NPB league. Mr. Wells has lived an interesting life as a pro athlete and as an Alabama native in Japan. He recounted humorous stories, demonstrating the differences and similarities between American and Japanese culture through his experiences.
JASA also wants to say a big thank you to everyone who stayed overnight or came early to participate in the JASA 2023 Business Forum the following morning after our Annual Celebration Dinner! We were happy to provide the opportunity for our guests to network and learn the recent business updates over a hearty Japanese breakfast.
The presentations delivered by two industry leaders were highly informative and helpful to anyone wanting to do business here in our state.
Mr. Kevin Taylor, Deputy Director of Alabama Industrial Development Training (AIDT) spoke about new and ongoing government programs and incentives that companies could take advantage of for their workforce development. He also spoke in detail about the EV and robotics centers that are expanding in Alabama.
Ms. Kristen Holder, Executive Director of Central Six Alabama Works! discussed her organization's role and that of other government programs in executing workforce development, particularly focusing on younger potential workers. She also delved into the educational aspect of workforce development.
We would love to once again thank both of them for their time and effort in talking with us, and those in attendance.
We also extend our sincere thanks to the generous sponsors of this year's events. Their dedication to our community is truly appreciated, and without their contribution, JASA could not undertake our mission of outreach and support for our community.
Last but not least we also want to thank anyone who has volunteered with us for this event or any other throughout the year. Big or small, any amount of time or effort that you have spent with us, is tremendously impactful to our success.
If you would like to read more or experience a different perspective on our event, see this article published by Made in Alabama.
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