TechSmith in Japan - Meet Hiroshi Kusaka
Posted on Tuesday May 3, 2011 by Betsy Weber
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Most of you probably know that TechSmith is a global company, but did you also know that one of our largest international offices is in Tokyo, Japan?
We opened our Japanese office in April 2009 to increase our connection with the Japanese and Asian markets, but over the past two years, the office has become much more than an expansion of our company. Although TechSmith is headquartered in Okemos, Michigan, we are excited that our family spans the entire world.
We were devastated at the news of the tragic earthquake, tsunami and nuclear plant meltdown. We knew that our TechSmith family in Japan would need support and we wanted to help. At our headquarters, employees have taken up a collection to donate to help Japan recover as quickly as possible. Every donation given by a TechSmith employee has been equally matched by the company to send to Japan.
We interviewed a few employees in Japan to gain a better understanding of how these tragedies have affected their lives, work and family. I'll share their stories with you in a couple of blog posts...
Meet our first interviewee, Hiroshi Kusaka, TechSmith's Country Manager in Tokyo.
The earthquake took everyone in the country by surprise, and Hiroshi cannot explain how he managed to stay safe. He said that he has never experienced an earthquake like the 8.9 magnitude quake that hit the country on March 11th. Although earthquakes are fairly common in Tokyo, the earthquake was, noticeably, the largest Hiroshi has ever felt. The last reported earthquake of this magnitude was over a century ago.
Hiroshi, like most people in Japan, is just trying to continue his life normally. Of course there are some things that make this slightly complicated, like the serious shortage of food and gasoline. And even though some things are more difficult now, Hiroshi has been able to remain comforted and informed by keeping up with news from the internet and real-time reports via Twitter.
Through it all, Hiroshi keeps a positive attitude in remembering that Japan has made heroic recoveries before and is confident that "Japan will recover again." He believes that what the country needs most right now is peace of mind and encouragement.
Our thoughts remain with TechSmith's overseas family and all of the Japanese people affected by these tragedies.
