Leveraging Business Management Experience in the U.S. to Open New Doors

I joined Sojitz in 2008 and my job hunt occurred the year prior to the financial crisis. Banking was a popular sector at the time, and I also focused on interviews for companies in the finance sector. During the job search, I began to find myself more intrigued by the idea of handling goods and services at a general trading company than trading paper through finance. Following this realization, I shifted my focus to general trading companies.

I believe interviews are a two-way process. Just as interviewers select applicants to move forward in the process, as the interviewee I focused on getting to know the interviewer to see if I could imagine myself working at the company after graduation. It was clear to me that the employees who interviewed me at Sojitz were entrepreneurs and took pride in their work. The prospect of working with the Sojitz interviewers I met inspired my strong interest in the company, and I was excited to receive the job offer. After joining the company, I found my colleagues to be energetic and upbeat, which matched my original impression of the company culture. My belief that energy and optimism define the Sojitz identity has grown even stronger over the years.

After joining the company, I was first assigned to the then Mineral Resources Division where I worked in a department handling gold and platinum trading for the Japanese domestic market. However, based on my experience living abroad as a student, I had a strong desire to put my skills to the test by working on an overseas-based business. I took the initiative by applying to an in-house opening through the internal recruitment system*¹ and successfully transferred to the then Machinery Division. In my new department, I served as project manager for an electrical EPC business. *² In 2015, the business was in the process of expanding into a new country, and the decision was made to invest in two power plants in the northeastern U.S. I was subsequently appointed as project manager in 2018 and left Japan for my U.S. assignment. My mission was to oversee operations and management for the two power plants and to create a new, alternative business model replacing the traditional model of investing into power plants.

In building this new business, we chose not to focus on investment in fixed assets such as power plants or buildings, but rather to invest in a company driven by human capital. Based on this approach, we narrowed our focus to the energy solutions business from a vast array of business fields. Sojitz made the decision to invest in McClure Company, an ESCO*³ based in Pennsylvania, and I was assigned to take part in management of the investment.

McClure Company’s strength lies in its ability to propose energy-efficient equipment and HVAC services, and the company holds the top market share as a provider for schools and hospitals in Pennsylvania. Sojitz aims to leverage its development and operations expertise in the power generation business in order to expand McClure’s business scope and broaden service offerings to include distributed generation and other new business solutions. Notably, McClure began providing sustainable energy solutions to schools through the introduction of solar systems as part of a new business which contributes to the local community through providing competitive green energy. The school solar business was prominently featured on the news, and local communities were overjoyed to see their longstanding alma maters and current children’s schools be upgraded to be more energy efficient. I was originally living in New York, but I moved my entire family closer to McClure’s headquarters in Harrisburg to immerse myself in the community and witness the company’s contribution to the local community firsthand.

*1: For more details on Sojitz’s internal recruitment system: Human Resource Management｜Sojitz ESG BOOK｜Sustainability｜Sojitz Corporation
*2: Engineering, Procurement, Construction (EPC): A turnkey contract in the power EPC business for the construction of substations and powerplants.
*3: ESCO (Energy Service Company) business: A Company that develops, designs, builds, and funds energy efficiency projects, often through a performance-based contract. ESCOs typically guarantee energy savings and use the cost savings generated from reduced energy consumption to pay for the project over time.

I have gained many insights through my business involvement at McClure Company. First, the investment in McClure was my first experience in investing in a non-physical fixed asset, but in an operating company where people are the key drivers of success. Through McClure, I have learned that developing a mutual partnership is more important than anything. McClure Company has its established business functions and existing management team, employees, families, and customers. We prioritized being recognized as partners rather than shareholders through respecting and relying on their professional expertise. During investment discussions, we were able to build trust by carefully explaining the long-term growth story McClure could build with Sojitz as opposed to focusing solely on the short-term gains. As a result, the post-investment collaboration has gone incredibly smoothly.

In daily communications, it is essential to provide logical explanations with background information rather than just asking for information. In practice, Japanese and American work styles differ at times. At McClure, we focused on establishing small successes to build on the new partnership with Sojitz rather than trying to change things that have made the company already successful. I also found that business management involves many facets related to human capital. For example, I paid special attention to the message delivered to employees about the partnership with Sojitz. I also focused on getting to know each person through not only business discussions but also family and personal conversations which helped me understand the company and the employees that drive the success in this business. My goal was to cultivate good relationships and inspire motivation. In addition to leading the investment and the transaction, I learned the importance of finding alignment with employees which was the most important asset for the company.

During my six-year assignment in the U.S., we took a step-by-step approach to expand McClure’s business further. While I was originally the only member in the U.S., our team eventually grew to four to five members. Similarly, our small team in Japan has since grown into a department handling the energy solutions and ESCO business, and we have expanded our geographic reach to include Australia. In 2024, I returned to Japan where I currently serve as the Deputy General Manager of the Energy Solutions business for the U.S. and Oceania, and as the Section Manager for the renewable energy power plant and HVAC business in Australia.

Our organization has expanded from a section to a department, and one of my future goals is to grow this business further to the size of a division. My second goal is to leverage the experience and track record in the U.S. energy solutions and ESCO business to create one or two new business clusters (Katamari) not expanding from the energy sector. My primary focus is to identify a similar business that is capable of generating earnings in just two or three years over the short-term——as opposed to developing a business that cultivates in decades. Developing the next business with speed is critical and I consider this as my mission at Sojitz.

Just as my manager was a mentor to me, I hope to pay it forward by mentoring junior employees. I began participating in weekly coaching sessions with a professional coach during my time in the U.S., which I continue to this day. Coaching sessions have given me the opportunity to practice communicating business plans and progress as well as learning how to support and manage junior employees. I have learned to organize and put into words my thought processes and actions in a comprehensive manner. It is often difficult to articulate one’s thoughts, but I have found that by documenting the process, I am able to communicate these ideas within the organization, which then strengthens our organizational capabilities. By passing business experience to junior employees, I hope to contribute to their future business initiatives.

I will continue to move forward with strong determination, together with my colleagues, juniors, and partners. And I will keep taking on challenges so that people come to associate my name with Sojitz.