Making a Difference

We at Okuma America share a common mission: to passionately pursue customers for life. I’ve personally seen this passion displayed on a daily basis in a variety of ways: employees working late and on weekends to ensure machines are delivered/installed based on customer desires; engineers who work tirelessly to find the absolute right solution for a customer; sales teams that create personal bonds with customers and distributors well beyond professional requirements; team members who relentlessly pursue new business systems to better serve our customer…and the list goes on.

A Passion for Serving Others

After two years of witnessing this very unique passion for customers, I’ve also witnessed sparks of a different kind of passion – a passion for serving others within our community. This is near and dear to my heart both personally and professionally. We contribute our time, talents and resources to making a difference to those who are less fortunate than ourselves. This willingness to serve has become part of the Okuma DNA, so much so that we in Marketing want to place an even higher concentration on “corporate relations and responsibility” and are making it a focus in our 2019 marketing plan.

Food Drives…and So Much More

So what does “corporate relations” look like? It looks like 25 Easter baskets, each filled with dinner items for a family of six; it looks like 20+ backpacks filled with school supplies for children in need; it looks like coaches of baseball, football and soccer; it looks like Girl Scout and Boy Scout leaders; it looks like a collection of holiday gifts for less fortunate families; it looks like food drives, and so much more.

A Personal Challenge

I’m inspired by Okuma employees who continue to give back to our communities through initiatives both within and outside of our company. As we enter this new fiscal year, we’re challenging ourselves to make an even bigger difference by leading with a servant heart and helping our brothers and sisters in ways we haven’t engaged before. This challenge will become personal for me this year, as my son and I will participate in our first international mission trip to Guatemala where we will build houses and chicken coops for families who have no home or resources. While this will take me outside my personal comfort zone, I’m excited to follow in the footsteps of many who have already served in similar ways or will do so in the future.

Taking it to the Next Level

Working together, I’m confident that this year we can propel our corporate relations focus to the next level and exponentially impact the lives of many more people. Just as we take pleasure in serving our customers, it’s an honor to be able to serve our community. #okumacares

Annette J. Carroll is Director of Marketing, Okuma America Corporation.