Decoration Conferment Ceremony for Mr. Alex Gregory

    On December 10, Consul General Shinozuka hosted the Decoration Conferment Ceremony for Former YKK Corporation of America Chairman and CEO Alex Gregory who was awarded The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette in the Fall of 2018.

    In his opening remarks, Consul General Shinozuka congratulated Mr. Gregory for his contribution to promoting friendly relations and mutual understanding between Japan and the U.S. throughout his career at YKK beginning as one of the first American employees at one of the first Japanese companies to expand into Georgia and remarked on how happy he was to confer the Imperial Decoration recognizing all his achievements.

    Upon receiving The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette and certificate, Mr. Gregory expressed his gratitude to his friends and family and recounted how a 3-month visit to the Kurobe plant in Japan, where YKK President Tadao Yoshida shared his ideas and philosophies over lunch every day, changed his life after he was hired to work at the YKK Macon location in 1973. He also expressed his thanks to all the Japanese and Americans whose efforts led to sister city relationships being established in Macon and Dublin, allowing untold opportunities to come to their people and change their lives for the better, and stated that he was accepting the award not for himself, but rather as a representative of YKK and its supporters.

    Celebrating this event alongside the Consul General were City of Macon Mayor Robert Reichert, City of Dublin Mayor Phil Best, Georgia Public Service Commissioner Tim Echols, YKK Chairman Masayuki Sarumaru, YKK Corporation of America President Jim Reed, and 35 of Mr. Gregory’s friends and family members.