Monroe and Hōfu City: "Friends" for nearly 20 years

The City of Monroe is celebrating the 19th anniversary of friendship with its sister city, Hōfu, Japan. Thanks to the Monroe International Friendship Association (MIFA), the relationship has led to the cultural exchange of numerous American and Japanese high school ambassadors whose lives have been enriched by the program. And thanks to AWA's Mie Opolski, a resident of Monroe, and treasurer of MIFA, AWA has been involved as a sponsor since 2010.

Recently, Opolski helped organize and coordinate an event that welcomed the Honorable Masato Matsuura, mayor of Hōfu, and Mrs. Matsuura, to the United States. Mayor Matsuura was honored at special dinner, which was also attended by Japan's Consul General, Kuninori Matsuda; Monroe City officials; members of the Japanese Business Society of Detroit (JBSD); and friends and sponsors of MIFA, including AWA, represented by Opolski and Rick Gorski, and Eiji Kato, president of AWTEC and JBSD.

The Matsuuras (shown, right) enjoyed a week of spectacular Michigan weather, attended a Lion's Club meeting, a Detroit Tigers game, where they were personally welcomed by Tigers Manager Jim Leyland, and met former Miss Michigan (1988), Monroe's Kaye Lani Rae Rafko. Mayor Matsuura also planted a memorial tree at the Cappuccilli Park in Monroe in honor of the 20th anniversary.

Monroe Mayor Robert Clark said the student exchange has been the foundation of the MIFA program.

"We must be resolute to the commitments we share with our friends in Hofu, as we strive for vitality and growth in our student exchange program," Clark said. "I look forward to a continuation of our bond, in the name of mutual understanding, support and appreciation, that we have created in our sister city relationship."

Hōfu is located west of Hiroshima in the Southwest region of Japan (Yamaguchi prefecture). It is home to a Mazda assembly plant, and has textile, chemical and food-processing plants.

MIFA was founded in 1992 by local residents to create opportunities for people to experience and explore other cultures. It is dedicated to letting people give expression to their common desire for friendship, goodwill, and cooperation toward a better world for all.

Prasad interviews Saito-san for MBA class

As he approaches graduation from Michigan State University's Eli Broad Graduate School of Management, Diwakar Prasad, manager, AWA Sales Planning, recently interviewed AWA/AHA President and CEO Masayasu "Mike" Saito as part of the requirements in his Strategic Vision class.

The project was mandatory in order fulfill the requirements of an MBA degree, says Prasad, who adds that the major component is completion of a paper focusing on the strategy of the student's employer.

"Specifically, we were required to interview the senior architect of our company's strategy, in particular we are asked to interview the CEO," says Prasad. "Saito-san was gracious and took the time to answer my questions completely. He helped me to understand more about our company and its strategy, as well as the challenges that go along with strategic leadership."

Click here to read Diwakar Prasad's interview with Saito-san. (PDF)