GOLDSEA | TOP ASIAN AMERICAN PROFESSIONALS

CONTACT US | ADVERTISING INFO

© 1996-2013 Asian Media Group Inc
No part of the contents of this site may be reproduced without prior written permission.

GOLDSEA | TOP ASIAN AMERICAN PROFESSIONALS

KEN KUWABARA

Profession: Corporate Executive
Birthplace: Colorado
Position: Senior Manager, Parts Operations, Nissan North America

e wanted to be a ski bum, but the job he landed at Ford in 1971 ended up lasting eight years and put him on a career track. Now Ken Kuwabara manages all facets of parts marketing on Nissan and Infinity vehicles. Anything involving parts that touches the retail operation goes through Kuwabara--from product planning to pricing to dealer support. If the designers want a cup holder, Kuwabara sends his accessory development department to work. One of Kuwabara's toughest jobs is keeping various departments--like sales, service, engineering and marketing--integrated and communicating effectively. Many departments can be impacted by Kuwabara's decisions. Currently, he is overseeing the transition from weekly stock orders to daily. Nissan intends to establish a more effective and accurate supply distributed throughout the country by having its retailers order, every day, exactly what they need.
     Kuwabara is a 3rd generation Japanese American. His father was born in Wyoming and his mother in Colorado. They lived through the internment period before having a son. Kuwabara grew up in Colorado and earned a BS in marketing and finance from the University of Colorado. The mountains called out to the skiier in him, but after 8 years marketing to independant dealers and service centers while at Ford, he thought the time was right to set out with his own business. He joined with an uncle who owned a plant nursery. The partnershp only lasted a year. "That old adage that you can't work with your family rang true," he says.
     Like their father, Kuwabara's son and daughter have taken to the snow. But they strap on a different kind of wood--snowboards.
     "We have a ski trip planned this winter. I'm usually the driver and end up sitting in the lodge, but this year I'm going to get in shape. That's what I've promised my family. Sitting in the lodge is boring."