There’s big news at Daiwa Corporation. Effective April 29, Carey Graves has been promoted to president of American Daiwa, the company’s United States operation. Graves replaces Trevor Teragaki, who has been elevated to board chairman and also represents Daiwa USA as a board member for Globeride, Inc., Daiwa’s Japan-based parent company. The moves are expected to strengthen Daiwa’s increasingly strong position in the North and South American recreational fishing markets.
“Carey Graves is extremely well qualified for his new position,” says Curt Arakawa, Daiwa’s Marketing Manager. “From a marketing standpoint I noticed an immediate difference when he came aboard five years ago. He has over 27 years of experience at the top levels of the U.S. fishing industry, excels at planning, clearly communicates company strategy, and keeps everyone in the chain of command aware of his position on relevant issues. All that makes it easier for the rest of us to make smart, informed decisions. Additionally, Carey has great insight with products, marketing, sales, maintenance and even running the warehouse, plus he’s brought some wonderful people on board in the time he’s been here. I can definitely point to his leadership as being one of the prime reasons Daiwa has experienced such a significant upswing in business over the past few years. He’s a great leader and teammate, the kind that makes everyone around him want to excel. Anyone working here would say the same thing. We’re all excited about Carey’s promotion, and we all believe Daiwa is destined to become one of the top companies in the industry under his direction.”
For his part, Graves expects to put extra effort into improving industry relationships and ensuring that Daiwa’s customers know we are working hard to support their needs and are designing and building products that are specifically for their markets. “We’ve been a very strong company with great tackle and technology in the past; that hasn’t changed,” he says. “Now we need to do a better job with our customers. We’ve sometimes acted like a Japanese company doing business in the U.S. Our new goal is to be a major North American company that happens to have a Japanese parent company. To that end, we’ve been building a team that is market centric, passionate about fishing, and knows the sport here in the U.S., Canada and Latin America, which is our primary responsibility. We are currently developing new products designed specifically for these markets, with marketing and sales plans to go with them. We’ll also be striving to create service and support the likes of which the market has never before seen from a manufacturer like Daiwa.”
Graves says he’s extremely fortunate to be surrounded with a great team. “From sales and marketing to service and operations, Trevor and I have been focused on finding good business people who are also passionate about fishing and this investment is what is making the difference now. We are honored and humbled that our business has seen such terrific growth, but we believe that’s a result of the combination of great products and a strong team to support them. One of the great things about working for a manufacture like Daiwa is getting to see what our design team is creating/developing and then figuring out how we are going to take those cutting-edge products to market. I can’t help but get excited for what the future will bring!”
Graves also noted the importance of Teragaki’s promotion to chairman of the board, and his position on the board of directors for Globeride, Inc. “Trevor has set the course,” he states. “He wanted to build a team that was managed and driven within the North American market, and he has. He’s also spent countless hours teaching and preparing me to better understand our parent company so one day I could assume this position. He is very respected in this company and throughout the industry. To see him elevated into these new rolls is extremely satisfying. Now, he’ll be in an even better position to offer us guidance while also presenting our ideas, concerns and plans to our parent company. With his acute knowledge and insights, I’m certain he’ll continue to create great opportunities for American Daiwa within our Globeride, Inc. framework.”
