The Earthquake and Mr. K. Satomi’s Determination to Put His Stake on OTEC
On January 17, 1995, the day of the devastating earthquake in Kobe became a turning point for Xenesys Inc. to venture into the OTEC business. The president of Xenesys Inc. Satomi recalled the event and told the following story:
"Right after the horrible earthquake, in the chilly winter wind, I began to visit the Nada district on a bicycle everyday to see how my old clients in the sake business were doing. On the second day or so, I saw a Tokyo truck and people busily unloading cargo from the truck in a nearby schoolyard. As you know, the highway connections were severely damaged and the bridges in and around Kobe city were all destroyed. How could they make it here so quickly? I watched in utter amazement their spirited way of working; and then, deep emotional tears started filling my eyes. When they finished unloading, I thought they would head for home. However, they turned to the heaps of wastes and began to load them into the truck, again in a very spirited manner. Having done the job, they said "Good-bye." Were they trained to act like that as administrative personnel? No, I would say the sense of each individual must have been demonstrated. They must have volunteered to do one more extra job. Human beings can exercise deep wisdom, can’t they? I recall the incident so vividly as if it happened yesterday. Not only I but also victims of the devastating earthquake forced to live in school classrooms as emergency shelters must have been given inspiring energy by those relief workers. This experience prompted me to do something good for other people and has become my driving force in the new venture business."