The ???????? ?? ????? ?????????Nisei Week Foundation is pleased to honor three successful entrepreneurs in the community; two Nisei Week Inspiration Award honorees, James Choi of Café Dulce and Roy Kuroyanagi of Japangeles, and President’s Award honoree George Sugimoto.
They will be feted at the Nisei Week Awards Dinner to be held Monday, Aug. 12, at the Double Tree by Hilton, 120 S. Los Angeles St. in Little Tokyo, starting at 6 p.m. Individual tickets are $135 and a table of 10 is $1,350.
Also recognized at the Awards Dinner will be Grand Marshal David Ono; Parade Marshal Amy Hill; and Frances K. Hashimoto Community Service Award recipients Go For Broke National Education Center and Suehiro restaurant. For tickets or information, call the Nisei Week Foundation at (213) 687-7193 or buy tickets at niseiweek.org.
The Nisei Week Inspiration Award recognizes individuals who exemplify the spirit of Nisei Week by going above and beyond to volunteer their time and/or service or whose contributions have promoted the Japanese and Japanese American community and/or culture. This year’s honorees are:
James Choigraduated from the University of Southern California in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and worked for Ernst & Young LLP, where he became a CPA. In 2011, he started Café Dulce, a local neighborhood coffee shop, bakery and light lunch spot. There are now five Cafe Dulce locations throughout Los Angeles, including one at the USC Village.
In 2022, he founded a sister concept called Yoboseyo Superette on Second Street, a few doors from Wolf & Crane Bar.
Choi joined the Little Tokyo Community Council (LTCC) board in 2017 and the Little Tokyo Business Association a year or two after. In addition, he co-founded Haunted Little Tokyo with Matthew Glasser and Michael Francesconi from Wolf & Crane, Nancy Yap from CAUSE (Center for Asian Americans United for Self-Empowerment), Kristin Fukushima from LTCC, and many others who make up the Little Tokyo Ghost Club.
“Though Haunted Little Tokyo is a lot of work and a great event that brings thousands of people to the community and reaches millions across all earned media, the most impactful thing that I was able to help with was a program we ended up calling Community Feeding Community (CFC),” says Choi.
CFC was an effort in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and was sparked by a conversation he had with Yap, whose brother wanted to donate $2,000 to help the community. After a couple of hours of brainstorming, they brought Fukushima into the conversation and collectively decided to run the program through LTCC and Go Little Tokyo.
They took that initial $2,000 donation, raised over $195,000, distributed over 10,000 meals, and supported 84 businesses in Little Tokyo.
Roy Kuroyanagiis the founder and owner of the streetwear brand Japangeles. As a third-generation Japanese American born and raised in Los Angeles, Roy has created a brand that celebrates the mix of Japanese culture and Los Angeles lifestyle.
Since its start in 2010, Japangeles has grown from a small kiosk in the heart of Little Tokyo in Japanese Village Plaza to a brick-and-mortar store in the same plaza. With a commitment to bringing more people to Little Tokyo, Japangeles merchandise can only be purchased in their shop.
Japangeles has collaborated with major sports teams like the Los Angeles Galaxy and the Los Angeles Clippers as well as global brands including Lexus, Kirin Ichiban, and Sanrio. Most meaningful partnerships have been community collaborations with youth basketball leagues and the Nisei Week Foundation. This year’s Nisei Week T-shirt is a collaboration with Japangeles.
Each year, at the discretion of the Nisei Week Foundation president, a President’s Award is given to an individual in the community and this year’s recipient was selected by Nisei Week President Joann Cordeiro.
George K. Sugimotowas born in Parlier, Fresno County in June 1926. Living in the San Joaquin Valley in the 1920s and ’30s was hard for the family, who had nine children to support. His parents worked as day laborers in farming communities to make ends meet.
Sugimoto discovered an interest in aviation at a very young age. This passion motivated him to go into avionic electronics. He completed one year at Fowler High School before Executive Order 9066 incarcerated the family in the Gila Relocation Center in Arizona.
An older brother was drafted and served in the 442ndRegimental Combat Team. Sugimoto was drafted after answering “yes, yes” to two loyalty questions and entered military service in March 1945. After completing basic training at Camp Fannin in Texas in August 1945, he was sent to Korea to serve with the 6thArmy Occupational Forces. After his honorable discharge, he returned to California.
In 1947, he attended the American Institute of Television Technology in Chicago. In 1950, he received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. Later, Sugimoto completed his flight instruction and became an instrument-rated pilot. His passion for flying was fulfilled with his command of a Piper Turbo Aero aircraft for 30 years.
He married Ruri Hirano in September 1951 in Fresno and soon after their marriage moved to Pasadena. Sugimoto received his professional electrical engineer license for the State of California and began his career as an electrical engineer, at one point elevated to chief engineer. Realizing that working for others limited his creative and financial opportunities, he started his own business.
Sugimoto’s home and garage in Pasadena were the beginnings for the design and manufacture of avionic components. KGS Electronics has been in operation for over 62 years and now occupies a 50,000-square-foot space in Arcadia and a facility in Upland. KGS provides products for civil aviation, general and military aviation to original equipment manufacturer (OEM) customers worldwide. Cessna Aircraft, EADS Airbus, Boeing Aerospace, Learjet Inc., and Robinson Helicopter are some of the many aircraft and aerospace companies KGS serves.
Although Sugimoto is semi-retired, he is in the office almost every day. He also enjoys volunteering his time and supporting many community organizations: Japanese American Cultural & Community Center, Go For Broke National Education Center, Japanese American National Museum, Little Tokyo Service Center, the former Keiro, Rafu Shimpo Foundation, Rob Fukuzaki’s Heads-up Youth Foundation Tournament, Aurora Foundation Tournament, Suburban Optimist Tournament, East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Community Center, and Akimatsuri Tournament are some that benefit from his generosity.
The 82ndNisei Week Japanese Festival is a nine-day event first held in 1934 and is recognized today as one of the nation’s longest-running cultural festivals. This event will take place in Little Tokyo from Aug. 10 to18. For the festival schedule, visit NiseiWeek.org, call the Nisei Week Foundation office at (213) 687-7193 or email [email protected].