Maureen N. Maratita
Publisher
[email protected]
Congratulations to Tom Shimizu, the 2022 Guam Business Magazine Executive of the Year.
Through the years I have come to know Tom as general manager of Ambros.
Firstly, through sitting in the Ambros conference room for meetings.
Ambros has always accepted the invitation to participate in the Top Companies in Micronesia list — now the Bank of Guam and ASC Trust List of Top Companies in Micronesia.
Meeting with Tom and the executive team has always led to shall we say, spirited discussions of the economy, since beverage sales are as much as economic indicator as anything else and Ambros keeps our islands supplied with them.
Our office arranges the meeting schedules.
It’s completely understandable that the Ambros conference room also contains a bar.
So I have been teased now and then that the Top Company meetings with Ambros are not during Happy Hour — giving a pleasant additional purpose and focus to discussions.
That conference room — situated conveniently alongside the reception area — came to life in 2014 when Ambros opened its new headquarters in Harmon Industrial Park. As I remember, the event was a joyous one on an island that knows how to throw parties. Apart from celebrating the sheer effort to bring about the transition from Anigua to Harmon, it also celebrated growth and opportunities.
When I shop, I can’t help bringing a professional eye as well as a personal one to developments in our community.
This was especially true as inflation and supply chain challenges settled in, and high costs became a burden to every business and resident in the islands.
But I know that the struggle to continue to keep pricing as low as possible for as long as possible was very real at Ambros for Tom and his team.
I also served alongside Tom on the board of the Guam Chamber of Commerce. When he shares thoughts, they are measured and worth hearing.
The magazine contains the stories of each of the Nominees — a group of executives whose contributions are significant not only to their businesses, but also to the islands which they support in so many ways.
In addition, we also examine economic prospects — and what factors can hold progress back.
In this issue it seems fitting in so many ways to raise a glass to the future, as we all remain hopeful that challenges will continue to be overcome.
But the reality is that whether the glass is half full or half empty remains to be seen.
