Japanese Word for Football
Consistently named among Washington state’s top 10 web development studios by revenue, according to Puget Sound Business Journal, Pacific Software Publishing (PSP) is a champion of diversity in the region.
The Bellevue company celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, and now has around 50 employees from seven different countries who speak six languages.
In a lot of ways, founders Kenichi Uchikura and Mayumi Nakamura provide “leadership by example” for other young aspiring entrepreneurs of Asian descent. They really are independent thinkers who keep true to their personal and professional dreams and goals. They both pursued their passions, even if it meant leaving their original home land to get it.
Uchikura landed in southern California in his first adventure overseas. “I always wanted to come to America. There are three main factors that drove my desire to come to America; 1) I wanted to have an American girlfriend because I watched American movies, 2) I was big, it was difficult to buy clothes that fit me in Japan, and 3) when I graduated from high school in Japan, my grades were not good.”
Uchikura could not get into Japanese colleges, but was accepted at Azusa Pacific University (APU), a private Christian college in Azusa, Calif. “Since I grew up attending a Japanese public school in Ashiya near Kobe, I spoke no English. At Azusa Pacific, I felt completely out of place, but I still pursued my childhood dreams, so I tried out and became the first Japanese to play college football. Football is a crazy, stupid game, ” jokes Uchikura. “You have to be smart enough to understand the game of football, and stupid enough to do it.”
