Katsunori Kawabata, President and CEO of Earth Corporation and Chairman of the Board of Directors of all group companies

Through communication and interpersonal skills

Profile

Born in Hyogo Prefecture in 1971. After graduating from Kinki University's Faculty of Commerce and Economics (now the Faculty of Business Administration) in 1994, he joined Earth Corporation. After working in distribution sales, he served as Hiroshima Branch Manager in 2006 and Osaka Branch Manager in 2009. In 2012, he was appointed Director of the Gardening Strategy Division, and the following year, Director of the Gardening Strategy Division. In 2014, he was appointed Representative Director and President of the company. In 2021, he was appointed Representative Director, President and CEO of the company and Chairman of the Board of Directors of each group company.

President Kawabata of Earth Chemical Co., Ltd. puts employee happiness first and runs the company with the goal of remaining a good company. He says he was guided to work at Earth Chemical by a connection with someone. We spoke to him about his job hunting experience, Earth Chemical's strengths, and the management efforts to continue being an attractive company.

　I had always vaguely wanted to become a doctor, but I enrolled in a liberal arts-based university, the Faculty of Commerce and Economics (now the Faculty of Management). Unable to acquire a vocational skill like a doctor, I began to wonder, "What can I do?" One day, I suddenly thought, "I want to be a cool adult when I get older." I concluded that the apparel industry was the place where I could remain a cool adult forever. I initially applied for a job there and received several job offers. After my job search was over, I made plans to go on a date with my girlfriend at the time, but I was confused because I couldn't remember if the meeting time was 10:00 or 6:00 PM. Since cell phones didn't exist back then, I couldn't call her to confirm the time, so I ended up going to her house at 4:00 PM. However, it turned out that the meeting time was 6:00 PM, and she wasn't home, so I ended up running into her father. Her father let me into his house, and we waited for her. During our conversation, we talked about jobs, and I told him about the job offer I'd received from an apparel company. I didn't think that was a problem at all, but later I heard from her that her father wasn't happy about me going into the apparel industry, so I decided to start my job search from scratch. I searched for companies in a job magazine starting with the letter A, and Earth Chemical was the first to come up, so I went for an interview. My job search was all down to fate. If the time of my appointment with her hadn't been unclear, if I hadn't met her father, or if I hadn't started searching for companies in a job magazine starting with the letter A, I wouldn't be who I am today. It was all the result of good connections.

■The appeal of human skills through communication

　I'm very competitive, and since I started working at Earth Chemical, I've always aimed to be number one among my peers. I started out in sales, and I don't think I ever missed my sales target. I worked hard with the spirit of "trying everything except what's physically impossible." Facing my work in this way, I was recognized by those around me, and now I'm supporting Earth Chemical as its president. I've held a variety of positions before becoming president, so I've had the opportunity to observe each department and person from up close. That's why I deeply understand that there are no unnecessary departments or people, and that the company cannot function without any of them. I place great importance on daily communication with my employees.
　We also have one-on-one conversations with students who participate in our final interviews, and hire those who we feel are a good fit. Simply asking questions won't create a fifty-fifty relationship, so in the end we end up on the receiving end of questions. We want to have honest conversations with the students who come to interview at our company. Earth Chemical is a company made up of colleagues who communicate in this way, so it's full of really good people. The human connection that comes from human interaction is our company's appeal and strength.

■Continue to be a good company for our customers

　Earth Chemical wants to remain a company that people will always think of as a good company. The Earth Group has approximately 4000 employees. If we don't keep the company afloat, we won't be able to protect these employees. To that end, it's crucial to constantly check that our core business is heading in the right direction. I also believe it's important to adapt and not get left behind in this rapidly changing world. To take an extreme example, I wouldn't mind if Earth Chemical stopped selling pesticides and deodorizers in 2020 and became a greengrocer selling vegetables. Even if we were to transform into something completely different from what we are today, the most important thing is to adapt with the changing times and remain a good company that customers want.

■Message

　In job interviews, I'm often asked by university students, "Is there anything you should do for the rest of your university life?" To that question, I answer, "Just have fun while you're a student." A student's advantage is that they have time. Humans are creatures that regret things, so I want them to live each day in a way that doesn't make them think, "I wish I had done that then." There will still be things to study after joining the company, so now is the time to just have fun. Life is longer than you think, so make the most of the things you can only do while you're a student. I think it's enough if you have lots of fun and graduate in good health.

Student Newspaper April 2022 Issue by Kokoro Sato, 2nd year student at Tsuda University