Convinced That the Company Can Grow by Making Decisions Promptly
Acting According to the Motto “Complete It Thoroughly.”

Masajiro Yoshimura, head of the business development department, has a very diverse background—one that even stands out at our company, which attracts people from all walks of life. After working as a radiologist at a hospital specializing in cardiovascular disease, he entered the real estate industry, a field in which he had no experience.
He launched a real estate company with a friend and increased the number of branches to 10 before returning to the medical industry.

Currently, Mr. Yoshimura is immersed in business development, utilizing his experience from the medical care and real estate industries. He is in charge of everything from procurement of land for the Ishinkan to construction and delivery of the buildings. He leads the opening of more than 10 facilities a year. Recalling his recruitment interview, he said, “I was blown away by the CEO’s ability to realize his vision and the speed of making decisions, and I was convinced that this company would grow.”

Not only does he still feel the same way, his goals have become even clearer. “The corporate culture is based on performance, not on education or background. I want to make our company the number one in the medical healthcare industry by focusing on completing my work thoroughly.”

What does Mr. Yoshimura mean by “complete work thoroughly?”

Mr. Yoshimura’s first job was at a hospital specializing in cardiovascular disease. As a radiologist, he assisted in fewer than 10 surgeries a day, while operating angiography equipment and preparing instruments. “Patients coming to the hospital in an emergency are in a race for every minute and second. There is no time to make mistakes or get stuck when you are involved in a life-or-death operation. I was very tense during such surgeries, and I always tried to improve my skills.”

The first turning point came four years after he joined the hospital, when his duties began to expand.
His thoughts ran thus: “At the hospital, even if you pursue your specialty, you can only be promoted to chief engineer. You can’t be involved in high-level decision making. That being the case, I wanted to try a completely different job.”

Mr. Yoshimura chose a sales position in the real estate industry, as he wanted to work in a position where evaluations were based strictly on performance. The hurdle to change jobs was low, and so he was accepted even though he had no experience. The job involved posting properties on a rental housing referral website, showing properties to applicants, and leading applicants to enter contracts. He quickly achieved success.

“I could understand what customers were looking for, so I generated twice as many contracts as my colleagues,” he said. A year and a half later, he and his friend established a rental housing placement company. At this company, too, he was able to achieve results simply by doing what real estate agents typically do—but by doing it more thoroughly than other companies.

The company grew rapidly, expanding to 10 branches in three years. As a director, he was in charge of sales and marketing, and business was going well. On the other hand, he became increasingly frustrated with the lack of opportunities to gain new business experience and the fact that his idea of the direction of the business was different from those around him.

At that time, one of Mr. Yoshimura’s parents was hospitalized for terminal cancer, and he began to visit frequently. “The first time I went to the hospital, the doctors and nurses were very kind to me, and it reminded me of the good old days.” His parents had repeatedly told him that they were proud of him when he was working in the medical industry, and recalling this made him want to work in the medical industry again.

Mr. Yoshimura is the person who emphasizes satisfaction and fun in his work. Soon after having these thoughts, he resigned from his position as director of the company and moved to the medical and healthcare industry.

After that, he was invited by an agent to a recruitment interview with our company. “When I met the CEO and learned about the company’s history, I was surprised to find that his ability to realize his vision and make decisions quickly were much different from the top management of other organizations I had experienced.” said Mr. Yoshimura.

Almost anyone can envision a concept. But I realized that Amvis was making steady efforts not only in giving shape to new ideas, but also overcoming the high hurdle of making them profitable. Moreover, decision-making is very fast. The organization is flat, with the CEO giving instructions personally and moving things forward quickly.

An organization is determined by its top management. Based on his own experience of starting up a company, Mr. Yoshimura was keenly aware of this and had a hunch that this company would grow. Wanting to test his skills at our company, he immediately expressed his desire to join.

This is how Mr. Yoshimura joined Amvis, where he is now the head of the business development department. He is in charge of everything from the procurement of land for the Ishinkan to construction and delivery of the buildings. Our company has been rapidly increasing the number of facilities. When he joined the company in 2017, we had 200 employees and 10 facilities. By July 2021, these figures grew to 1,737 employees and 42 facilities.

Mr. Yoshimura places value on “completing work thoroughly.” By doing so, he is leading the way in opening more than 10 facilities a year.
One example of this thoroughness is evident in Mr. Yoshimura’s selection of candidate sites. He goes to talk to many people working at various companies, including real estate companies, construction companies, house builders, and banks, and asks them to introduce potential sites to him. As a result, the number of referrals has increased to around 100 per month, up from just 10 some five years ago.

He investigates every case he is introduced to, and always gives his own opinion. If the site is nearby, he checks the site within a week. Even with a large number of cases, he is unfailingly courteous to all the companies.

Mr. Yoshimura visits the most viable sites many times to consider various aspects. He checks the types of stores and facilities that are nearby, and considers the atmosphere and safety of the community. He checks how long it takes to walk to the train station, how busy the roads are during commuting times, and whether parking lots are available. In this manner, he examines sites from the perspective of staff, patients, and their families, and determines whether it is suitable for the Ishinkan.

“Sites must be in an area with high demand, good land and economic conditions, and be convenient for staff, patients, and their families. It is difficult to find a place that meets all of these requirements,” explained Mr. Yoshimura. When negotiating with owners and other parties, he works persistently to secure good conditions and speed up the development process.

Through business development that emphasizes the importance of “completing work thoroughly,” Ishinkan is now operated at various locations, contributing to the revitalization of regional healthcare (see: Ishinkan throughout Japan). Mr. Yoshimura said, “When I hear that a new facility is fully occupied after its opening, I feel that we have been successful in finding the right location.”

The business development department’s work has evolved since the company’s stock listing and expansion of the hospice business.
Since our initial public offering in October 2019, the stock market has recognized our growth potential and profitability. Once our market capitalization exceeded JPY100 billion, real estate companies and major developers began to actively introduce sites to us.

Additionally, “our development methods have grown more diverse,” said Mr. Yoshimura. For the last few years, our main development method focused on leasing buildings, so development costs were low. Now that the company’s financial base has stabilized, we have undertaken more projects in which we build our own facilities on land we lease or purchase. In some cases, we receive proposals for development using real estate investment trusts (REITs).

As the scope of work increases, the department has been increasing its staff. “In the future, we want to start standardizing the Ishinkan,” said Mr. Yoshimura.

In the medium to long term, he plans to be involved in new businesses in addition to the hospice business, and to complete the work thoroughly so that it can become the next pillar of profit. “As long as you are motivated, you will be entrusted with tasks. We are a group of people who love to work, and if you have an idea, we will be happy to discuss it and cooperate to make it a reality. You can take on challenges in this company.” he said.

Continuing in this vein, Mr. Yoshimura explained, “My goal is to make this company the number one in the medical healthcare industry.”