From left, Yasuhiro Shimizu of NEDO, Dr. Abraham Ellis of Sandia Laboratories, Dr. Sotoshi Morozumi of NEDO, Greg Fisher of Los Alamos County, John Arrowsmith of the Los Alamos Department of Public Utilities, Shawna Cummins and Steve Cummins of the DPU and Kenichi Suzuki of NEDO. Courtesy photo

Los Alamos Department of Public Utilities Manager John Arrowsmith presenting a talk to an international crowd May 29 at the Smart Community Japan 2013 Summit held at the Tokyo Big Site. Courtesy photo

Deputy Utilities Manager Steve Cummins and Utilities Manager John Arrowsmith in front of the Tokyo Big Site. Courtesy photo

Staff Report

Through an invitation from the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), Utilities Manager John Arrowsmith traveled to Tokyo, Japan to present “Los Alamos Smart Community” at the Japanese Government sponsored Summit – Smart Communities Japan 2013.

A collaborative project between Los Alamos Department of Public Utilities, Los Alamos National Laboratory and NEDO, Arrowsmith described the project evolution from conception to construction and now demonstration. Presentations at the summit included Smart Communities in Hawaii, Malaga Spain, Lyon France, Greater Manchester United Kindom among others.

Deputy Utilities Manager Steve Cummins and Los Alamos County Economic Vitality Administrator Greg Fisher traveled with Arrowsmith to invite further investments and partnerships in Los Alamos County.

Japanese officials provided the funding for Arrowsmith’s visit including an estimated $4,000 plus for business class airfare, around $200 per night for the hotel and additional funds for taxi service.

The County paid for Cummins and Fisher who flew coach and took trains as much as possible. The cost was an estimated $2,300 each. 

Promising discussions on other Los Alamos economic development opportunities ensued at gatherings with representatives at Kyocera, NEC, Sharp, Toshiba and Hitachi during the trip to Japan, the County said.

Los Alamos County Economic Vitality Administrator Greg Fisher and DPU Manager John Arrowsmith browse around Electronics Town in Tokyo. Courtesy photo

From left, Los Alamos County Economic Vitality Administrator Greg Fisher, DPU Manager John Arrowsmith and Deputy DPU Manager Steve Cummins pose in the employees lounge at the top of the Hitachi Corporation Building. Courtesy photo

The Tokyo Big Site where the Smart Community Japan 2013 Summit was held in May. Courtesy photo