Original Article by Pam McFarland – ENR
Kit Miyamoto’s effort as global CEO and humanitarian coordinator at engineering and disaster management firm Miyamoto International and president of the nonprofit Miyamoto Global Disaster Relief is not just work— it’s personal. “I don’t see this as a job,” he says. “It’s my passion, there’s no question about it.”
Miyamoto’s firm has left a significant mark in countries across the globe most ravaged by war and conflict, as well as earthquakes and other natural disasters. He looks to take his teams to places where there is a significant need, he says. Sometimes those locations are places no one else wants to go. “Many people don’t show up,” he says. “We definitely know how to work very effectively in extremely challenging conditions.”
With conflicts escalating around the globe, particularly in Ukraine and in the Middle East, along with devastating quakes and other natural disasters in Turkey, Morocco, Libya and elsewhere, 2023 was a busy year for Miyamoto’s Sacramento, Calif.-based firm and nonprofit. The engineer came to America from his native Japan with aspirations of playing professional football. When a knee injury ended that dream, he switched his focus to gaining a degree in civil engineering from California State University, Chico. Miyamoto also earned a doctoral degree in structural engineering from the Tokyo Institute of Technology.