‘Twas the week before Christmas, when all through our house
Every creature was stirring, even the Hissho elves
The presents were all stacked on the table with care
In hopes that their gift would be one they would keep

 The employees were nestled, all snug in their chairs
While visions of splendor danced in the heads
And the moderators in their PJs & Christmas attire
Had just settled in to start the affair

As the numbers were called, each picked his gift
And hoped it was something they liked
But not one to be stolen, because
Only when it made 3 stops could it be claimed

The hilarity was rampant as new numbers perused the crowd
To see what gift they could pick, or might be stolen from the
Gifts that were hidden underneath tables, chairs or behind legs
As the robbers stealthily roamed the crowd

Some got to select more gifts than others
As their prizes became someone else’s
So again and again, they got a new gift
Until finally no one else wanted theirs

Hissho’s Yankee Swap is always full of fun
As the employees munched on snacks, savory and sweet
Eggnog, hot chocolate, soda or water
Until tummies were full of Christmas fare

And each one laughed until they cried
Until every person had their gift
Including the compact power bank
That Hissho gave each of us

So as we wait for Christmas Day
Then New Year, the Year of the Monkey
We wish each of you a fabulous holiday
From each of us at Hissho

Hissho continues to expand – horizontally, vertically and dimensionally. I say this because it seems someone is always pregnant at Hissho, and we wonder if maybe it couldn’t be “in the sushi” itself!
We have dedicated parking spaces for “Mothers-to-be,” but after adding 2 additional handmade signs on sticks for this same purpose, we finally decided to add VIP spaces. After all, mothers-to-be are Very Important Persons indeed. Our Core Values committee made quick work of getting it done.

Hissho has a reputation for “blowing it out” on Halloween each year. Our creative staff goes to all lengths to surprise, shock and cause howls of laughter each year. 2015 was NO EXCEPTION! Hope you enjoy the following photos as much as we do!

Our pumpkin decorating contest made it really hard to pick 3 winners! Which ones would you haven chosen?

Hissho Sushi was #15 among 38 privately owned companies in North Carolina touted for their revenue and employment growth at an Awards luncheon held in Pinehurst, NC on Monday, October 19, 2015.
Business North Carolina and Cherry Bekaert LLP partnered to honor these top businesses which will be featured in the upcoming November issue of Business NC magazine.
Two years ago, Hissho was #1 in this prestigious group, and very honored to still be in the running after explosive growth over these past two years. Hissho was the only food business represented, as most were in IT, construction, or service industries.

Hissho Sushi has just learned that the Company has been named as one of the Top 100 privately held businesses in North Carolina as recognized by the 2015 Grant Thornton North Carolina 100® (NC100).
The October 2015 issue of Business North Carolina magazine has all of the 100 companies listed by rank, and Hissho is #80.  Given the list, Hissho is very proud to be among these giants of industry.

In a congratulatory note, Grant Thornton states that, “Dynamic companies share five traits: innovation, expansion, talent, culture and agility.”  Since 1984, the Grant Thornton North Carolina 100© (NC100) has celebrated the substantial impact of private companies in North Carolina.

On Friday, September 25^th, Hissho had a “Tailgate Party.”  It was supposed to be outside, but the weather dictated otherwise.  Hissho’s Core Value # 8 is Generate Fun.  And that we did!  Starting the occasion with Moon Cakes to recognize the Harvest Moon Festival, co-workers took their task seriously in downing these delicious delicacies.

The food was either homemade or purchased by our employees with prizes for the best homemade in both savory & dessert categories.

Ping-pong ruled the day, with a serious tournament among the employees.

Our Logistics Department warehouse team had fierce participants.

The fare was so delicious that many went back several times for more. It was so nice to have time to relax and chat with each other beyond what the work details demanded.


No question here…….. great conversation and fun.

Our HR Department was definitely ready to party!

Corn Hole was a hit, and our Marketing and Logistics Team members rocked it!!

OK, yes it was funny!

Lots of new babies for our 2nd Generation Hissho team and this one is no exception!

A serious game of Texas Hold ‘Em that went way beyond closing time!

What a great way to end the week!

Hissho Sushi has learned that the Company has been named as “2015 Top Business” by Diversity Business.com. 

A winner in 4 categories:

Top 50 Diversity Owned Businesses in North Carolina – 2015 # 4
Top 50 Privately-held Businesses in North Carolina – 2015 # 7
Top 100 Asian Pacific American Owned Businesses in the United States – 2015 # 19
Top 500 Diversity Owned Businesses in the United States – 2015 # 276
Hissho is very humbled by this recognition as the Company continues to “Achieve the Impossible” as our #11 Core Value states.

In a letter to Philip Maung, Hissho’s President & CEO, Kenton Clarke, President & CEO of Diversity Business.com says; “Over 1.3 million businesses in the United States participated in our 15^th annual business survey and you were among the select few chosen based on both your annual gross revenue and the business profile you presented to us.”

The DiversityBusiness.com website states:  “The ‘Top Businesses in America’ program was established in 1999 by DiversityBusiness.com as part of its ongoing commitment to remain at the forefront in championing the entrepreneurial spirit.  The program recognizes and honors individuals who have established themselves as a world class community of entrepreneurs that continue to transform the way we live and advance our economy forward.”

To our Hissho friends that attend university, we will have either sushi or hot bar (or both!) in the following locations this fall:

• Babson College | Babson Park, Massachusetts
• Belmont University | Nashville, Tennessee
• Bentley University | Waltham, Massachusetts
• Binghamton University (SUNY) | Binghamton, New York
• Creighton University | Omaha, Nebraska
• Colorado School of Mines | Golden, Colorado
• Fordham University | Bronx, New York, New York
• DePaul University | Chicago, Illinois
• Gardner Webb University | Boiling Springs, North Carolina
• Georgia Regents University | Phoenix, Arizona
• Howard University | Washington, D.C.
• IUPUI | Indianapolis, Indiana
• Kennesaw State University | Kennesaw, Georgia
• Lehigh University | Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
• Loyola Marymount University | Los Angeles, California
• Minnesota State University-Mankato | Mankato, Minnesota
• Montgomery College | Rockville, Maryland
• NC A&T | Greensboro, North Carolina
• Plymouth State University | Plymouth, New Hampshire
• Ramapo College | Mahwah, New Jersey
• Radford University | Radford, Virginia
• Rochester Institute of Technology | Rochester, New York
• South Carolina State University | Orangeburg, South Carolina
• St. Cloud State University | St. Cloud, Minnesota
• Suffolk University | Boston, Massachusetts
• Troy University | Troy, Alabama
• University of Idaho | Moscow, Idaho
• University of Louisville | Louisville, Kentucky
• University of North Alabama | Florence, Alabama
• University of North Carolina-Greensboro | Greensboro, North Carolina
• University of South Carolina | Columbia, South Carolina
• University of Tennessee-Martin | Martin, Tennessee
• University of Texas-El Paso | El Paso, Texas
• University of Texas-Pan American | Edinburg, Texas
• Virginia Commonwealth University | Richmond, Virginia
• Wake Forest University | Winston-Salem, North Carolina
• William Paterson University | Wayne, New Jersey

Stay in touch for Hissho’s next openings in our non-grocery locations!

It’s Official!  Hissho has earned a space in the 2015 Inc. 5000 list.  For the 5^th time in 6 years Hissho is named as one of the fastest-growing private companies in America, and has earned the position of #4028.
Hissho was ranked #124 in the Food & Beverage Industry, #119 in the state of North Carolina and #44 in the city of Charlotte.
The President and Editor in Chief of Inc. 500l5000, Eric Schurenberg, stated that, “Started in 1982, this prestigious list of the nation’s most successful private companies has become the hallmark of entrepreneurial success.”
Congratulations to CEO Philip Maung and all of the Hissho employees who have worked hard to earn this honor.  For more information see:  http://www.inc.com/inc5000/list/2015/ & http://www.inc.com/profile/hissho-sushi

The Hissho Team had an amazing time at this year’s IDDBA Dairy-Deli-Bake Seminar and Expo in Atlanta, Ga.

For those not in the know, IDDBA is the International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association – an essential resource for dairy, deli and bakery professionals. Originally founded in 1964 as the Wisconsin Cheese Seminar, it has evolved over the years to reflect the changing needs of professionals in the dairy, deli, bakery and related industries.
Each year, IDDBA conducts an annual seminar and expo, “Dairy-Deli-Bake,” that features the finest in dairy, deli and bakery: new products, new suppliers, new contacts, new (and old) buyers and new ideas. For the past several years, Hissho has been honored to be an exhibitor at this exciting show.

The Hissho crew arrived on Friday to unload our goodies and check out our booth space. (We were super stoked about being neighbors with Stacy’s Pita Chips and Sabra – can we say, “Nomz?!”)


On Saturday, we jumped into action early, setting up our booth and prepping food for our sampling. This year’s show was extra special for us as we were debuting our hot foods program, Asian to Go, to new prospects. So with a double duty of sampling both hot food and sushi, the team had a lot of veggies to chop!

The show runs three days, typically Sunday through Tuesday, and our chefs banged out some fantastically colorful displays for each day.





All in all, we had a great show! We were able to meet tons of new people, see some familiar faces and sample some wickedly awesome food. We hope to see everyone again in 2016!